In this research article, Ross J. Benbow and Matthew T. Hora explore the employability narrative, a view that focuses on whether colleges and universities provide students with the skills they need to be productively employed after graduation. Using sociocultural theory to problematize this narrative and qualitative methods to foreground the…

How can educators ensure that young people who attain a postsecondary credential are adequately prepared for the future? Matthew T. Hora and his colleagues explain that the answer is not simply that students need more specialized technical training to meet narrowly defined employment opportunities. "Beyond the Skills Gap" challenges this…

The narrative of the "skills gap," or the notion that the United States economy suffers because employers are not able to find job applicants with workplace-ready skills (e.g., American Society for Training and Development 2012), has become an influential rallying cry in higher education funding circles in recent years. It is with these…

This research was conducted to determine if job related field experiences improved the confidence of secondary transition students. There were six students included in the study. The students ranged in disabilities from emotional and behavioral disability, borderline cognitive disability and severe (IQ under 60) disability. In addition, the case…

Communities face powerful challenges--a high-school dropout epidemic, youth unemployment, teen pregnancy--that require powerful solutions. In a climate of increasingly constrained resources, those solutions must help communities to achieve more with less. A new kind of community collaborative--an approach that aspires to significant,…

The conceptualization and measurement of key job characteristics has not changed greatly for most social scientists since the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and Quality of Employment surveys were created, despite their recognized limitations. However, debates over the roles of job skill requirements, technology, and new management practices in…

A project was conducted to determine the computer application competencies needed by a graduate of Wisconsin Vocational Technical Adult Education (VTAE) food service programs. Surveys were conducted of food service graduates and their employers as well as of major companies by the food service coordinators of the VTAE districts in the state; a…

A study to identify the basic skills and tasks that are necessary to obtain job-entry level employment as an auto body technician was conducted at the Southwest Wisconsin Vocational-Technical Institute from March to July 1975. Surveys were distributed to employees, vocational graduates, and employers in the auto body trade. The survey determined…

To assess the relationship between the competencies taught in ten Wisconsin two-year Associate Degree Electronic Technology programs and the competencies needed on the job, a study surveyed program graduates and employers of graduates regarding the effectiveness of the curriculum. The survey instruments were based on the 120 broad competencies…

The purpose of the civil highway curriculum evaluation was to provide data for course review and revision. As civil engineering is a rapidly changing occupational field, it is important to determine what skills are currently essential for civil highway technicians. The associate degree programs in the four Wisconsin technical institutes offering…

A study of 2-year associate degree commercial arts programs in Wisconsin was conducted to determine the entry-level job requirements of commercial artists on a statewide basis; to identify skill tasks, performance levels, and learning experiences required of commercial artists; to evaluate the relevance of 2-year programs to industry requirements;…

This health careers guidance manual was developed to provide high school counselors, teachers, and students with information regarding health career opportunities and available training programs in Wisconsin. The content is in two volumes, with the first comprising two-thirds of the manual. Volume 1 begins with one-page job briefs on fifty-four…

This report consists of a background and discussion of the methods used to design the employability inventory as well as results obtained from field testing it with graduates from and current students at two postsecondary vocational technical institutions in Wisconsin. Results obtained are reported in number and percentage distribution tables…

A study, which was part of a multiphased secondary education improvement program entitled the Parker Project, examined Wisconsin employer and employee perceptions of the effectiveness of job training and career education available in high schools in the state. Survey data indicated that employers are not entirely satisfied with the training…

This document is designed to help Wisconsin eighth grade students, their parents, and their teachers plan an individualized course of study in high school that will help these students research their post-high school goals. The document begins by describing the process of lifework planning, which is intended to equip students with the research…