Business/Industry Standards and Vocational Program Accountability :: Work Employees Employers Essays

Business/Industry Standards and Vocational Program Accountability Industry skill standards are already in place for many industries in the United States and in a number of statewide vocational education programs that serve those industries. The linkage of skill standards between industry and vocational education hinges on a competency-based approach to education and training. The effectiveness of this approach has been recognized by other countries, such as Denmark and Great Britain, that have adopted this process for establishing their industry skill standards. The National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), developed in Great Britain, is one example of competency-based skill standards used to assess performance. This Digest looks at the motivations behind the initiation of industry standards and of national and state skill standards that would provide vocational program accountability. It examines the competency-based approach to the development of standards in relation to their effect on vocational education, drawing on reviews of the NVQs in Gre at Britain. Why Industries Set Skill Standards The gap between existing skills and desired or required skills is the basic impetus for the development of business/industry standards at all levels-local, state, and national. Many of these standards were developed over time, industry by industry, in response to competition from other industrialized nations and for the purpose of quality control. In the early 1970s, for example, automobile manufacturers were finding that graduates of automotive technology classes were lacking the skills necessary to work on cars with advanced technology systems. The public, losing faith in the quality of new car repair, were either not buying new cars or not buying cars made in the United States. Therefore, to improve worker competence, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence began to require that auto mechanics be certified (Fretwell and Pritz 1994). Over the years the professional associations of many industries have taken the initiative in setting skill standards. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, for example, has developed and implemented a national certification program through which it administers the Certified Public Accountants exam. The American Welding Society likewise administers tests for certification of workers in the welding profession. State licensing exams are used to certify workers in certain occupations as well, e.g., barber and chauffeur. On a national level, the Federal Aviation Administration has set standards for air traffic controllers, although in this case public safety is the primary force driving the action. The Need for Skill Standards in Vocational Education Most industry standards are established to improve worker competence and the products and services the workers provide.