ROLE OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: AS PERCEIVED BY VOCATIONAL EDUCATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

The problem of the study was to identify the role of vocational education in economic development as perceived by vocational education plan writers and representatives from commerce and industry. A total of 219 vocational education plan writers, 200 vocational education advisory committee members, and 200 chamber of commerce members in the northern 24 county area of Illinois were surveyed.;A significant number of vocational education plan writers see the role of vocational education in economic development as being primarily basic skill development and career development. The economic development components of upgrading and retraining, customized training and community service were not perceived as being as important by the vocational education plan writers.;The advisory council members also perceive the role of vocational education in economic development as primarily belonging to the concepts within the two component areas of basic employment skill development and career development. However, the chamber of commerce members, while agreeing that the same two components are important, also include upgrading and retraining as being the role of vocational education in economic development. Neither group identified the two components of customized training and community service as being as important to the role of vocational education in economic development.;The analysis of demographic data show that the greater the involvement by the vocational education plan writers, by their educational institution, and their administration the stronger the perceptions are that vocational education does have a role to play in economic development. The data also show that vocational education plan writers in educational institutions with large enrollments in vocational education and which have vocational programs that receive a great level of support financially, are more likely to believe that vocational education has a more comprehensive role in economic development.;The five components of the role of vocational education in economic development were identified in order of importance by the three groups as follows: (1) career development, (2) basic employment skill development, (3) upgrading and retraining, (4) customized training and (5) community service.