In 1992, a survey was conducted of employers of former students at Pima Community College (PCC), in Arizona, to assess graduates' on-the-job performance and provide data for program review. Questionnaires were mailed to 125 supervisors of 1991-92 PCC graduates who had given permission for their supervisors to be contacted, asking the employers to…

Each year the Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program (FETPIP) conducts surveys to determine the opinions of employers about the preparation of graduates of vocational programs. The 1993 survey focused on eight school district and community college occupational training areas (i.e., automotive technology, gasoline engine…

In January 1989, a study was conducted at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in Kansas, of students who graduated, received certificates, or completed sufficient courses to have obtained new skills or enhanced existing skills during the 1987-88 academic year. The purpose of the study was to determine the experiences, perceptions, and…

In response to requests by the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board for a systematic approach to student outcomes assessment, and in an effort to identify potential areas for improving the quality of community college education, the State Board for Community College Education conducted a vocational outcomes study in 1989. The study…

A study gathered followup information on the 1983-84 graduates of Oregon community college vocational students. Of the 83 percent of the graduates who were either employed or pursuing further education, 73 percent were doing so in areas related to the training they had received while enrolled in the community college program. Female graduates…

A study was conducted in 1980 to ascertain employer attitudes toward and satisfaction with the performance of graduates of vocational education programs in Hawaii. Interviews with 41 employers, who employed an average of 132 workers, sought general perceptions of the knowledge, quality of work, written and oral skills, dependability, adaptability,…

A study compared the academic achievement and job market success of academically and/or economically disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged vocational education students. Data from student records and transcripts and employer follow-ups were collected on 2,191 students enrolled in vocational majors in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Students were classified…

Argues that all stakeholders in education should be consulted regarding the purpose, goals, accomplishments, and behaviors to be influenced by education, and that specific content should be accomplishment-based. Five figures illustrate: (1) the behavior/accomplishment relationship, (2) synthesis of desired K-12 accomplishments, (3) examples of…

These four papers are from a symposium on instructional strategies that was facilitated by Joseph Kessels at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) conference. "Developing Supervisory Expertise: The Effects of an Inductive versus a Deductive Training Method on the Job Behaviors of Supervisors" (Margaret C. Lohman) discusses…

Two studies tested the feasibility of a national school-to-work transition venture. One study involved focus groups of employers in eight cities to identify incentives encouraging employers to take part in youth work-based learning programs. The second involved a telephone survey of employers in seven cities who had participated in local…

This two-part document reports the results of a literature review of workplace literacy program evaluation and then details a study of two current workplace literacy programs. The five chapters of the first part summarize findings on what is known about workplace literacy programs, methods for evaluating workplace literacy programs, assessing…

In spring 1991, Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) surveyed employers of the college's 1988-89 graduates to evaluate the occupational success of the graduates and to determine how well academic programs prepare students for work in various professions. In response to a previously conducted graduate follow-up, 62 graduates (50.8% of all…

In 1991, a study was conducted of the Cardiovascular Technology program (CTP) at the University of Toledo, Community and Technical College (ComTech). The purpose of the study was to identify deficiencies in the cardiovascular course content that may have contributed to the failure rate among ComTech graduates who took the 1986 Cardiovascular…

This document considers whether postsecondary education can change the way it operates. The introduction identifies six challenges of the 1990s, including heterogeneous student populations; quality of working life competence, basic competence, employability competence, learning-to-learn competence, common core competencies, and the arts and…

Educational reform efforts have thus far excluded vocational education. Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in reevaluating vocational education's role in facilitating academic excellence and economic competitiveness. Inadequate basic skills remain a significant and growing problem. There is a direct relationship between basic skills…