| The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify those groups of CTE program participants who generally pursue work in the career field in which they have received their training. Career and Technology Education program graduates who were members of the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS; n = 1066) from various parts of the Unites States comprised the sample which included members from the various occupational groups identified by the NTHS Occupational Codes. The survey contained questions related to current employment status and job satisfaction in which various relationships were analyzed for age, racelethnicity, gender, and marital status.; Findings were that NTHS program graduates who were employed had about 57.1% of the respondents working in the areas in which they received their training. Job satisfaction levels were found to be 58.8%, ranging from somewhat satisfied to very satisfied. Females in this study tended to be more satisfied with their occupations than males responding to the survey. However, females also reported lower salary ranges than the males in the study. When marital status was examined, married people tended to report higher levels of job satisfaction than those who were single or divorced. Single people reported earning lower salaries than those who were married or divorced.; When specific data was compared within occupational groups, there tended to be more single white males in agriculture and more married Hispanic males in construction. People who were employed in agriculture reported higher levels of job satisfaction, however, they also reported the lowest salary ranges in the study. Persons enrolled in the Medical/Health/Social Services were the highest group responding to this survey and were in the group with the highest unemployment rate.; Overall, there were significant differences found in job satisfaction, salaries, and the occupational group enrolled in when age, gender, marital status, and race/ethnicity was compared. Recommendations included conducting studies that separate graduates of secondary and post-secondary programs and the use of longitudinal studies of students who are not members of the NTHS. |
