Ralph Allen

Publication Date

1963

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Schmuller, Allen M. (Allen Mark)||Schmidt, Wesley I.

Degree Name

M.S. (Master of Science)

Legacy Department

Department of Guidance and Counseling

LCSH

Counseling in secondary education; Employment interviewing; Vocational guidance

Abstract

A counselor’s job in public school has many areas of responsibility. One of these areas is the preparation of the nation’s young people for their place in American society. Today’s high school graduates face intense competition for jobs because industry in seeking to keep down costs is turning more, and more to automation. The increase of automation has displaced thousands of workers from their jobs. It is quite possible that automation, together with the fact that the influx of post World War Two children are now approaching the working age, may give the American economy a very difficult problem to solve for the future. Public schools apparently have not been able to do enough for the non-college hound in job preparation. Dropout students find themselves jobless in a labor market glutted with workers competing for jobs, in an economy saddled with a permanent six percent surplus labor pool of the unemployed* Some Hiawatha H,S students stated they were enrolling for technological training after graduation. Others reported they needed help in writing a good resume, and in handling an employment interview competently. The scarcity of training facilities to acquire technological skills, is rot completely the fault of the schools. Education working on a thin budget and financed by public taxation simply does not have the finances to initiate such a program without state, or federal aid. Federal funds now available for vocational agriculture, and home economic training courses, should also be made available to help schools expand their programs to include technological training. This aid should in no way interfere with the basic mission of the schools to educate the young. A recent survey made among representative plants of both small, and large size revealed several significant facts. Employee selection procedures have been upgraded. Basically candidates for employment must meet higher standards respecting abilities, behaviour, personal habits, and education. A high school diploma is now considered to be a minimum entrance qualification for most employers. These new requirements of industry should be made known to students through formal courses. Informal presentation on a voluntary basis leaves open the possibility that students will not avail themselves of the information. A review of the literature reveals that the focus of attention is on the present problems of unemployment. Personnel people are emphasizing human relations in management, with special attention to the recruitment of superior workers. Writers in the field of guidance urge counselors to keep abreast of the changing times as respects employment, and education and pass this information on to their counselees. Counselors must be specially trained through professional preparation and be constantly alert to the ever shifting structure, and demands of society for the betterment of their students. Schools are recommended to devote more attention to the problems of employment, and preparation for job procurement by teaching better techniques of resume writing, and interviewing. Personal appearance for job interviewing should also be stressed. Counselors should become more professionalized and through the sponsorship of professional societies help bring about the needed changes in education. The changes recommended are that schools shift some of the emphasis from the college bound, to actual job preparation for the terminal education student. The problem of dropouts should be vigorously studied with a view to cutting down on the amount of dropout incidence. Schools should establish closer rapport with industry, and in sympathetic concert to their needs, and problems work with them in developing a student that can make the smooth transition from classroom to gainful employment.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

iv, 59 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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