The relationship between skill demands, changing work organization, and performance was examined in a study of workers across 15 "benchmark" jobs in each of 8 public utilities. Skills issues were assessed by plant managers, workers, and their supervisors. Randomly selected managers/supervisors reported a series of performance measures…

A study was conducted to determine employers' perceptions of the technical and personal skills and knowledge needed by business and industry in the Indianapolis area. A survey instrument, requesting employers to rate the importance of 17 technical skills and 13 personal skills and to describe the nature of the work at their firms, was distributed…

The overwhelming impression from an examination of developing nations throughout the world is that there is no neat and universal explanation of what employers want from school and university education. Neither does there appear to be any firm connection between scholastic qualifications and job functions. The nearly universal absence of a…

An employer survey was conducted by the Emerging Technologies Consortium to assess changes in the workplace and their implications for the delivery of community college educational services. Over 100 business firms in Michigan were contacted to obtain employers' views on their current use of technology, changing employment qualifications,…

TO ASSIST IN DEVELOPING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR OFF-FARM AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS, A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY OCCUPATIONS, WHICH WERE EMERGING AND DEVELOPING, DECREASING IN IMPORTANCE, AND IN NEED OF EMPLOYEES WITH SPECIAL TRAINING. A STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLE OF 495 AGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES WAS INTERVIEWED BY A TRAINED TEAM USING AN…

A survey developed by the Occupational Education Division of Howard University to determine employee supply and demand in Howard County, Texas, involved both employees and employers. Employer data were compiled from interviews with 319 out of a possible 409 employers who employed three or more people. Conclusions and recommendations for the…

To determine what should be taught to persons preparing for employment in the horticultural industry, 30 nursery owners or operators chosen from five geographic areas of nursery concentration in Texas were interviewed. The specific objectives were to determine: (1) the most important competencies, (2) the influence of geographic location and size…

A study was conducted to determine the need for new occupational programs in the area served by the Community College of Decatur and to assess the need for existing and proposed occupational programs. Over a 5-month period, questionnaires were mailed to selected representatives from businesses, industries, personal and public services, and health…

Two representatives of business and industry discuss reasons for business support of education and the need for both work and liberal arts education. (MF)

Stating that poor work attitudes and job behavior problems can be traced in part to a society that does not consider employability an educational goal, the author proposes that education be redirected toward employment and understanding of business economics. He contends that career education is basic education and lists ways in which business can…

Describes a study to provide a source of employment data for vocational agriculture programs. Data collected from a stratified, random sample of ten percent of the agribusinesses in fourteen Indiana counties formed the basis for projecting 1977-1981 agribusiness employment needs for high school level workers. (MF)

Describes research conducted at the Manchester Institute of Science and Technology about the changing nature of personnel management. The authors found that training has become an easy target for economies at times of economic stringency and is not being vigorously defended by the senior personnel managers within whose functions it is located. (CT)

Presents a brief review of research literature to indicate problems in using research data and summarizes a study undertaken to determine if a correlation exists between the perceptions of a group of business world authorities and the perceptions of business educators with reference to the abilities being required of clerical personnel "now" and…

The level of computer training needed by students seeking entry-level office jobs was the subject of a questionnaire mailed to 153 businesses in northern Wyoming. Usable responses were received from 117 businesses (for a response rate of 76.5 percent). Company size did not significantly affect computer use. Even though 51 percent of the firms…

A study was conducted to determine employers' satisfaction with blue-collar and clerical employees entering the nation's work force. In addition, the study measured employers' perceptions of the ability of their employees to be retrained. A total of 200 executive interviews, of approximately 2 minutes each, were collected from a national sample of…