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A comparative study of older and younger adults who have received job-specific classroom training to determine if there are significant differences as they relate to job placement

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A comparative study of older and younger adults who have received job-specific classroom training to determine if there are significant differences as they relate to job placement

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Content A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OLDER AND YOUNGER ADULTS
WHO HAVE RECEIVED JOB-SPECIFIC CLASSROOM TRAINING
TO DETERMINE
IF THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES
AS THEY RELATE TO JOB PLACEMENT
by
Rosie Merry Hooper
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE LEONARD DAVIS SCHOOL OF GERONTOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GERONTOLOGY
May 1995
Copyright 1995 Rosie Merry Hooper
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LEONARD DAVIS SCHOOL OF GERONTOLOGY
University Park
Los Angeles, CA 90089
This thesis, written by
Rosie Merry Hooper
under the director of ter Thesis Committee, and approved bv ail its
members, has been presented to and accepted by the Dean of the Leonard
Davis School of Gerontology, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Masters of Science in Gerontology
M u m
Dean
Date ?TUy I n , Mfc
THESIS CONIM i'L iK E
l l L / t f (fa fc r x
Chairman
ii
DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to my husband, Odtis S. Hooper,
my children, parents, brothers and sisters whose patience,
love, and encouragement supported me and prayed me through
the undertaking of this advanced degree endeavor.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
iii
A host of people have been important in my career
endeavors. My friend, Hazel Groggs, is one I would like
first to acknowledge. She is a true friend who encouraged
me to continue the advanced degree endeavor.
Kathy Black, a dynamic professor and one of my first
gerontology instructors at California State University, Los
Angeles, inspired me with her enthusiasm for the field of
gerontology. The genuine concern about my career path from
Doctors Kenneth Sweetnam, Kenneth Hird and Virginia Hunter
mentally catapulted me from a Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Vocational Education to seek an advanced Degree in
Gerontology.
Sincere appreciations to Dr. Dave Peterson who is
chairman of my thesis committee. He has been a caring
advisor throughout my term in the School of Gerontology.
Dr. Kathleen R. Allen is a thesis committee member. She put
sparkle in my health care career as an Instructor in the
Entrepreneur Program. Her class supplied me with the tools
necessary to turn innovative health care ideas into
acceptable business plans.
Everyone needs a person on campus to call on for little
things and big things; for me, that person was Cynthia
Clayton of Public Administration. I called on her a lot.
Telephone surveys are quite a task; yet, seven very
caring people worked with me in this endeavor. They took
the assignment without hesitation. I make reference to my
sisters: Bernetta Newton and Wendy Bell; my son and
daughter, Brenton Craig and Toura Jaylene; my very good
friends, Anita Moore and Ruthie Robbins. A special thanks
to Daisy Soledad to whom I am indeed grateful for her help
in a number of ways including the telephone survey.
The persons mentioned above, along with Johnny Driver,
Doug Blensly and Alton Baxter are people to whom I will be
ever grateful. However, I have always wanted to write a
book titled "The Degree Goes to Mom" who witnessed eight
degrees conferred upon seven of her eleven children; one
holds a Juris Doctorate. There must be a "Mom's Degree"
waiting on the horizon to be conferred upon moms everywhere
who are in the same heroic arena of unfeigned faith and
prayerful support as my mom, Rosie Lee Johnson.
V
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION......................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................................... iii
LIST OF TABLES................................................ vii
ABSTRACT..................................... ................viii
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION................................................1
The Issue.................................................. 1
Overall Question Addressed by the Study..................1
Research Question......................................... 1
Need for the Study........................................ 2
2. LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................... 3
Rationale for Research of this
Thesis Topic............................................... 3
History of Older Worker in the Labor Force.............5
Adult Educational Programs and the Community
Colleges..................................................18
3 . METHODOLOGY........................................... 21
Sample Groups............................................ 21
Description of Data Collection...........................21
Objectives of the Study.................................24
Basis for Selection of Ten Vocational Classes........25
Definition and Operationalization of Terms........... 25
Limitations of the Study.................... ...........26
4. FINDINGS..................................................27
Analysis of Data.........................................27
Characteristics of the Respondent Student..............27
The Educational Levels.................................. 27
Ethnicity in Education.................................. 2 9
Job Placements for Sample
Groups.................................................... 2 9
5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS..............................31
Significance of the Study...............................3 5
Implications of the Study...............................3 6
vi
RECOMMENDATIONS............................................... 37
BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................3 9
APPENDICES.....................................................41
vii
LIST OF TABLES
1. Educational Levels by Ethnicity of Senior and Young
Adults....................................................28
2. Vocational Classroom Training Showing Percentage of
Senior and Young Adults Who Completed Training in the
Ten Selected Vocational Educational Classes.......... 33
viii
ABSTRACT
The study will explore whether recently acquired, job-
specific classroom training will provide senior job seekers
employment opportunities equal to or better than those of
their younger counterparts.
The subjects were students who received Certificates of
Completion for vocational classes given at a local community
college skills center during the years 1993 and 1994.
The samples were taken from male and female respondents
living and working in Los Angeles, Pasadena, and surrounding
areas. The respondent groups were randomly selected young
adult students between the ages of 18 to 44, and senior
adult students ages 45 and above. The senior group
represented the entire population of seniors who received
Certificates of Completion from the local community college
where the study was conducted.
A telephone survey was conducted of the subject groups,
senior adults and young adults, to compare the strength of
job placement after receiving a Certificate of Completion
for job-specific classroom training. The findings revealed
that 12 percent of the recipients received job placement and
that the same number of senior adults were placed as younger
adults.
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The Issue
Senior Adults, persons over 45 years old, are age
disadvantaged in the work force as compared to their younger
counterparts--persons 18 through 44 years old. It is
proposed that the seniors are as capable of learning new
skills for continuance in the work force, when trained, as
their younger counterparts (Mor-Barak, 1993).
Overall Question Addressed bv the Study
Will senior job seekers age 45 years and above, who
receive job-specific classroom training, obtain employment
at the same rate as the young adult job seekers who are 18
to 44 years old?
Research Questions
1. Will recently acquired job-specific education
provide senior job seekers employment
opportunities equal to those of their younger
counterparts?
2. Can senior adults learn new skills as well as
young adults when specifically trained for the
task?
3. What are characteristics of successful trainees or
retrained workers among the senior and young adult
job seekers?
Need for the Study
Marketing the older adult for full-time second careers
has become a challenge for society to the extent that a
Governor's Task Force was established in March 1992 to
address the issues regarding senior employment.
