AN ANALYSIS OF ELECTRONIC OFFICE EQUIPMENT AND AUTOMATED SYSTEMS WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAMS (TECHNOLOGY, MICROCOMPUTER, WORD PROCESSING, COOPERATIVE EDUCATION)

Educational institutions exist for the purpose of providing relevant and essential knowledge. Vocational programs are charged with the responsibility of training students for specific occupations. In all cases, educators must be aware of information from the larger society for transmittal to students that will enable their effective and efficient functioning as citizens and workers.;Therefore, this study analyzed office automation to determine components, identified such equipment in use by Michigan employers, and focused on employer-sponsored training resources employed to teach employees to use this equipment. From responses of participants representing 150 businesses, it was found that 62 percent use dedicated word processing equipment and multi-purpose mini and/or microcomputers, which in some cases also included electronic mail/telecommunications and financial planning functions. Of special interest were the 81 training programs conducted by employer resources to teach employees to use electronic office equipment and/or automated systems.;It was concluded that educators need to foster relationships with employers and industry trainers to obtain information regarding mutual training goals. Business Education programs in secondary and postsecondary educational institutions must be designed to assure students acquire the essential skills required for operating a business office while also maintaining credibility as a viable source for providing job-ready candidates to employers.;The recommended means for enabling educators to keep abreast of skills that constitute relevant learning experiences for students is to interact with employers and their training agents by establishing effective programs of cooperative education. The essence of such programs is to place students with an employer in a monitored work experience situation which enables them to apply theoretical concepts and technical skills learned in the classroom to an actual employment environment.;Given that computers and related equipment are presently in a growth stage that is expected to continue in future years, it is a logical goal that people in like numbers be prepared with the skills necessary to use them. For developers of Business Education curricula, it is important to expose students to realistic situations in modern business offices as well as to ensure their training includes basic clerical skills acquisition.