Competencies needed by graduates of secondary agricultural education in the animal systems career pathway for entry-level employment: A Delphi study of industry experts in Oklahoma

Scope and Method of Study. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of Oklahoma animal science industry leaders as it related to competencies necessary for the entry-level employment of high school graduates who had completed coursework in the Oklahoma Agricultural, Food and Natural Resources, animal systems career cluster. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the Theodore Shultz and Howard Beck human capital theory. The study was characterized as descriptive and employed the Delphi methodology, which allows the research to gather responses from an expert panel and utilize these responses to create useful statements (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2002). The opening questionnaire included two open-ended questions and a demographics section that was developed by the researcher. The remaining two rounds of the Delphi questionnaire were based on panel members' responses.;Findings and Conclusions. The panel members found consensus on 27 technical competencies and 33 non-technical competencies that high school graduates of the animal systems career pathway should have to gain entry-level employment in the animal science industry in Oklahoma.