A study of employment opportunities and job requirements for entry-level office occupations in Freeport, Illinois, businesses
Lee R. Gerber
Harris, E. Edward (Earl Edward), 1931-||Pender, Albert R.
Department of Business Education
Business education--Illinois--Freeport
The primary purpose of this study was to obtain a knowledge of the entry-level occupations in Freeport, Illinois, businesses that are open to high school graduates. The major objectives were to determine: (a) the job opportunities in office occupations available to high school graduates, (b) office machines that beginning employees should be able to operate on entry-level jobs and the degree of skill needed, (c) skills that employers think high school graduates should possess for entry-level jobs, (d) willingness of businessmen to serve on an advisory committee to the Freeport Senior High School Business Department, (e) the educational and other requirements for beginning office workers, (f) the traits and attitudes desired of beginning office workers, (g) the number of persons employed in Freeport businesses for each United States Office of Education's Office Occupations Classification studied, (h) the recommendations Freeport, Illinois, businessmen had to improve the business education program at Freeport Senior High School, and (i) the interest of businessmen in providing supervised practical experiences for Freeport Senior High School in-school office education students. A total of 59 firms participated in the study. Forty-one businesses were selected from a list of industries, utilities, and insurance companies provided by the Freeport Chamber of Commerce. To the 141 firms were added five financial businesses. The remaining 13 firms were a systematic random sample selected from a list of retail and wholesale, professional, real estate and insurance agency, and educational service offices compiled from Polk's Freeport (Stephenson County, Illinois) City Directory. The normative type of survey approach was utilized for this study. The personal interview technique was used to gather the data. Through the interview, the data was collected on seven United States Office of Education's Occupations Classifications: (a) Information Communication; (b) Stenographic, Secretarial, and Related; (c) Typing and Related; (d) Accounting and Computing; (e) Filing, Office Machines, and General Office Clerical; (f) Business Data Processing Systems; and (g) Materials Support Occupations: Transporting, Storing, and Recording. An analysis of the data resulted in the following findings: (a) females were preferred for all entry-level office jobs studied except messenger and office boy, shipping and receiving clerk, and traffic clerk; (b) four of 39 businessmen employing secretarial workers indicated that shorthand was unimportant for entry-level workers; (c) typewriting, shorthand, filing, composing letters, using the telephone for business activities, and typing carbon copies were indicated as the most important skills needed by an entry-level worker in secretarial work; (d) preparing financial statements was considered unimportant by 43 per cent of the Uh firms employing accounting workers; (e) approximately seven per cent of the firms employing workers in accounting and computing indicated they preferred to train workers in bookkeeping skills on the job; (f) forty-one per cent of the businessmen indicated they would participate in a cooperative office education program; (g) fifty-three per cent of the businessmen indicated they would cooperate with the school in providing supervised practical experiences for in-school vocational business students.
Gerber, Lee R., "A study of employment opportunities and job requirements for entry-level office occupations in Freeport, Illinois, businesses" (1968). Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations. 613.
3, ix, 122 pages