PERCEPTIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW JERSEY EMPLOYERS REGARDING MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION, WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL AND VOCATIONAL SCHOOL GRADUATES

The purpose of this study was to identify the level of understanding and interest the business community had of Marketing and Distributive Education high school and vocational school programs; the adequacy of skill training; positions that may become available; and employers' value of Marketing and Distributive Education training when interviewing a prospective employee.;Conclusions. Many respondents were not sure if high school and vocational school training was sufficient to meet their needs for qualified employees; oral communications, human relations, and salesmanship were rated as skills in need of improvement by more than 50% of respondents; the majority of respondents did not know if a Marketing Distributive Education program existed in their local school district; and the majority of those who stated that a program did not exist were incorrect. A popular means of learning about a Marketing and Distributive Education program was by contact from the local school; the majority of respondents would value Marketing and Distributive Education training when interviewing a prospective employee, and many would be interested in learning more about the program; a large number of anticipated full- and part-time positions are expected to be in Sales; and many of anticipated full-time positions are expected to be in the General Merchandise Retailing category. A large number of anticipated part-time positions are expected to be in the Fashion, Jewelry, and Shoe Merchandising category. Anticipated job availability data obtained from this study differed from those listed by the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Departments of Labor.;Recommendations. There should be greater cooperation between the education and business communities. Increased interaction between the schools and the families of students is needed. Effective local and national public relations policies should be developed that will enhance the visibility of Marketing and Distributive Education in the business community. Instruction should include those skills considered important by the business community and standardized tests should be developed to test these skills. Employer surveys should be conducted. Listings of anticipated future employment positions should be made available to Marketing and Distributive Education teachers and students.;The procedures included the mailing of a questionnaire that resulted in 224 randomly selected businesses in the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey responding with usable data. Data tabulation and analysis were obtained using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program.