This study is needed to .ascertain the employment levels
of the different age groups as determined by those who
obtained employment after job-specific classroom training.
At the completion of classroom training, if the senior
adult's level of job placement is found to be equal to those
of the young adults, more effort should be directed towards
their hiring, retention, and promotion.
A favorable outcome for the senior job seeker could
render the study to be a leveraging tool which will
strengthen the marketing processes on behalf of the senior
job seeker. It is anticipate that the study will encourage
the removal of employer senior-worker stereotypes.
A positive outcome for senior workers should prompt
employers to view the senior worker as worthy a candidate as
their younger counterpart for job openings. It is hoped
that the employer will employ the senior job seeker without
a degree of apprehension or hesitation.
3
CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
Rationale for Research of this Thesis Topic
A Governor's Task Force was formed in California in
March 19 92 to address the issues regarding senior employment
as they pertain to hiring, retention, and promotion.
California has more older residents, identified as
individuals aged 40 and above, than any other state. The
1990 Census counted 95.2 million older Americans nationwide.
A total of 10.4 million of these individuals resided in
California--this figure has increased to 11.4 million.
Demographers project that by 2010, the total will be 18.6
million, nearly 44 percent of the state's population.
(California's Older Workers, Report to the Governor 1994).
The over forty worker in the labor force has been the
constant study of many organizations who are genuinely
concerned about the plight of the older worker and his
retention in the job market. Some of these organizations
include: American Association of Retired People, The New
York State Office for the Aging, National Council on the
Aging, Inc., The Job Training Partnership Act, The Senior
Community Service Employment Program and many others. All
of these persons and organizations are aware of the
injustices that have been perpetrated upon the middle-aged
and older worker in America.
4
The older workers' problems have continued since the
19th Century. The problem of age discrimination eased
itself into American politics ever so subtly. When America
did wake up to what was taking place for the over forty
worker, they were already in such deep trouble socially that
total emergence from this unfortunate state is slow in
coming.
"Every man desires to live long, but no man wants to be
old," says Jonathan Swift." What Jonathan Swift says is
ringing true. No one wants to be old due to the plight of
the older person in today's economy. There is genuine cause
for widening concern. The older workers' livelihood, good
health, and general well-being have generated a multiplicity
of topics for study ranging from health care to work care.
"Older", when referring to human beings in the labor
market, has come to imply persons over forty.
Who, then, has decided that a person over forty is no
longer fit to stay in the labor force? What was the basis
of their decision? When was this decision agreed upon,
where were the "powers that be" who could have put a stop to
this action, and why wasn't anything done to stop the
process of early displacement of good, reliable workers?
How were such actions initiated?
5
History of the Older Worker in the Labor Force
Some of the answers to these all important questions
are found in the nation's history. Atchley (1991) suggests
The interpretation of historical materials must
always be guided by theories that provide
frameworks around which various fragments of
history can be organized. In the case of aging,
modernization has been the most frequently used
concept for organizing ideas about how aging and
treatment of the aged may have changed during the
past 200 years. The central thesis of
modernization theory is that the processes that
cause societies to evolve from rural and agrarian
social and economic systems to urban and
industrial ones also cause change in the positions
that older people occupy in the society and the
esteem afforded to them. The direction of change
is usually assumed to be for the worse
(p.47).
During the time of America's rural and agrarian
society, the economic, political, religious, and social
orders were decided by the landholders--the older men and
occasionally, women (Atchley, 1991).
Cottrell views modernization as a result of the growing
use of fossil fuels and technology to increase human
productivity. This shift from farm life to the industrial
forms of production through high energy use also changed our
society. Consequently, the decision-making shifted from the
older people whose knowledge was land-oriented, to
relatively few factory owners and merchants who were
oriented to high-energy and industry (1960b).
Society changed. The older people lost their
advantageous positions of "the keeper of knowledge". They
did not lose their capabilities but were deemed backward and
6
"were symbols of outdated social order" (Fischer 1978:108-
112) .
Older people not only lost their privileged positions
in the industrialized society but they were also devalued.
(Cowgill 1972) developed a theory to explain why
modernization caused the devaluing of the older people. He
suggests that the changing demographic trend produced a
higher number of older people in the United States.
Therefore, there was competition between the older and
younger Americans for the few jobs available. At the same
time a reduction of jobs came about with the increased use
of technology.
Secondly, the new kinds of jobs decreased the valued
skills and experiences once boasted by the older people.
This experience and skill formerly offset the lack of
physical dexterity (Cowgill 1972).
Cowgill (1972), in his theory feels that "retirement
lowered the value of elders because it was based on the
assumption that they were no longer capable and because it
dropped them into a less desirable income category" (pp. 1-
14). As retirees, the income dropped and they were
considered incapable. Education was centered outside the
home instead of in the home which again took away from the
knowledge and prestige formerly contributed to the older
person.
7
Finally, urbanization came and left the older people
behind to be ill thought of socially, economically, and
politically. Religiously, however, they held their own for
a while (Cowgill, 1972). (A chart of Cowgill's theory is
made a part of the Appendix.)
Not all of the analysts agree with Cowgill's theory
about the devaluing of older people. Some contend that many
of the effects that Cowgill cited happened earlier than the
modernization yet they do not discredit modernization as the
primary cause (Fischer, 1978; Achenbaum, 1978).
To view aging from another perspective, aging in
Colonial America in the 1600s showed trade to be the
dominant activity--furs, skins, salted fish and wood. Life
was organized around the community. In 177 0, farming
tobacco, wheat and flour, dried fish and rice were the
leading exporting commodities (U.S. Bureau of the Census,
1975b).
The cornerstone of life in the New World was centered
around religion, politics, family, agriculture, and trade.
The older people had distinct advantages over their younger
counterparts because they were more adept in the area of
bread-winning. Two out of every 100 in the New World were
older. People usually did not survive to old age, those who
did occupied advantaged positions. It was thought that if
someone lived to old age, they must be favored by God. The
sacred scriptures' offered many references to respect for
elders. This message was often preached from the pulpit and
translated in popular literature (Atchley, 1991).
Older men held the advantage over young men when land
had been passed down to a younger adult because of
veneration of the older people. The lore of the period told
of times when an older person came to the rescue of younger
people and took over the leadership of younger men who were
less eager to fight the battles right down to Fischer's
recount of Josiah Haynes who on his eightieth birthday
. . . turned out with the rest of the Minutemen of
the town of Sudbury and marched eight miles to
Concord bridge with blood in his eye and a long
stride that left his younger neighbors puffing and
struggling behind him (Fisher, 1978:50).
