Starla L. Ivey Dissertation Defense Dissertation Committee Dr. Bob Stewart Dr. Kelly Wilkinson Dr. Craig Israelsen Dr. Deanna L. Sharpe Dr. James Laffey

Introduction SCANS (1991) Competencies Resources Information Interpersonal skills Systems Technology

Need for Study Claiborne (1992) Strains on finding qualified applicants Huber (1997) Increased difficulty in finding qualified applicants Richens (1999) Entry-level employees possession of SCANS competencies HR Guide (1999) Methods for assessing prospective employees

Purpose Investigate the perceptions of human resource personnel with respect to workplace competencies possessed of job applicants and the factors employed when evaluating these skills in job applicants

Research Question What is the level of workplace competencies possessed by prospective employees at various educational/skill levels as perceived by human resources personnel? Is there a significant difference among the mean workplace competencies possessed by prospective employees at various educational/skill levels as perceived by human resources personnel? What methods do human resource personnel utilize to assess workplace competencies possessed by prospective employees at various educational/skill levels?

Methodology Independent Variable Levels of Educational/Skill 1. Those who have completed less than a GED (laboring/elemental skill level) 2. Those who have completed a high school diploma/GED or some college, but no degree (intermediate skill level) 3. Those who have completed an associate’s degree (technical/paraprofessional skill level) 4. Those who have completed a bachelor’s degree or beyond (manager/professional skill level)

Methodology Dependent Variables The mean competency ratings for the skills possessed by prospective employees as perceived by human resource personnel about the five areas of workplace competencies 1. Resources 2. Information 3. Interpersonal skills 4. Systems 5. Technology

Methodology Sample 25 companies surveyed Instrumentation Questionnaire used in the study was based on the SCANS workplace competencies report (1993) and previous research conducted by Yang (1994) and Harrison (1996)

Demographic Findings N – number in the sample Not all employers hired at the less than GED (laboring/elemental) educational/skill level PERCENT OF TOTAL EMPLOYEES Slightly less than half of the current workforce was comprised of those who have completed a high school diploma or GED. Employees with a degree (educational/skill levels 3 and 4) made up another 46%. Very small percentage have less than a GED.

Demographic Findings AVERAGE SALARY data implies that as the educational/skill level of the prospective employee increases so does the average salary. RATIO APPLICANTS TO JOBS Educational/skill level 1 = Educational/skill level 4 = 26.36

Research Question 1 - Findings What is the level of workplace competencies possessed by prospective employees at various educational/skill levels as perceived by human resources personnel? The data suggests that as the job applicant’s educational/skill level increases so does the level of workplace competencies possessed

Research Question 2 - Findings Ho 1 : There is no significant difference in the mean workplace competencies possessed by prospective employees between two or more of the educational/skill levels as perceived by human resource personnel Testing at the.05 level using ANOVA, a significant difference between each educational/skill level and the mean scores on the skill domains was found Tukey HSD Post Hoc Test was utilized to analyze the differences among the educational/skill levels

Research Question 2 - Findings Tukey HSD Post Hoc Test There was a significant difference among all of the educational/skill levels for each mean scores of the five workplace competency skill domains for job applicants, except for domain 2 between educational/skill levels 3 and 4. Job applicants at each educational/skill level possess differing amounts of workplace competency skills.

Research Question 3 - Findings What methods do human resource personnel utilize to assess workplace competencies possessed by prospective employees at various educational/skill levels? The methods used to assess workplace competencies possessed by prospective employees at various educational/skill levels stayed the same, however, more specific/technical information is required at each successive level Each company used a combination of methods to assess the qualifications of the applicants and to increase the total validity of the screening process

Additional Findings Human Resource Personnel perceived.. Decrease in the soft skills of job applicants, especially work ethic Short supply of hourly workers with high turnover in those positions

Conclusions 1. Fewer employers are hiring job applicants who are at the less than GED educational/skill level 2. Those at educational/skill levels 1 and 2 make up over 50% of the workforce, however, the ratio of applicants to available positions is not enough to satisfy the current market demand 3. As educational/skill level of the prospective employee increases so does the level of workplace competencies and the hiring salary.

Conclusions 4. The assessment methods do not differ for applicants at each educational/skill level, however, the type of information addressed becomes increasingly more technical and specific. 5. Companies utilize a combination of assessment methods 6. Employers are having difficulty hiring qualified applicant due to the following reasons: decline in work ethic, fewer applicants, and skills need to be higher.

Recommendations for Future Research 1. A study should be conducted to analyze the correlation between salary and workplace competencies within occupational groups. 2. Further research is needed to determine the long- term success of students achieving various levels of workplace competencies. 3. A study should be conducted that samples a larger number of companies.

Recommendations for Future Research 4. Further research is needed to more deeply investigate the assessment methods utilized by human resource personnel and their ability to predict valuable employees. 5. As the workplace is an ever-changing dynamic setting, research on employability skills and the ability of applicants to fulfill positions should be continual. Future work in this area should correspond with business and industry’s needs and how education can prepare workers for a competitive global market.