The purpose of this study was to capture employers' and recent high school graduates' perceptions of employability skills in a rural region in southwestern Virginia. The specific objectives of this study were: a) to describe the employers' perceptions of expected proficiency levels of workplace readiness skills for new employees in the New River Region; b) to describe the recent high school graduates perceptions of the importance of workplace readiness skills for new employees in the New River Region; and c) to describe employers and recent high school graduates; perceived skills gap for new employees in the New River Region. The study used a multi-method QUAN + QUAL methodology. The data were collected using a researcher-created survey instrument and focus groups. The results from this study revealed that employers' perceptions concerning workplace readiness skills are consistent with skills mentioned in the literature. Work ethics was identified as the highest priority need for employers. Other priority needs identified from the literature were accountability, dependability, empathy, punctuality, and work ethic. One pedagogical implication of the study is that career and technical education teachers should emphasize workplace readiness skills because they are essential for securing and retaining employment. / Doctor of Philosophy / The purpose of this study was to determine employers' and recent high school graduates' perceptions of workplace employability skills in the New River Valley region of southwestern Virginia. The objectives of the research were to: a) examine employers' views of expected proficiency levels of workplace readiness skills for new employees; b) investigate recent high school graduates' perceived levels of their workplace readiness skills; and c) assess the gap between employer expectations and recent high school graduates' levels of job readiness. Data were collected using a researcher-created survey instrument and focus groups. The results indicated that employers' views regarding necessary workplace readiness skills are consistent with those emphasized in the literature. Employee work ethic was identified as the highest priority need among employers. Other priority needs identified in the literature, including employee accountability, dependability, empathy, punctuality, and emotional intelligence, were supported by the research. The study underscored the need for career and technical education teachers to focus on workplace readiness skills to assist students in securing and retaining employment.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/119074 |
| Date | 23 May 2024 |
| Creators | Young, Tabitha Smithson |
| Contributors | Education, Vocational-Technical, Ferand, Natalie Louise Kincy, Williams, Thomas O., Mukuni, Joseph Siloka, Kniola, David John |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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