Riesman contended that traditional societies have a
unique approach to training their members to make decisions
which he feels is important in training children to follow
after the parents' teachings. He developed a classification
scheme for decision making which included three ways people
make decisions. People were either tradition-directed, if
they went by tradition; inner-directed, those who emphasized
their own internal principles; other directed, those who
base their decisions on what their contemporaries considered
proper. He further believed that in any period, the mode of
decision making was a result of how parents raised their
children. "... the parents train the children to succeed
them, rather than to succeed by rising in the social system.
Within any given social class, society is age-ranked, so
9
that a person rises as a cork does in water: it is simply a
matter of time, and little in him needs change" (Riesman,
1950:39).
Obviously, then aging had certain advantages in
Colonial America. The chronological point at which age
brought status to the older people was not clear at that
time as there were no definitions of old age and role
changes that could define old age were less common (Haber,
1983) .
The American Revolution brought a great expansion of
wealth due to growth of markets and systems of exchange.
With the increase in wealth came an increase in the range of
income inequality. More wealth was concentrated in the
hands of a few— who were older (Fischer, 1978) .
During the period following the Revolution, there was
an increase of people in the United States. Population
expanded from 4 million in 179 0 to 13 million in 183 0. An
large increase such as this usually has several effects on
society (Mott, 1965). As the population expanded, it caused
a increase in the number of levels of influence and
authority, in the number of prestige and influence
hierarchies, and it also increased the potential for
friction and conflict (Atchley, 1991).
The revolution brought about the acceleration of
individual achievement, religious secularism, equality, and
the free market. These ideology shifts along with economic
10
and demographic forces set the stage for the evolution of a
new society. In this change, hierarchical relations of
family and position were slowly replaced by social
relationships based on achievement which was held together
by contracts not by family or community. The ideals of
liberty and equality gained ground steadily in the new
United States, replacing traditional hierarchical ideas of
social position (Atchley, 1991) .
During this period a breakdown of the authority of the
elders started in the various religions. Methodists,
Baptists, and Presbyterians began a new ideology which
stated that the older was not necessarily superior (Furnas,
1969).
Adams Smith's "The Wealth of a nation, also published
in 177 6, set forth the free market as an ideal way of
determining the social order. The concept of the free
market social order includes
Any competitive offering which leads to the fixing
of a value by collective responses, which
allocates resources, and which commits people to
action and organization as a result of their
willingness to "buy" (Klapp, 1973:162).
This social contract needed new forms of legitimacy to
establish the new ideology based on the theory that "people
are endowed by their creator with certain 'inalienable'
rights." This theory gave ultimate authority to allow young
adult men to stand on their own two feet instead of behind
11
the thoughts and ideas and ideals of the older adult father
{Klapp, 1973) .
In 177 6 the Declaration of Independence set forth the
ideology of the social contract.
The free market concept closed the door to government
and church meddling. Selfish interest led to individualism.
The older people with their old-fashion trade was at the
advantage and held on to the labor market until the late
19th Century. Then, the ideal of the free market coupled
with faith in progress, technology, and efficiency put the
older people at a disadvantage (Atchley, 1991).
The younger adults moved westward in great numbers with
the growing trend toward individualism. Says Atchley {19 91}
As we pointed out earlier, little in the new
ideologies inherently put older people at a
disadvantage. However, because many held exalted
positions in the old order, which had to be
undercut to make way for the new one, older people
became the target of social disapproval, and less
positive traits of age ( such as physical
infirmity), which earlier had been glossed over,
were used to discredit elderly officials. It was
that every characteristic of older people had
become negative. Indeed, what is more likely is
that a more realistic balance was perceived
between the advantages and liabilities of aging,
compared to the overly positive viewpoint of the
early 1700s (p. 53).
In the 19th Century the rise of ’scientific methods' to
determine an individuals ability to perform proved to be an
instrument to further edge-out the older worker. The new
information generated by 'science' came about quicker than
could be reasonably and properly sorted out. For instance,
12
using the scientific approach, a detailed documentation of
the physical decrepitude associated with aging in most of
the body's organ system. There was total concern with age
differences in average levels of functioning; no
consideration was given to variety within age categories.
Nor was consideration given to ways of alleviating the
problems such as with glasses to someone with declining
eyesight (Atchley, 1991) .
Research was done on the effects of aging on mental
capacities. The effects were just as negative as those done
on the physical and organ systems.
Achenbaum (1978) cited the work of George Beard in
the 1860's and 1870s, which concluded that mental
abilities were at their peak between ages 3 0 and
45, after which they declined. William James, the
pioneering psychologist, was no help in the
matter. He contended that, "as people age they
become set in their mental ways and unable to keep
up with the changing times" (p. 46).
Nevertheless, the community spirit that was brought
about during the Civil War carried over into the job place.
It was very hard for a supervisor to ouster one of his good
workers into a poverty situation even though he was over
sixty and could not keep up with the pace of things.
Usually, the worker would be kept on the job and the company
simply took a loss for the employee--about one percent of
the workers at that time (Graebner, 1980) .
Another factor which operated to hinder the older
worker was the migration of 9 million workers who came from
southern and eastern Europe. They did not move to the rural
13
areas as those coming to America in other eras, but settled
in the cities. They competed for the jobs at much lower
wages than the native workers would accept. To the
employers looking for profits, the difference in the wages
paid to immigrant workers compared to those paid to the
older workers seemed like a gold mine to the employers.
Herbert Hoover ran with the campaign promise of "a
chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage." This
period in history also brought about "growing discrimination
in the work force, increasing numbers of older people in
poverty, and the development of early ways of coping with
the problem of the older population" {Atchley, 1991:56) .
Age discrimination became a by-word along with such
words as "unnatural pace" which held that workers were
unable to keep up with the work on the new machinery. The
skills that were once used and boasted of by the older
workers gave way to younger workers with supple fingers and
good eyesight (Graebner, 1980).
For one hundred years the theory of mental and physical
decline with aging stood firm.
Scientific management was not really scientific
management. It was a way of organization, a way of
influencing decisions in the work place, a way of screening
out ordinary workmen and employing only the unusual ones
(Graebner, 1980) . The advent of mass production caused the
replacement of skilled workers, who had largely directed
14
their own work, by semiskilled workers whose work was
directed by management. Gratton (1986) stated,
This transformation led to a general degradation
of skill in blue-collar work in the early 2 0th
century and diminished the opportunity of older
workers to use experience and skill to retain
their positions (p. 176).
