Job acquisition methods of secondary vocational school graduates : their use and relationship to training-related employment

This study was designed to describe the job acquisition methods used by the 1976 graduates of the auto mechanics, carpentry, cosmetology and machine shop programs from a large metropolitan area in Northern Ohio and two nearby suburban area schools. A researcher-developed instrument was mailed to 507 graduates twenty months after their graduation. From these 337 usable completed questionnaires were returned.

This study investigated the graduates' awareness of job acquisition methods, appraises the results of the use of these methods in acquiring training-related jobs and presents an effectiveness measure for job acquisition methods. The effectiveness measure of a job acquisition method was the percentage of graduates who actually acquired their first jobs by the use of the method as a portion of all the graduates who attempted to acquire a job through the use of that method. This study also identifies selected attributes of vocational graduates that affect successful employment. The graduates' vocational program, sex and residential area were used as independent variables in examining these criteria.

Findings

The best known method of job acquisition was answering newspaper ads, the most used was visits to places of employment. Graduates used an average of 4.4 different methods to find their first job after graduation. Two-thirds of the graduates (66.5%) acquired related jobs. Eighty percent of all jobs were acquired through the use of five methods: (1) visits to places of employment, (2) help of a friend, (3) help of a vocational teacher, (4) answering newspaper ads, (5) help of a relative. There were vast differences in the percentage of training-related jobs produced by these methods. While 98% of the jobs produced by the help of a vocational teacher were related only 43% of the jobs produced by the help of a friend were training-related. Training-related jobs were found more rapidly than unrelated jobs. Over half (51.3%) of the graduates found their first jobs within two weeks. Few graduates moved to take a job (8.3%). Graduates who acquired related jobs retained their jobs significantly longer than those who acquired unrelated jobs. The degree of career commitment of vocational students varies between vocational programs. Auto mechanics program students were significantly lower in this attribute.

Conclusions

Training in the use of job acquisition methods would be of value to vocational graduates not only in finding their first jobs but throughout their working lives. This study supports the conclusion that many vocational graduates lack the knowledge and skill necessary to use a variety of job acquisition methods. Further, graduates lack the ability to use some methods that appear promising in effectiveness and in yielding a high percentage of training-related jobs. It is likely that graduates would acquire jobs more quickly and a higher percentage would find training-related jobs if they were instructed in the use of these methods. However, vocational programs have failed to equip graduates with these skills and may not be attempting to include this service.

The greater the career commitment of the candidates upon entering vocational training the better their chances of acquiring trainingrelated jobs, acquiring them more rapidly, and retaining them longer. Auto mechanics program candidates require special attention with respect to these relationships as they were low in all of these criteria.

Cooperation between vocational schools and the state employment service currently appears ineffective. A cooperative plan between these parties is feasible and it would serve the needs of the schools, the graduates and the state employment service.