Responses from more than 400 employers indicated that the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) competencies adequately identified entry workers' needs. Over 90% said the following were necessary for entry workers: personal quality skills, basic skills, thinking skills, and interpersonal competencies. Disparities between the…

Compared personnel managers' (N=51) perceptions of requisite skills for successful employment and the actual competence of entry level workers. Results indicated a significant discrepancy between needed skills and the competence that secondary school graduates bring to the work place. Speaking and listening were rated most important. (JAC)

The perceptions of southern Nevada employers regarding the importance of the Secretary's Commission for Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) workplace basic skills were examined in a survey that was administered to a random sample of southern Nevada businesses. Of the 415 employers who completed the survey, 313 (75.4%) believed that the SCANS skills…

The largest segment of the American work force consists of high school graduates who have not attended college. New graduates usually start in entry-level positions but soon move into other occupations and other, often larger, organizations. Today's graduates should expect many changes that will affect their ability to succeed in the work force.…

In collaboration, The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management conducted an in-depth study of the corporate perspective on the readiness of new entrants into the U.S. workforce by level of educational attainment. The study includes results…

Employers find it increasingly difficult to hire competent workers, in part because expectations are rising in the face of global competition. A single standard of literacy is an inadequate measure. The National Assessment of Educational Progress' profile of 3,600 young adults measured three types of literacy: prose (reading and interpretation),…

A study examined the nature and extent of adult literacy needs in the American labor force. Data for the study were collected from a review of the literature, site visits to nine industry-based training programs, and consultation with a technical panel of experts. Input from company managers, instructors, and trainers familiar with the…

A survey was conducted to determine the attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of employers of low income youth--specifically of youth between the ages of 16 and 21 who had participated in federally funded programs under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act (YEDPA). Data were obtained in 1981 from the employers of 1,496…

A study of business and labor was conducted to define the performance skills expected of those entering the workplace in the 1990s and beyond. Survey respondents were 1,120 business people and 26 labor representatives in Illinois of whom 90 participated in follow-up roundtable discussions. Respondents identified and rank ordered nine basic skills:…

Personal interviews were conducted with persons involved in the hiring process in 60 companies throughout Ohio to determine what qualities they seek when they hire young, inexperienced workers at beginning skilled or semiskilled levels. Companies, selected to represent all sections of the state, varied in size. The study found the following: (1)…

For this joint effort among three Cabinet Agencies, studies by a variety of organizations were reviewed and 134 business leaders and 34 education leaders in many communities throughout the United States were interviewed to determine what businesses find lacking among new entrants into the labor force and what employers' work force needs will be in…

A survey of 177 employers of Wyoming vocational education graduates sought to identify skills and competencies the graduates needed. A random sample of 525 businesses both Wyoming-based and foreign (home-based outside of Wyoming) were mailed surveys; 267 survey forms were returned, but only 177 provided data for analysis. Findings indicated that…

A study was conducted to identify the literacy requirements of 10 college vocational training programs and their corresponding occupations. Following a review of 5 years of student records at an eastern Ontario community college, the 10 major vocational programs studied were categorized as follows: motor vehicle mechanic, engineering technician,…

This Occupational Competency Analysis Profile (OCAP), which is one of a series of OCAPs developed to identify the skills that Ohio employers deem necessary to entering a given occupation/occupational area, lists the occupational, academic, and employability skills required of individuals entering the occupation of welder. The introduction explains…

The guide is one of a series of 10 units composing an orientation to the world of work course designed especially for disadvantaged and handicapped students in the ninth and tenth grades. It is designed to provide basic and remedial instruction in personal development, math, and language skills while providing information and skills basic or…