The theory of aging did its damage by identifying older
workers as a category that justifiably could be ruled out
for hiring and singled out for firing or layoff {Haber,
1983). The exclusion of elders from the workforce was
gradual rather than sudden. "Thus it was not the physical
or mental effects of individual aging that made aging a
social problem but the economic effects of age
discrimination in the absence of adequate retirement
pensions" {Achenbaum, 1978:83).
When poverty became wide spread it was passed off by
the prevailing ideology that if people were poor it was
because they chose to be poor. Therefore if people were
poor they deserved to be poor. When too many decent people
were without work, it finally became obvious that something
beyond individual failure was at work. The situation
worsened for retired people. Thousands of businesses began
to fail, banks collapsed and 100,0 00 workers lost pension
coverage (Achenbaum, 197 8).
In the 193 0s the New Deal came along with some relief
being provided by the federal government which came along
and replaced the invisible hand of the free marketplace.
15
There were 9 million older people most of them in poverty in
the 1940s {Fischer, 1978) . Unemployment among older men
approached 3 0 percent (Achenbaum, 1978).
The Townsend Movement proposed that everyone over age
60 be given an old age pension of $2 00 a month with the
stipulation that they refrain from employment and spend the
pension within 3 0 days. The plan was to be financed through
a sales tax. Townsend claimed 3 million followers by the
mid-193Os {Quadagno, 1988).
In 1935 the Social Security System was enacted in order
to aid persons who were age 65 and older. The actual
benefits did not begin until 1942. (Achenbaum, 1978).
From 1945 to 1970 was the longest segment of
uninterrupted prosperity this country has ever enjoyed but
not the older people nor the minority people, particularly
blacks. There were no means to pay for medical care for
needy old people. "In short, neither the aged nor minority
groups participated much in the surge of affluence in
America from 1942 to 1965" (Atchley, 1972:61).
It was in the 1960s when alternatives to the aging
theory were introduced and widely supported in scientific
literature. Evidence was being amassed that contradicted
the theory of aging as evidence of decline, at least in
terms of aging's effect on social functioning. In 1961,
Cunning and Henry published Growing Old: The Process of
Disengagement in which they argued that,
16
society's abandonment of older people and the
corresponding withdrawal of older people from
social life was necessary, inevitable, and desired
by individuals as well as society. This book ran
directly against the "keep active" school of
successful aging, and the conflict between the two
views sparked an unprecedented volume of research.
The results of this research showed that the vast
majority of older people were capable people who
remained integrated in social networks and that
disengagement was mainly a result of age
discrimination (Atchley 1991:63).
In 1965 Congress passed the Older American Act which
established an Administration on Aging as a Department of
Health, Education and Welfare (now the Department of Health
and Human Services) and authorized grants for planning,
coordination of services, and training. In 1967 the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act prohibited the use of age
as a criterion for hiring, firing, discriminatory treatment
on the job, and referral by employment agencies. Then in
1972, Old Age Assistance was replaced by Supplemental
Security Income. This established a more adequate floor of
income under the elderly poor in all the states (Atchley,
1991) .
In the 1980s a full assault was made by the Reagan
Administration on the gains acquired by the older people.
The President's Administration proposed severe cuts in
assistance to the very neediest of older people--the poor,
the disabled, the institutional!zed--while providing
enormous tax cuts for the well-to-do. This Administration's
17
conservative solutions shifted the burden to the individual
whether or not they were able to bear it (Atchley, 1991).
Michal E. Mor-Barak and Margaret Tynan (19 93) discuss
the older worker and the workplace in an article by the same
title, "The Older Workers and the Workplace: A new Challenge
for Occupational Social Work." In the article, the writers
suggested several areas of social work intervention. More
importantly, they suggested that, "... older adults face
many difficulties in obtaining and retaining a job, the most
important of which is age discrimination." They further
noted a decline of older workers in the workplace due to
early retirements as a result of rising living standards in
the United States and say, "Until recently, industry did not
actively recruit older people, nor did it make special
efforts to accommodate the needs of older workers. .
(p. 49).
Even among the older population there are four groups
who were identified as having experienced the most severe
difficulties: ethnic minorities, women living alone, working
poor people, and displaced workers. Yet, these groups are
the most rapidly growing segments of the older population
(Doeringer, 1990) . Few programs are specifically targeted
for older workers. However, Senior Community Service
Employment (SCSE) which is funded under the Older American
Act has attracted poor and near-poor older Americans into
its part-time subsidized employment programs. During the
18
year 1988, the program provided job opportunities for over
100,000 older Americans (Sum & Fogg, 1990).
Early retirement, fewer youths entering the labor
market, along with lower birth rates have caused a shortage
of available workers. However, only 4 percent of U.S.
corporations offer programs to induce the older worker to
stay in or return to the labor force (Ramirez, 1989).
One company, ILT Technology of Sunnyvale, California,
has made its mark in trying to keep seniors in the labor
force. In 1993, they trained over 80 workers on-the-job
under the North Valley (NOVA) Private Industry Council (PIC)
program. Sunnyvale and five other nearby cities contract
for the PIC program every year. The NOVA program combined
two of President Clinton's idealogies: high technology and
retraining. Over 5,000 persons have gone through the NOVA
program since its inception ten years ago.
President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and Secretary
of Labor Robert Reich praised ILT for the foresight in
training workers on-the-job when they addressed the
community of Sunnyvale in 19 93 for their retraining program
and accomplishments (Clinton, 1993) .
The Adults in Education Programs and the
Community Colleges
Adult education programs are open to seniors who seek
to improve themselves and update their skills to return to
the work force. There are ten areas of instruction
including vocational education. In 1989, in California,
over 1.4 million students enrolled each year and 15.5
percent of these are in vocational education programs.
Likewise, the community colleges offer 320 different
vocational education programs in 16 major program
disciplines. They serve as a deliverer for a variety of
state and federal training programs and services such as
Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) and Job Training
Partnership Act (JTPA) (Chancellor's Office, California
Community College, 1989).
The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) provides on-
the-job training and related assistance to economically
disadvantaged individuals, displaced workers, and others who
need training and job placement. The program also offers
supportive services such as child care (even for
grandparents who are taking care of their grandchildren and
wish to return to school). Bi-weekly payments may be
provided, as necessary, for classroom trainees to cover
transportation, lunch at the training sites and for personal
grooming. Other supportive services such as books,
uniforms, work shoes, equipment and some medical supplies
are provided when needed. The JTPA Title II-A 5% program
offers on-the-job training to seniors over 55 that meet the
income guidelines. The program is of great help to
qualified seniors who want to gain re-entry into the work
20
force or re-training for a second career where their
aptitude dictates (Foothill Private Industry Council, 1994).
