Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

6-1984

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major Professor

George W. Wiegers

Committee Members

Caroll B. Coakley, Gerald K. LaBorde, George W. Harris

Abstract

The purpose of this study was (1) to determine by a survey of the Knoxville Labor Market Area, the present and future needs of a post secondary graphic-arts program, (2) to determine the interest in a post secondary program by means of a follow-up study of the graduates within the Knoxville Labor Market Area, and (3) to determine a feasible curriculum, applicable to local industry and the State Technical Institute at Knoxville, Tennessee.

Two questionnaires were used to collect the data, one for the printing industry and one for the former students of the secondary graphic-arts programs in the Knoxville-Knox County area. The population consisted of 225 businesses in the Knoxville Labor Market Area directly involved in the printing and/or graphic-arts industry, and 149 former graphic-arts students who had completed at least two years in the vocational graphic-arts programs within the Knoxville-Knox County, Tennessee area between the years 1978 and 1982.

Answers to the following questions were sought:

1. Does the printing industry in the Knoxville Labor Market Area recognize the need for continued training in a post secondary graphic-arts program? It was found that 86.7 percent of the respondents from industry felt that a post secondary program of this nature was needed in this area. In addition, 49.3 percent indicated they would utilize the program for new employee training, while 45.1 percent would use it for retraining. The majority of the respondents, 57.8 percent, stated the program would be used to update present employee skills.

2. Do the graduates of secondary education vocational graphic-arts programs recognize a need for continued training in a post secondary graphic-arts program? All of the secondary vocational education graphic-arts graduates responding indicated that a program of this type was needed in the Knoxville area. Sixty-seven percent of them stated that some additional training would be needed, beyond their current level, in order to gain employment in the graphic-arts or a related field. Of the graduates responding 62.8 percent stated that they would attend such a program if it were offered at the State Technical Institute, and 83.0 percent felt that an Associate of Arts Degree in Graphic-Arts would enhance their employment opportunities.

3. Can the printing industry representatives of the Knoxville Labor Market Area identify curriculum areas needed for a post secondary graphic-arts program? It is apparent from the responses recorded in Tables 24 through 79 of this study that the local graphic-arts industry can "tailor" a curriculum to fit localized needs. Of the 27 courses presented in these tables, only two were not given favorable consideration--these were Introduction to Chemistry and Introduction to Physics.

4. Does the size of the industry and its annual gross sales affect the stated need for the curriculum of a post secondary graphic-arts program in the Knoxville Labor Market Area? The data summarized in Tables 78 and 79 of the study indicate that when all 27 courses listed for consideration were rank ordered and compared "Position" to "Annual Gross Sale" there was very little variation in course ranking. Additionally, when the same courses were compared by "Annual Gross Sales" only, the variation between the larger companies versus the smaller companies, there was also very little variation in the rank ordering according to importance within the curriculum. It should be mentioned, however, that the larger companies offered more specialization, whereas the smaller companies employees tended to be involved in all processes of the trade.

The major conclusions drawn from the reported data regarding the proposed Graphic-Arts Program for the State Technical Institute at Knoxville were; (1) As a group, the need for a post secondary graphic-arts training facility for this geographical area is recognized not only by the local industry but also the former students of the secondary programs. (2) Most respondents felt that a program of this nature would lead to a better and higher paying job upon completion of the proposed course of instruction. (3) Not only did the industry recognize the need for the proposed program, but were able to tailor a program which would, if implemented, impact the local industry and the community. (4) If such a program is not implemented, the local industry would be forced to look outside the Knoxville Labor Market Area for skilled workers and training in order to keep up with rapid changes within the industry. Other detailed data, including recommendations for the program may be found in Chapters IV and V of this study.

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