Designing technology education curriculum based on business/industry needs

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of importance building trades employers in the Sheboygan Falls area placed on ten employability skills and ten technical skills deemed valuable for entry-level employees to possess. The objectives of the study were to identify the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are viewed as important by residential and commercial construction employers in the Sheboygan Falls area in order to make modifications to the existing technology education curriculum. This study was conducted by mailing questionnaires to building trades employers of the Sheboygan Falls area. The employers were randomly selected from a Sheboygan County phone book. They were given a description of ten employability skills and ten technical skills and asked to circle the number that corresponds to the relative importance of each skill in regards to an entry-level employee. The anonymous responses were mailed back in a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The results determined that the employers surveyed favored employability skills over technical skills and that there were modifications that could be made to improve the school’s technology education curriculum.