21
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
The methodology chapter serves five purposes:
First, discussion is given regarding the sample groups.
Second, the description of data collection is discussed.
Third, the process used to answer the study's objectives is
provided. Fourth, the constructs used in this study are
defined and operationalized. Fifth, consideration is given
to the limitations of this study.
Sample Groups
The respondent groups were students who received
Certificates of Completion for course work in vocational
education classes given at a local community college skills
center during the years 1993 and 1994. The samples were
taken from male and female respondents living and working in
Los Angeles, Pasadena, and surrounding areas. The
respondent groups were randomly selected young adult
students between the ages of 18 to 44 and the entire
population of senior adult students ages 45 and above who
had received Certificates of Completion.
Description of Data Collection
The local community college skills center in which the
study was conducted enrolled 3,13 9 students in the ten
22
vocational classes selected for the study. The courses of
study were completed by the students during the years 1993
and 1994. The ten classes issuing the largest number of
Certificates of Completion was selected. Three hundred and
fifty students enrolled in the selected classes received the
certificates. The entire group of 90 senior adults ages 45
and above who had received certificates participated in the
study. One hundred young adults ages 16 to 44 years old
were randomly selected from 260 students who received
Certificates of Completion.
Students in the sample groups were telephoned. Forty-
nine of the 190 or 2 6% were reached and responded to the
survey. Of the 49 respondents, 22 were male: 2 0 young
adults and 2 senior adults. Twenty-seven females responded:
13 young adults and 14 senior adults.
A telephone survey was conducted. Parts I-B and I-C of
the Certificate of Completion Recipient's Survey Form were
used by the Telephone Survey Interviewers {Complete form is
made a part of the Appendix). A list of oral and written
instructions on how the interviews were to be conducted were
given to the Telephone Interviewers in an effort to retain
uniformity in the calls. (The written Telephone Interviewer
Instructions are in the Appendix.)
Part I-A of the Recipient Survey Form containing 3 8
questions was found to be too long for many of the
respondents who were non-English speaking or who needed to
23
use interpreters. This part of the form was discontinued.
The remaining ten questions were Part I-B of the survey
instrument. These ten questions were deemed to be the most
important to determine whether the completion of the
specified course work was sufficient to obtain job placement
in the area of the student's occupational training.
The student-respondents were asked the following
questions:
Are you presently working? Yes No
If the answer was "No" the Interviewer was instructed
to proceed to Part I-C--Unemployment Information.
If the answer was "Yes" the Telephone Interviewer
continued by asking the following ten questions.
Part I-B GENERAL QUESTIONS TO ASK RESPONDENT
1. What is the name of the company you are currently
working for? ____________________________________________
2. What is your supervisor's name? ____________________
3. What is your supervisor's telephone number?________
4. How long have you worked for this company? ________
5. What is your job title? _____________________________
6. Did your certificate work help you to get this job?
Yes No If "No", ask Question No. 8.
7. Did your certificate work help you to get any job?
Yes No If "Yes" how long did that job last?_
24
8. Were you unemployed before taking the certificate
course? Yes No_____
9. If yes, how long were you out of work? Months
Years
10. How long did it take you to get a job after completing
your certificate work? Months_____Years
PART I-C UNEMPLOYMENT INFORMATION
1. How long have you been out of work? Months____
Years
2. Did you attempt to find work in the area of your
certificate? Yes No____
If No, Why not?__________________________________________
If Yes, What were some of the reasons given by the
employer for not hiring you? ___________________________
Objectives of the Study
1. To determine if recently acquired job-specific
classroom training provided senior job seekers employment
opportunities equal to those of their younger counterparts.
2. To determine if senior adults learn new skills as
well as young adults when specifically trained.
3. To determine what are the characteristics of
successful trainees or retrained workers among the senior
and young adult job seekers?
25
Basis for Selection of the Ten Vocational Classes
The process to make the selection of the vocational
classes for this study was met by identifying the courses
that issued the greatest number of Certificates of
Completion. The names of these occupational classes are
listed in the Occupational Training section of the
Definitions and Operationalization of Terms section below.
Definitions and Operationalization of Terms
This study uses the terms for the minority groups
according to the definitions found on the Application for
Admission for the local community college skills center
where the study was conducted. The terms are as follows: 1
American Indian or Alaskan Native; 2 Asian or Pacific
Islander; 3 Black (Afro-American); 4 White (Caucasian); 5
Hispanic; 6 Filipino; 7 Other.
The variables and Operationalization of variables used
in this study are as follows:
Operational Definitions of variables
1. Age--Independent Variable
a. Young Adults ages 18 to 44 years
b. Senior Adults ages 45 to 65 plus
years
2. Ethnicity--Independent Variables
a. Asian or Pacific Islander
b. Black (Afro-American)
c. White (Caucasian)
d. Hispanic
e. Other
3. Education--Dependent Variable
a. High School or less than High
School
b. Post Secondary (above high school
and GED)
26
4. Occupational Training--Dependent Variables
a. Merchandise Checking
b. Telephone Installation
c. Introduction to Plumbing
d. Electronic Assembly
e. Word Processing
f. Landscaping
g. Clerical Secretarial
h. Drapery Construction
i. Photo Technician
j. Computer Literacy
5. Job Placement— Dependent Variable
a. Merchandise Checking
b. Electronic Assembly
c. Word Processing
d. Landscaping
Frequencies, description statistics and cross
tabulations were used to address the objectives of the
study.
Limitations of the Study
The study was limited by the small number of students
who reported receiving jobs after completing course work in
the ten selected vocational classes used in the study. Over
70% of the sample group had moved or had disconnected
telephone numbers. Survey forms were sent to a sample group
of persons who had disconnected numbers. This effort
provided no significant results.
27
CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS
ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
The purpose of this study was to determine if senior
job seekers age 45 and above obtained job placement at the
same rate as their younger counterparts ages 18 to 44 when
job-specific education was attained. The results of the
study were more qualitative than quantitative.
Characteristics of the Respondent Student
The Educational Levels
The educational levels of the young adult males
revealed that 9 students had a high school or less education
while 8 had post secondary educations.
The educational levels of the young adult females were:
14 at the high school or less educational level and one at
the post secondary level.
The educational levels of the senior adult males
revealed that one male was at the high school level and one
male at the post secondary level.
The senior adult females educational levels were shown
as 6 at the high school level while 9 had post secondary
education (Table 1).
