A comparison of the job satisfaction of graduates of vocational programs and graduates of non-vocational programs

The problem leading to this study was a need to determine whether or not preparation for an occupation by completion of a vocational program affects job satisfaction.

Three hundred sixty-three employees of a manufacturer of industrial equipment were surveyed using the Job Satisfaction Index developed by Brayfield and Rothe (1951) and demographic questionnaire developed by the researcher. Of the 363 employees surveyed, 349 were included in the study. One hundred fifty-eight of the employees had vocational training, of which 128 graduated from high school and also graduated from a vocational program. One hundred fifty-six of the 191 employees who had not had vocational training graduated from high school. Analysis of variance was used to determine whether there was a significant difference in the job satisfaction among the groups. If a significant difference was found among three or more groups, Duncan's multiple range test was used to determine which groups differed significantly.

There was no significant difference in job satisfaction between vocational graduates and non-vocational graduates. However, vocational graduates who were working in the vocational area in which they were trained were more satisfied than vocational graduates not working in the vocational area in which they were trained.

The job satisfaction of employees did not differ as a result of the type of program from which the employees received their training or the level of education completed. There was no interaction between the level of education completed and the type of program from which the employees graduated.