Fifty-eight Wisconsin high schools have undergone a comprehensive evaluation of their total vocational education program, including program management and administration as well as capstone, sequence, and exploratory programs in all vocational discipline areas. All aspects discussed--employability, job relatedness to training, employer hiring…

For the third year, an Employer Satisfaction Survey collected ratings given by Tennessee employers to recent graduates recognized as secondary vocational-technical program completers. On a statewide basis, the average number of eligible employers per eligible program was 7.5. In total, the usable rate of return was 62 percent (798 employers). The…

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…

Research offers educators information on the skills that will be needed by office employees as new technologies are introduced into the workplace. Surveys and studies sponsored by private organizations as well as private businesses indicate that employers still require secretaries to have a solid foundation in the more traditional secretarial…

A random sample of 111 industry representatives from 4 standard metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania offered opinions on how to improve critical aspects of vocational education in the state. Employers gathered at one of four sites and dealt with questions regarding students' basic skills, technical job skills, and job attitudes. Group discussions…

Six school sites were visited to evaluate the work being done there in the third and final year of the Ohio Experience-Based Career Education program (EBCE) for secondary students (primarily 9th and 10th graders). Evaluators interviewed school staff, present and former EBCE participants, and employers in the communities. Questionnaires were also…

In a followup study to collect data which could be used for the evaluation and improvement of secondary occupational education programs in agriculture in New York State, questionnaires were sent to respondents of the original survey (agricultural graduates from the classes of 1968 and 1970 and their employers). From the 1968 class, questionnaires…

Interviews with students and teachers at two Sheffield high schools and employers involved in work experience placements revealed clear differences in the value and outcomes of work experience. The primary gap was between the rhetoric of the benefits of work experience, its effect on curriculum, and the actual experience. (SK)

A project was conducted to recommend the acquisition and installation of state-of-the-art computer laboratories, software, and teacher training that will better prepare students in Delaware for employment in information processing occupations. Four major activities were undertaken: (1) a survey of 1,426 Delaware office workers to determine the…

Reports on a survey of 1,244 Georgians including secondary and postsecondary vocational students, secondary nonvocational students, parents, guidance counselors, and employers. Results indicate general agreement that vocational education in the state of Georgia is experiencing success. Lowest scores, however, came from employers. (CH)

Explains the methodology used to correlate the scores of dropout-prone students on a measurement of vocational maturity with their scores and work-effectiveness rating scale. Notes that vocational maturity, decision making abilities, and career information are significantly related to work effectiveness. (SB)

A study of the Agricultural Occupational Employment Experience program at Iowa Falls, Iowa, revealed that the program was recognized as an important component of the vocational agriculture program. Participants had specific expectations of the program. To meet these expectations, the program must be structured following cooperative vocational…

Nontechnical employment competencies needed by secondary students were identified and then tested with employers, teacher-coordinators, and school counselors. Their perceptions of the relative importance of each competency and discrepancies in those perceptions illustrate the need for cooperation between the school and the business community. (SK)

The Vocational Exploration Program was an 8 week summer employment and education program which gave 14 deaf students an opportunity to study the attitudes of employers and students in work situations and some ideas on how to better prepare for jobs in the labor market. (Author/SBH)

This bulletin focuses on the benefits of engaging employers in school-to-work systems. It begins with a rationale for convincing employers that they must play a more active role in partnerships with schools and communities. The next section highlights strategies that school-to-work practitioners have successfully used to build employer involvement…