Table l
Educational Levels by Ethnicity of senior and young adults
Age 18 thru 44 Age 45 and above
High School Post High School Post
Education High School Education High School
Ethnicity or less Education or less Education
Black Male(s) (African American) 1 3 0 0
White Male(s) (Caucasian) 1 1 0 0
Asian Male(s) (Pacific Islander) 3 0 0 0
Hispanic Ma!e(s) 4 2 1 1
Other Male(s) 0 2 0 0
Black Female(s) (African American) 2 0 0 1
White Female(s) (Caucasian) 1 0 0 1
Asian Female(s) (Pacific Islander) 1 0 1 3
Hispanic Female(s) 8 0 3 1
Other Female(s) 2 1 2 3
29
Ethnicity in Education
The educational levels by ethnicity revealed that 12
young adult males were at the high school level: 7 Hispanic,
3 Asians, one Black and one White. Those at the post
secondary level were: 3 Blacks, 2 Hispanics, 2 other and one
White.
The educational levels by ethnicity of the young adult
females revealed: 6 Hispanics, 2 Blacks, 2 other, one White
and one Asian were at the high school level while one other
was at the post secondary level.
Of the senior adult males, one Hispanic was at the high
school level and one Hispanic at the post secondary level
while the educational levels of the senior adults females
showed 3 Hispanic, 2 other and one Asian at the high school
level while 2 Asians, 3 other, and one each of Black, White
and Hispanic represented those of post secondary status
(Table 1).
Job Placements for the Sample Group
Six persons of the 49 (or 12 %) reported they found
jobs as a result of receiving a Certificate of Completion.
One male and two females found work in merchandise checking;
one female in electronic assembly; one female in word
processing; one male found work in landscaping.
30
Eighty-eight percent of the respondents of the sample
group did not find work as a result of receiving their
Certificates of Completion.
Five of the 43 respondents who did not find work
experienced language barriers: Several persons elected to
continue their education to improve their skills before
attempting to look for work. Some of the students stated
that they took the class for fun and had not intended to
seek employment in their field of training. Some of the
students attempted to find work but lacked experience. "A
lot of people are out of work who are competing for the same
jobs," were comments given by a few of the respondents.
In summary, most of the students attempted to find work
after the classroom training. Statistics show the
unemployment rate for the nation has for the past several
years been unusually high which can possibly account for the
low job placement levels among both groups.
31
CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
This comparative study of older and younger adults who
had received job-specific classroom training was to
determine if there are significant differences as they
relate to job placement did not produce a respondent group
large enough to conclude that senior adults are as apt to
find job placement as well as their younger counterparts.
The respondent groups of older and younger adults
showed an equal number of both groups had been placed on the
job as a result of their training. One young adult female;
two young adult males; and three senior females found
employment. The respondent group is considerably small to
offer external validity. Based on the findings of this
sample group, however, companies are as apt to employ senior
adults as they are the young adults.
The findings showed that seniors can learn new skills
when specifically trained for the tasks. The study group
was represented by 13 young adult females and 14 senior
females. Of the afore-mentioned groups, only one of the 13
young adult females was placed on the job whereas three of
the senior females found work.
The findings suggest that the senior adult enrollment
in the ten classes selected for the study was not at the
same level as that of the young adults. The ratio was about
32
three to one younger adults seeking classroom training at
the area community skills center. The difference in
enrollment could come from the seniors' lack of knowledge
about the training opportunities at the college.
The findings did show that more Hispanics participated
in the survey outcomes than did any other ethnic group.
Their participation could account for the reason that more
Hispanics found jobs. Four of the six persons who found
jobs were Hispanic: two senior adult females, one young
adult female and one young adult male. One senior adult
Asian female and one young adult Black male completed the
six persons who found jobs.
Table 2
Vocational classroom training showing percentage of senior and young adults who
completed training in the ten selected vocational education classes.
Occupational Groups Students Males 18-44 Males 45 + Females 18-44 Females 45 +
In Class Total % Total % Total % Total %
Merchandising Checking 12 3 25% 0 0% 7 58% 2 17%
Telephone Installation 4 3 75% 1 25% 0 0% 0 0%
Introduction to Plumbing 6 6 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Electronic Assembly 5 4 80% 0 0% 0 0% 1 20%
Word Processing 3 0 0% 0 0% 1 33% 2 67%
Landscaping 4 3 75% 0 0% 0 0% 1 25%
Clerical Secretarial 9 1 11% 0 0% 3 33% 5 56%
Drapery Construction 4 0 0% 0 0% 1 25% 3 75%
Photo Technician 1 0 0% 1 100% 0 0% 0 0%
Computer Literacy 1 0 0% 0 0% 1 100% 0 0%
Total Participants 49 20 41% 2 4% 13 27% 14 29%
04
34
The level of difference in job categories by gender
showed that 12 of the 49 respondents received their
certificates in Merchandise Checking. Nine of these persons
were females and three were males.
The next highest group of respondents, by job category,
were nine persons who received certificates in Clerical
Secretarial training. Eight of these persons were females.
Introduction to Plumbing showed the six persons who received
certificates were males. Electronic Assembly had five
certificate holders respond to the survey of which four were
males. It was all male respondents in the Telephone
Installation class with three young adults and one senior
adult. There were four respondents in Landscaping and
Drapery Construction with three young adult males and one
senior adult female in Landscaping; one young adult female
and three senior adult female respondents for Drapery
Construction. The Photo Technician and Computer Literacy
respondents were one for each class a senior male and a
young adult female (Table 2).
35
It appears that both the young and senior adults have
completed course work that society has deemed typical
courses for each gender group. Again, the sample respondent
group is small and no external validity can be concluded.
The level of difference in job categories by age group
showed there was no difference.
In conclusion, the findings, though a small sample
group was used, indicates that job-specific education will
provide a senior job seeker employment opportunities equal
to but not necessarily better than, those of his younger
counterpart.
The comparative study revealed that senior adults can
learn new skills when specifically trained for the tasks as
well as their younger counterparts.
Significance of the Study
The data reveals that the Hispanics have a higher
percentage of persons to succeed educationally and in job
placement. There is a high number of Hispanic enrollment in
the community college where the study was conducted and
could account for the higher outcomes. Studies conducted in
the future could enhance the data. Both age groups,
however, were successful in job placements.
It appears that there is no difference related to
characteristics of success in gender groups as a whole;
though there is a significant difference in the number of
36
young male participants as opposed to the senior males.
