Higher education institutions must take into account the changing nature of the world of work. They must understand the capacities and competencies demanded by graduates of universities because in an unpredictable world, careers will undergo permanent changes and must respond to the changing needs of the labour market. In this article, we present…

The general objective of the vocational office training program is to prepare high school and postsecondary students (general clerical, clerk typist, and stenographic) for initial office jobs and for advancement on the job. The handbook is designed to assist teacher/coordinators in implementing a vocational office training program and an intensive…

Data from British secretarial students, lecturers, employers, and secretaries were used to construct a generic model of the secretary role. Discrepancies were found between the work world and the curriculum. National Vocational Qualifications had little impact on curriculum restructuring. (SK)

The document describes the development of a library of 24 North Dakota Occupational Models, each patterned after a specific job in a specific office. A teacher's manual giving tips on implementing the program was also developed. The models were designed to provide high school students with a realistic introduction to a variety of office work and…

Developed through synthesis and review of existing task analysis literature, this guide lists tasks expected to be performed by workers in four business and office occupations and presents information for incorporating these tasks into secondary and postsecondary competency based educational programs. Task listings are presented for the following…

Major metropolitan newspapers' ads were analyzed to identify trends in job skill requirements. Communication skills, organizational abilities, human relations skills, and automated equipment training were the qualities most sought by employers. (SK)

Using the DACUM Process, teams reviewed lists of competencies developed in 1993 to revise curriculum standards for entry-level office-related positions. Competencies in organization/operations, information, technology, interpersonal skills, and resources were identified. (JOW)

Technological advances have brought about changes in office practices and procedures and in the skills and knowledge required of office workers. This report on the changing work environment of the office and the resulting implications for business education should be of interest to all those involved in the education, training, and retraining of…

A shortened version of the final report of a Federally-funded developmental curriculum research project, the publication presents the findings of a workshop (University of Northern Iowa, 1973) for the purpose of identification of job tasks for entry-level office occupations from research-based materials. Studies by Lamb (Mary Lou), Lanham (Frank…

This article reports the findings of the first phase of an investigation to help define and standardize office systems education. It also provides an historical overview of major curriculum development efforts in office systems from 1967 to the present and offers a general critique of those studies. (CT)

Focuses on how business educators can train students realistically for the future, combining change, content, and challenge with traditional basic skills to provide office occupations students with the skills needed to find jobs in today's technological office. (JOW)

Hillsborough Community College in the Tampa Bay area of Florida asked doctors to guide the revamping of the medical secretary curriculum to learn what job skills they expected of graduates. It was found that, rather than shorthand, proficiency in the use of transcription equipment was requested. (MF)

The recordkeeping-accounting competencies in business education curriculums should be those needed by all prospective office workers, not just bookkeepers. A task inventory booklet (developed by the Vocational Technical Education Consortium of States) completed by incumbent office workers showed that some of the recordkeeping-accounting tasks…

Due to the growing complexity of records management, the vocational education of secretaries should extend beyond filing and indexing. Records management principles, transfer and retention plans, retrieval and storage systems, and the value of records management should be included in curriculums to enable secretaries to advance within their jobs.…

Reports on a study to identify competencies needed by secretaries and supervisory personnel for word processing (WP). Presents guidelines for a WP curriculum for two-year institutions that were developed from the data collected. (SK)