Technical communication employment opportunities in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area : a survey

Because it is home to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and to many technology-based businesses, the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area is considered a prime area for people seeking technical communication jobs. However, no systematic attempt has been made to document how many firms In the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area actually employ technical communicators, or the approximate number that they employ. For this research project, I attempted to compile Information about Knoxville-Oak Ridge technical communication employment opportunities. I identified 338 Knoxville-Oak Ridge businesses and 87 businesses In Anderson, Blount, Hamblen (City of Morristown), Jefferson, London, and Sevier Counties as possible employers of technical communicators. I conducted a telephone survey of these businesses, asking them If they employed technical communicators and (if yes), the number that they employed. I discovered 81 businesses in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area who either employed technical communicators or who listed positions for which people with a technical communication background would be qualified. I discovered 10 such employers in surrounding counties. I also conducted a mail survey that asked technical communicators at selected businesses to describe their educational background and to Identify the skills they used and the tasks they performed most frequently In their current work. I sent the survey to 80 Individuals at 26 companies. Survey results Indicate that this group of technical communicators had very different levels of education and training. However, most jobs required a common set of skills and tasks. I concluded that I succeeded in establishing a limited resource for technical communication job seekers. In addition, my list of companies may prove useful to researchers who would like to undertake a more in-depth study of the technical communication profession in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area.