Ninety percent more young male adults participated in the
survey than senior male adults. These results could be due
to the fact that the study dealt mostly with minority
respondents. Studies have shown that minority males retire
sooner than white males due to illness and partially due to
the labor-intensive jobs they have held during their working
life. Once retired, according to these findings, they do
not tend to seek vocational education. Future research
along these lines could bring clarity to this hypothesis,
however.
Implications of the Study
The student enrollment in the ten programs used in the
study was over 3,100. Certificates of Completion were
received by 350 of these students in which 260 were young
adults and 90 were seniors. From the 260 young adult
students, 100 students were randomly selected along with the
universal group of 9 0 senior adult students from which a
total of 49 persons responded to the survey. Of the 49 who
responded to the survey, six persons received jobs.
The results of this survey lead me to believe that
funds need to be allocated to the college to staff Job
Placement Counselors who can assess the skills and abilities
of the students before and after the vocational training.
37
Marketing the successful students should be included as a
necessary part of the vocational program. The industries
that would employ the students should be surveyed regularly
to be sure that what is being taught in the classrooms are
the skills needed in the industry to fill the job openings.
A method of keeping employers aware of the vocational
programs taught in the schools should be paramount for the
successful return on the time and energy spent by both the
instructors and the students.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Students learn in many different ways: some by reading,
some by doing, some by hearing. There are students who want
and need constant supervision and approval that they are
"doing it right" until a task is learned; once learned, the
trainee becomes proficient at the skill and can work
thereafter on his or her own.
There are students who can read a book, follow the
directions to the letter, and perform the tasks without the
instructions of a teacher or supervisor— these students are
far and between. Some students can listen to the
instructions and proceed on their own. These students
probably are not the ones we are addressing in this thesis
as they are most likely high achievers and would not seek
vocational education.
38
A business opportunities services center where re
training and on the job training occurs simultaneously could
be a good solution for the job seekers. Implementation of
such a center should be considered.
At the business opportunities services center, a person
could earn while they learn under the supervision of a
Mentor Instructor. The center could provide mentors in
selected high-demand job categories to teach/train workers
in an on-the-job/classroom training environment.
Methodology, terminology and hands-on techniques would be
used to train the student-worker. Local businesses and
industries could be encouraged to patronize the services
provided by the center thereby providing a customer base and
on-the-job training for the enrollees.
Implementing a business opportunities services center
could be a one-stop training method to effect greater
utilization of human resources and to effect a greater
number of job placements and student successes among the
senior and young adult age groups. The industries would
become familiar with the quality of work performed at the
center by the student-trainees and would have a place from
which to draw job seekers to fill their job openings.
Bibliography
39
Achenbaum, W. (1978). Old Age in the New Land.
Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Pp.
46, 128-134.
Atchley, C. (1991). Social Forces and Aging.
Wardsworth Publishing Company. Fall, Pp. 47-65.
California's Employment Development Department and
Department of Aging (1994). California's Older
Workers. P. 2.
Clennel, S. (1986) . Technology and Open University Older
Students. Aging International. Fall, Pp. 4, 5.Fall.
Chancellor's Office. (1989) California Plan for Career
Vocational Education. Part One: Policy Directions.
Appendix.
Clinton, W. (1993). Video. President Clinton. Vice
President Gore. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich Visit
Nova PIC. Sunnvvale, CA.
Cottrell, F. (1960b). The Technical and Societal
Basis of Aging. Pp . 92. 119. in Clark Tibbits (ed.),
Handbook of Social Gerontology. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
Cowgill, D. (1972). A Theory of Aging on Cross Cultural
Perspective. Pp 1, 14 in Donald 0. Cowgill and Lowell
Holmes (eds.), Aging and Modernization. New York:
Appleton, Century, Crofts.
Eskey, K. (6/3 1991). Older Workers May Be Better Workers.
Too. Pasadena Star News.
Fisher, D. H. (1978). Growing Old in America. Expanded
Edition, pp 108, 112. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Foothill Private Industry Council. (1994) The Workforce 6
Partnership.
Furnas, J. C. (1969). The Americans: A Social History of
the United States 1587. 1914. New York: Putnam.
40
Gratton, B. (1986) Urban Elders: Family. Work, and Welfare
Among Boston's Aged, 1890-1950. Philadelphia: Temple
University Press: P. 176.
Graebner, W. (1980). A History of Retirement: The Meaning
and Function o£ An American Institution. 1885-1978.
New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. Pp. 23, 32,
90.
Haber, C. (1983) . Beyond Sixtv-Five. Cambridge, Mass.:
University Press.
Klapp, O. E. (1973) . Models of Social Order. Pp 136.
Palo Alto, CA: National Press Books.
Mor-Barak, M. E. and Tynan, M. (1993). Older Workers and
the Workplace: A New Challenge for Occupational Social
Work. Pp. 45, 55. Volume 38, No. 1.
Mott, P. E. (1965). The Organization of Society.
Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall.
Quadagno, J. S. (1988). The Transformation of Old Age
Security: Class and Politics in the American Welfare
State. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Ramirez. A. (1989, January) "Making Better Use of Older
Workers." Fortune. Pp 179-187.
Riesman, D. (1950) . The Lonely Crowd. New Haven, Conn.:
Yale University Press. P. 50.
Simmons, L. W. (1945).The Role of the Aged Primitive
Society. New Haven, CT. Yale University Press.
(U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1975b:1183, 1184)
Sum, A. M. and Fogg, W. N. (1990). Profile of the Labor
Market for Older Workers. In P. B. Doeringer (Ed.),
Bridges to Retirement (Pp. 23-32). Ithaca, New York:
ILR Press.
Appendix 1
Urbanization
Lowered
income
Health
technology j
Economic
technology
Retirement
Rapid
social change
Lower birth rates
and death rates
New
occupations
Lower demand
for workers
Child-centered
educational
system
Higher proportion
older people
Competition for
jobs between
generations
Job skills of
older workers
obsolete
Older people
with relatively
obsolete
knowledge
Older people
left behind
in deteriorated
neighborhoods
Lowered social
status of older
people as a category
FIGURE 3-1 Pressures toward lowered social status of the aged.
Source: Adapted and revised from Cowgill, 1974b:141
42
Appendix 2
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
RECIPIENT'S SURVEY
Survey Questions to be asked of the Recipient of the
Certificate of Completion.
PART I-A
Are you presently working? Yes_____No_____
If the answer is "No” Interviewer, please go to Part I-
C. Unemployment Information below
If the answer is "Yes" please continue by explaining
the method of the interview.
A. Tell the Respondent to--write down these five
words:
Always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never
B. Tell the Respondent to— tell you which of the five
words that he or she wrote down, best represents
the answer to the questions you will ask.
C. Each of the questions will follow the statement,
"As an employee of the company. .
APTITUDE
1. Do you understand the tasks given you? (Interviewer,
you may say the word "jobs" in place of tasks).
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
2. Do you complete the assigned tasks?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
3. Do you complete tasks in a timely manner?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
4. Do you meet your assigned quotas?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
43
Appendix 2, continued
Do you accept new tasks graciously?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
7 .
Do you neatly present your completed work?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
Do you learn new office equipment when you are trained
on that piece of equipment?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely
2
Never
1
ATTITUDE
1. Do you display a good attitude when given unfamiliar
job assignments?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
2. Do you display respect towards your supervisor?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
3. Do you ask for help from other co-workers when needed?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
4. Do you offer to help other co-workers?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
5. Do you accept criticism graciously?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
6. Do you show patience towards others?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
7. Do you proceed with a positive approach to the tasks
assigned?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
44
Appendix 2, continued
ATTENDANCE
1. Do you arrive at the work station on time?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
2. Do you arrive at staff or department meetings on time?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
3. Do you call in sick more than two (2) times a month?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
4. Do you take time off for doctor visits more than two
(2) times a month?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
5. Do you have baby sitter or parent sitter problems more
than two (2) times a month?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
APPEARANCE
1. Do you dress appropriately for the job?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
2. Do you dress appropriately for your age?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
3. Do you wear a hair style appropriate for the job?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
4. Do you wear colognes appropriately?
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
5 4 3 2 1
PART 1-B
GENERAL QUESTIONS TO ASK RESPONDENT
In an effort to make the survey more concise, I need to ask
your Supervisor these same questions. Is that all right
with you? Great!
45
Appendix 2, continued
1. What is the name of the company you are current working
for?
2. What is your supervisor's name? _____________________
3. What is your supervisor's telephone number?____________
4. How long have you worked for this company? __________
5. What is your job title? ___________________________
6. Did your certificate work help you to get this job?
Yes No If "No", ask Question No. 8.
7. Did your certificate work help you to get any job?
Yes No____ If "Yes" how long did that job last?____
8. Were you unemployed before taking the certificate
course? Yes No
If yes, how long were you out of work? Months
Years
10. How long did it take you to get a job after completing
your certificate work? Months_____Years
PART I-C PNEMPIiOYMENT INFORMATION
1. How long have you been out of work? Months____
Years
2. Did you attempt to find work in the area of your
certificate? Yes No____
If No, Why not?__________________________________________
If Yes, What were some of the reasons given by the
employer for not hiring you? ______________________
46
Appendix 3
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE RECIPIENT-RESPONDENT
TELEPHONE SURVEY INTERVIEWER
To The Telephone Survey Interviewer--
The instructions for interviewing the Recipients of the
Certificate of Completion will need to be followed
precisely. There are a number of Interviewers participating
in this survey. In order for the survey to be accurately
conducted, each Interviewer must ask the same questions and
in the same way.
If it becomes necessary to repeat a question, please
ask it in the same manner. If the respondent cannot answer
the question after asking it the second time, repeat the
question more slowly.
Let the Respondent know that you cannot rephrase any of the
questions. If on the third try, the respondent cannot
answer the question, circle the number of the question and
proceed to the next question.
The Interview:
1. Hello, May I speak with________________________________ .
2. When the person comes to the telephone say, "Is this
__________________________? Great, My name is__________
3. I understand that you received a Certificate of
Completion in____________________________ from a local
community college skills center. Is that correct?
4. Wait for a reply. Then say, "That’s Great!"
5. As I said, My name is _____________and I am part of a
team of Telephone Interviewers. We are conducting a
survey as part of a Graduate Thesis Project at the
University of Southern California, Andrus Gerontology
Center, in conjunction with the local community college
skills center. This survey is in regards to employment
program opportunities for people such as yourself. We
are interested in the environment in which people of
all ages must work today.
Our schools are constantly seeking new ways to promote
higher standards in employment for all individuals. In
an effort to determine the impact on the training
program in which you participated, we need vour help!
We hope to show how the tax dollar is spent in human
resources.
47
Appendix 3, continued
6. Do you have a minute right now to answer a few
questions? it will take less than 10 minutes of your
time TO HELP US OUT.
7. If "Yes" say, "Great!" and Continue the Interview. If,
"No", ask if there is another time which would be
better. Make a note of that time and date, and call
again.
6. Do you have a minute right now to answer a few
questions? it will take less than 10 minutes of your
time TO HELP US OUT.
7. If "Yes" say, "Great." Then continue the Interview.
If "No" ask for another time and date in which you can
call back. Let them know the response will be held in
confidence.
48
Appendix 4
March 31, 1995
Dear Certificate of Completion Recipient,
At the beginning of this month, we attempted to conduct
a telephone interview with you. We were unable to reach you
by phone and have decided to mail the survey form to you.
We ask that you please complete the form and return it to us
right away.
Today, our schools are constantly seeking new ways to
promote higher standards in employment for all individuals.
In an effort to learn more about the employment environment
for persons who have successfully completed a course of
study from our area community adult schools, we need your
help 1
We are conducting a survey as part of a Graduate Thesis
Project at the University of Southern California, Andrus
Gerontology Center. This survey is in conjunction with your
local community college skills center.
We have enclosed with this letter a Certificate of
Completion Recipient's Survey form. Please complete the
enclosed form and return it to the Research Committee in the
self-addressed stamped enveloped.
Thank you in advance for the time and effort you put
forth in helping us to conduct this most needed research.
We hope to show how your tax dollar is spent in human
resources, and the benefit of an educational program like
the one you completed in 1993.
Your promptness in returning the survey form will be
greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Research Committee
Andrus Gerontology Center
University Southern California, Los Angeles
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Asset Metadata

Creator Hooper, Rosie Merry (author)

Core Title A comparative study of older and younger adults who have received job-specific classroom training to determine if there are significant differences as they relate to job placement

School Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Degree Master of Science in Gerontology

Degree Program Gerontology

Degree Conferral Date 1995-05

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag education, adult and continuing,gerontology,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Advisor Peterson, David A. (committee chair), Aleen, Kathleen R. (committee member)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c18-1718

Unique identifier UC11356817

Identifier 1376460.pdf (filename),usctheses-c18-1718 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier 1376460-0.pdf

Dmrecord 1718

Document Type Thesis

Rights Hooper, Rosie Merry

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA