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Entitled: The Unprepared and Unemployed College Graduate

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ABSTRACT

Career preparation and development is one of the most important developmental processes in a student’s college experience. When students matriculate through college they are seeking to receive a college education and ultimately a college degree in a specific field of study. Deciding on a career is a developmental process, marked by significant events and experiences. Employers want well-rounded students that enhance their in classroom education with key career-related experiences. While students are matriculating through college, it is the institution’s responsibility to ensure that they are producing a well-rounded student ready to be successful in their field of study. Students at ________ College are not engaged in professional development programs while matriculating through college because the one area that is not focused on is career awareness and job placement. As they prepare for graduation and attempt to face the uncertainty of the avenue of their career, the second primary function of the _______ College is to build a bridge of opportunity by equipping and preparing students with a solid career plan.

The problem at ________ College is students aren’t learning what they need to compete for the jobs that exist in their field of study. As the students are preparing to graduate, they are not employed in their field of study and not prepared to enter workforce. Students spend four to five years at the institution and during that time receive little to no professional training that will prepare them to enter the workforce. Today's college graduates are entering a highly competitive job market, so it is essential and imperative that they receive adequate training to compete effectively with other college graduates. Some of the graduates will indeed find a job despite worse macroeconomic conditions, others might choose to pursue post-graduate education, and but the majority will join the pool of the unemployed. During high unemployment rates, the number of job candidates in the market is higher than the number of available jobs. _________ College should strive to empower a diverse student population that will actively be prepared to seek their career choices in the global marketplace. There needs to be a professional development program in place to develop the best-prepared job seekers, and to maximize students' chances for success by providing highly personalized services.

In this research, it is the plan to survey sixty- seven out of one hundred and fifteen traditional graduating students. After the surveys are conducted, the results will be inconclusive and it will demonstrate whether or not the institution has provided adequate services to the students and prepared them for the workforce while matriculating at the institution.

In conducting this research, the data and experiment proved the hypothesis to be conclusive. Traditional graduating students at ________ are not prepared to work in their field of study because there are no professional training development programs in place for traditional college students to mandatory attend. ______ College is students aren’t learning what they need to compete for the jobs that exist in their field of study.

The main purpose of this research was to provide proof that students who graduate from _________ College are not receiving any professional development training to prepare them for their field of study. In the end, the recommendation is to implement a professional development curriculum so that students will receive the training that is needed to be successful in their field of study. Once the institution corrects this problem students will be prepared to be successful in their field of study.

TABLE CONTENTS

Chapter One

Statement of Purpose........................…………………………………………………..1

Setting of the Problem………………………..………………………………………..1

History and Background…………………………………………………………….....2 -3

Scope of Project………………………………………………………………………..3-4

Importance/Significance of the Project………………………………………………...4

Chapter Two

Literature Review…………………………………………………………………...….5-10

Chapter Three

Methodology…………………………………………………………………………...11-12

Demonstration of Intervention – Statement of Objective……………………………..13

Statement of Objective………………………………………………………………...13

Demonstration of Intervention- The Professional Development Academy…………...13-15

Chapter Four

Evaluation Plan……………………………………………………………………......16

Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………….........16

Limitation of the Data Collection Plan..........................................................................17-18

Chapter Five

Summary of Results…………………………………………………………………....19

Chapter Six

Conclusion and Recommendation……………………………………………………..20

Chapter Seven

Reflections……………………………………………………………………………..21

Reference List……………………………………………………………………….....22 - 23

Appendix of Appendices

Appendix A………………………………………………………………………….....24-25

Appendix B………………………………………………………………………….....26

Appendix C………………………………………………………………………….....27

Appendix D………………………………………………………………………….....28

Appendix E………………………………………………………………………….....29

Appendix F………………………………………………………………………….....30

Appendix G………………………………………………………………………….....31

Appendix H………………………………………………………………………….....32

Running head: THE UNPREPARED AND UNEMPLOYED COLLEGE GRADUATE

- 4 -

Running head: THE UNPREPARED AND UNEMPLOYED COLLEGE GRADUATE

Appendix I………………………………………………………………………….......33

4

CHAPTER 1

Statement of Purpose

Traditional graduating students at __________ College are not prepared to work in their field of study because there are no professional training development programs in place for traditional college students to mandatory attend.

The Setting of the Problem

___________ College is distinctively, (state) oldest independent institution of higher learning. It is a small, private, Christian, Historically Black, urban, co-educational Liberal Arts College offering nine quality baccalaureate degree programs in the disciplines of Business Administration, Biology, Criminal Justice, Department of Humanities Music and Fine Arts and Religion, Mass Communication, Mathematics and Science, Psychology, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Teacher’s Education. _____ is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Since its inception, the College has attracted students from throughout the country, and abroad, by offering a rare trio of rich academic, cultural and spiritual experiences to shape its scholars into independent thinkers and impactful citizens of the world. The College is governed by a Board of Trustees and each member serves a three-year term. The current composition of the board consists of one student, one faculty representative, and six lay persons. The remainder of the board is comprised of representatives from the Eleventh Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. ________ College exists to strive to prepare students holistically to advance globally through the provision of intellectually stimulating programs. _________ College seeks to develop excellence in scholarship, research and service for a betterment of humanity.

The Division of Academic Affairs is an urban higher education model that is recognized nationally for excellent academic programs and effective, innovative teaching and learning strategies for diverse, urban student populations. Embracing Christian principles and a spirit of servant leadership, the Division of Academic Affairs will be a leader in promoting excellence and ethics, student engagement, community service and service learning, relevant and contemporary teaching methodologies, and community-oriented research. The Division of Academic Affairs is the nucleus of the academic enterprise at ______ College and offers high-quality baccalaureate degree programs. In an academically challenging, student-centered environment, the Division of Academic Affairs provides rigorous and relevant undergraduate programs that incorporate intellectually stimulating curricula, problem-based and active learning, effective teaching strategies, academic technology, experiential learning opportunities, and diverse instructional delivery systems.

Through ongoing faculty development, the Division of Academic Affairs promotes a culture that nourishes and supports research activities, excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. The Division of Academic Affairs endeavors to produce graduates who are well-prepared academically committed to the principles of excellence and ethics.

History and Background of the Problem

Traditional graduating students at ______ College are not prepared to work in their field of study is because there are no professional training development programs in place for them to mandatory attend. Traditional students matriculate for four to five years at the institution, but receive no professional training development courses or workshops to prepare them to work in their field of study. Students in the traditional program are graduating with a degree in their field of study, but no experience as well as no professional development to train them for what Corporate America is seeking in college graduates. Students are expecting to go into their careers as a “manager” or an executive just because they have obtained a degree in their field of study. As more students have struggled to find a place in a depressed job market and questions about the employment value of a college degree have intensified, so too has concern that new graduates are not equipped to function in the work place and are not meeting employers’ expectations. When students are faced with this kind of opposition, this prevents them from working effectively because they are not meeting the employers’ expectations.

Scope of the Project

As students fail to obtain jobs in their field of study because of not having professional development training, students are faced with seeking jobs that are not in their field of study or unemployment. Traditional students at ________ College have faced this scenario for years. During their senior year, traditional students are asked to present a professional resume and to complete a survey for statistical research purposes so that the institution can track and survey who is working in their field of study and who is not working in their field of study or not working at all. When the traditional students submit the survey and the resume, it usually has volunteer information that has been conformed into work experience or summer jobs that does not match their field of study. This is the scope of the problem for traditional students at Edward Waters College. It is at this point that the traditional students realize that they are not prepared to face corporate America because they have not been properly trained for their career while they were in college. In the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at _______ College, the surveys that were done by the graduates show that out of sixty-seven graduates, only two graduates had jobs that were in their field of study at the time of the survey, the rest of them were unemployed. The Office of Academic Affairs is responsible for engaging and making sure that students acquire a degree in higher education, but, no one is responsible for making sure that the students find quality work in their field of study once they graduate from ____ College. This is another perspective of the problem that the researcher is addressing. Since there are no professional development programs in place for the traditional students to mandatory attend before they graduate and equip traditional students to be prepared to work in their field of study, the researcher is recommending that the Office of Academic Affairs implement professional development programs into the academia of the students curriculum so that they can grow professionally as they go through the college academically.

Importance/Significance of the Project

The importance of traditional students having professional development programs during their matriculation at ________ College is extremely beneficial to the students. Traditional college students can prepare for a competitive job market by choosing their discipline wisely, selecting the most effective courses, and seeking effective internships that will guarantee them a job opportunity once the college student graduates. As stated in the aforementioned, during the students’ senior year, traditional students are asked to present a professional resume and to complete a survey for statistical research purposes so that the institution can track and survey who is working in their field of study and who is not working in their field of study or not working at all. If a majority of the traditional students are not working in their field of study or not working at all, the significance and the importance of having professional development programs during their matriculation at ________ College is extremely detrimental to the traditional students who desires to be successful in their career.

CHAPTER 2

Literature Review

Every year, recent graduates of _______ College enter the job market with newly crisp degrees and high hopes about their employment prospects. Today's college graduates are entering a highly competitive job market, so it is essential and imperative that these traditional college students receive adequate training to compete effectively with other college graduates. According to Toland (2011), “When businesses work with education to create opportunities for students to advance academically and in their careers, employers, colleges, and individuals can all succeed.” Traditional students at ________ College have an inadequate understanding of how to properly conduct a successful job search and also lack some of the tools and skills necessary to locate and acquire a job. Students graduating from college in a bad economy have to adjust to a tighter labor market. As stated in Grasgreen (2013), “As more students have struggled to find a place in a depressed job market and questions about the employment value of a college degree have intensified, so too has the concern that new graduates are not equipped to function in the work place and are not meeting employers’ expectations.” Some of these recent graduates will indeed find a job despite worse macroeconomic conditions, others might choose to pursue post-graduate education, but the majority will join the pool of the unemployed. During high unemployment rates, the number of job candidates in the market is higher than the number of available jobs.

An earned degree doesn’t get the job. Traditional students at ________ College are constantly competing with students globally who have had more experience and training than they had while they were in school. As stated in Singletary (2012) “Not all college majors are created equal.” In other words, as the students are preparing to graduate, they are not employed in their field of study and not prepared to enter the workforce. Students spend four to five years at the institution and during that time receive little to no professional development training that will prepare them to enter the workforce. As stated in Barkin (1999) “Too many students aren’t sure what job they could get after four, five or even six years of studying a certain major”(p. 35).

The following section will scholarly support the hypothesis that _____________- College traditional students are not prepared for the workforce because there are no proper professional development programs implemented into their curriculum.

I. Reasons why College Graduates Can’t Get Hired – Lack of Skills

In comparing ________ College traditional students to students at the _________ College, they have similar challenges. When the _________ College conducted a similar survey, according to White (2013), “more than 60% of employers say applicants’ lack ‘communication’ and interpersonal skills.” Students tend to speak how they text or converse with their peers which is unprofessional. Without professional development programs implemented into the curriculum the college is setting the students up for an unsuccessful career. Supervisors are looking for college graduates to have organizational and interpersonal skills as well as a professional look. As stated in White (2013) “As it turns out, they can’t even show up on time in a button-down shirt and organize a team project.” Employers desire college graduates that can excel in their job and are successful. When the college graduate is not successful, this hurts the employer and the company. On the other hand, over ninety percent of the students at _______ College lack communication and interpersonal skills. Students have not been properly trained how to conduct interviews or how to construct a professional resume. As stated in Planin (2014), “Many managers also said that today’s applicants can’t think critically and creatively, solve problems or write well.” Students will have a challenging time being marketable if professional development training is not provided.

II. Ineffective Internships

Students need to be able to have soft skill sets and organizational skills in order to be successful in a career. Traditional students at _______ College are not given effective internships to empower them the skills that they need for their field of study.

According to Sanburn (2012), “And all internships are not created equal. Overall, only about half of college grads say they’re prepared for the workplace — and the number of bosses who think they’re prepared is lower than 40%.” Students at ______ College spend a great deal of time on unrelated jobs that are substituted as internships such as on campus work study and working in retail or in the food industry. Ineffective internships for traditional students at _________ College need to stand out as far as experienced graduates in their field of study. When students do unpaid internships they can find it extremely unfulfilling regarding no compensation and work experience. The worst part of it all, the students are not offered a permanent job once they graduate. According to Sanburn (2012), “As it turned out, Wang’s internship was just like many of the thousands of others: unrewarding in terms of both pay and marketable experience — not to mention the lack of a job offer.” College students who transition from the classroom to summer internships are not benefitting from them. Employers view an internship as the single most important credential for recent graduates more than where the graduate went to school or what they majored in. By having a well-structured internship, students learn soft skills like boosting their ability to communicate with management and colleagues, which can enhance their interview performance later on. Unfortunately, good interview performance is lacking in many interviewees, and this may mean that at least two internships should be implemented as a requirement for the students to increase the students’ workplace skills.

III. No Professional Development Training

Professional Development is a critical necessity in today’s educational environment. Students at _________ College are not receiving professional development training to ensure that they are prepared for a career in their field of study. As they prepare for graduation and attempt to face the uncertainty of the avenue of their career, the institution should make sure that they educate, empower and employ students while matriculating through college. When students matriculate through the institution, the one area that is not focused on is professional development and career awareness. It is unfortunate because students feel that they ‘know it all’ and do not need professional training but eventually fail to get the job. According to Johnson (2011), “More than half of employers said finding qualified applicants is difficult, and just fewer than half thought students should receive specific workplace training rather than a more broad-based education.” Throughout the students’ matriculation, there should be training in place at all levels. Companies are not hiring college graduates because they lack career readiness such as professional dress, interpersonal skills and punctuality. According to Planin (2014), “Companies say candidates are lacking in motivation, interpersonal skills, appearance, punctuality and flexibility.” Students’ do not desire to dress in a suit and tie or a dress, pantyhose and closed in 2 inch heels. When students take it upon themselves to prepare for a job interview, they feel that a polo shirt, a pair of wrinkled khakis or a short skirt ( above the knee) and a tight fitting blouse and 4 inch strapped shoe is professional dressed. This is a critical issue for college students. According to Johnson (2011), “Many employers believe colleges aren't adequately preparing students for jobs.” Employers need students to obtain a degree of higher learning. At the same time, the employer request that during the students’ matriculation they acquire professional development training so that they can be an asset to the company. According to Johnson (2011), “Colleges and universities are pandering to the students and giving them what they want, instead of what the employers want," she said. "I don't think you have to make a distinction between getting skills and getting an education. We need to do both."

Professional development training should be implemented as early as freshmen year. The professional development training, a career development academy of classes, would be implemented into their academic curriculum within four phases for the students to “grow as the go.” As freshmen, instead just taking the normal college success, all freshmen would be required take a “Career Awareness” class. This would be the foundation of the four phases to learn about the culture of career awareness, the importance of professional behavior in the workplace, explore basis office and professional etiquette and identify the student’s career potential. By the time the student completes this course they will ascertain and complete the goals needed to move to the next level. By the students’ sophomore year, the second phase that would be purposed to be implemented as part of their degree plan would be a class in Career Exploration. This phase would offer lessons in how to draft a resume and identify students work experiences and skills. Also, the students would be required to attend professional development workshops with college-partnered companies to further enhance their knowledge. At the junior level, traditional students of ______ College would be required to take “Career Experience” class. At this level, students will be required to start exploring their two mandatory internship and future employment opportunities. Students will be required to identify prospective employment opportunities and two internships within their major. By the second semester as a junior, the students should be well versed in obtaining an internship to be completed by the end of the first semester in their senior year. As the students advance to a senior year status, students would be required to complete the “Transition from College to Career” class. At this crossroad, students will have perfected all of the aforementioned skills needed to compete in their career globally. Students would have attained a wealth of career awareness and planning knowledge. At this level of successful planning, students would have completed their required internships in their major field of study. This would give them the edge that they need to receive job offers before graduation. As stated in Grasgreen (2013), “Colleges need to make sure their curriculums align with the way companies work today, with fast-paced technology and social media changing data collection and communication. Employers should articulate to colleges what they’re looking for in employees, and help make sure that what they’re teaching is useful.” Students need this professional development training throughout their matriculation so that they can communicate effectively, be adaptable, marketable and professionally equip to be successful in their career. According to Boisjolie (2012) “Recent graduates too often don’t know how to communicate effectively. And they have trouble adapting, problem solving and making decisions – things employers say they should have learned in college.” It is ________ College responsibility to provide an academy of professional development training classes as part of their education curriculum to the students so that they can ultimately be prepared to transition successfully into their career once they graduate from the institution.

CHAPTER 3

Methodology

In finding out whether or not the researcher’s hypothesis is true, a research survey questionnaire must be developed and implemented. The key to developing a good survey questionnaire is to keep it short while ensuring that all of the information that is needed will be captured. Surveys can help decide what needs changing, what problems there might be, or lots of other questions that may arise at any time. Gathering information is an important way to help people make decisions about topics of interest. The reason why a survey will be used during this research is because it will give the answer any question about the hypothesis or topic. As stated in Applegate (2002), “The best part about surveys is that they can be used to answer any question about any topic,” (p. 25).

A survey is a way to collect information directly from people in a systematic and standardized way. The survey that was developed will be used to provide factual evidence to support the hypothesis. The researcher plans to take the data received from the survey and utilize it to support her hypothesis. When the survey questionnaire is distributed, the data received will capture the information needed for the research paper. The survey will be the documentations provided from the students that will prove that the career planning and placement department has not provided the resources and professional development programs to prepare the students for the workforce.

When using a survey to receive information, it is important to be concise about the information needed. Surveys are essential to seeking factual evidence and revealing any issues or problem. The reason why a survey is an essential part of the statistical process is because it shows what is actually happening in reality. By implementing a survey questionnaire in the research paper, the learner will be able to add credibility to the research. There are three major benefits in using a survey within the specified organization. The first major benefit is that surveys places emphasis on authentic data. Surveys are an excellent way to receive information first hand and not heresy. The second advantage is that surveys are a strong quantitative methodology when used correctly. The last advantage is that surveys are inexpensive and is not time consuming. The challenges in using a survey are that the students may not feel comfortable providing answers that present themselves in an unfavorable manor. The second challenge in using a survey is that students may not feel encouraged to provide accurate, honest answers because of perception of the way they were treated. The last challenge in using a survey is that surveys with closed-ended questions may have a lower validity rate than other question types.

Once the researcher agreed on a research question, the next decision that had to be made was what would be the best way to conduct the survey. Due to time constraints, the researcher had to personally hand out surveys instead of sending them to people through the Internet or mail. By handing out the surveys, it would guarantee immediate responses. It was also convenient to hand out the surveys personally because the researcher was able give discuss it with other classmates. The next thing was to compose the research survey questionnaire and implement it. The procedure that was used to develop the research survey questionnaire was extremely detailed and precise. The main idea of the survey was to capture the opinion of the students regarding how they viewed how much guidance and training they received to be prepared for the workforce once they graduate. Students are procrastinators and think that everything should be given to them. Students also do not realize that they are not prepared for something until they are actually faced with it. As stated in Savage (2003), “Landing a job is a skill that students need for a lifetime of employment, and a critical part of a complete college education comes from learning to develop great skills” (p. 273).

Demonstration of Intervention – Statement of Objective

The transition from collegiate life to working professional is a large one. As stated in the aforementioned, it is _________ College responsibility to educate, empower and employ the traditional students while they matriculate through the institution. When college students graduate with no professional development training for the workforce and are unemployed in their field of study, it demonstrates that there needs to be an intervention in place to support the future success of these students.

Statement of Objective

The objective is recommend starting in the Fall of 2014, the Department of Academic Affairs should provide mandatory professional development training to all traditional students at ________ College during the four to five years of their college career so that once they graduate from the institution, they can be well prepared to succeed in their field of study.

Demonstration of Intervention- The Professional Development Academy

The intervention plan of action is to implement a career planning and placement curriculum into the _______ College traditional students’ academic degree plan for them to receive professional career training and graduate prepared for a successful career. The purposed career development part of the academic curriculum would be called “The Professional Development Academy.” These credited career-development focused classes will enhance, educate and empower traditional students about professional development while preparing them to be successful in their field of study while they are taking educational courses. The students will have the opportunity to be advised and trained in the area of professional career-development through several courses: online soft skills training, developing a resume, mock interviewing, elevator pitch, etiquette at work and other professional development training in classification phases as they matriculate through college. As stated in chapter 2, as freshmen, instead just taking the normal college success, all traditional freshmen would be required take two three-credited “Career Awareness” classes. This would be the foundation of the four phases to learn about the culture of career awareness, the importance of professional behavior in the workplace, explore basis office and professional etiquette and identify the student’s career potential. By the time the student completes this course they will ascertain and complete the goals needed to move to the next level. By the students’ sophomore year, the second phase that would be purposed to be implemented as part of their degree plan would be a class in Career Exploration. This phase would offer lessons in how to draft a resume and identify students work experiences and skills. Also, the students would be required to attend professional development workshops with college-partnered companies to further enhance their knowledge. At the junior level, traditional students of _________ College would be required to take “Career Experience” class. At this level, students will be required to start exploring their two mandatory internship and future employment opportunities. Students will be required to identify prospective employment opportunities and two internships within their major. By the second semester as a junior, the students should be well versed in obtaining one of the two internships to be completed by the end of the first semester in their senior year. As the students advance to a senior year status, students would be required to complete the “Transition from College to Career” class. At this crossroad, the students will have perfected all of the aforementioned skills needed to compete in their career globally. Students would have attained a wealth of career awareness and planning knowledge. At this level of successful planning, students would have completed their required internships in their major field of study. This would give them the edge that they need to receive job offers before graduation. See Appendix "D" for the Pyramid diagram for a visual description of the career development part of the academic curriculum.

CHAPTER 4

Evaluation Plan

In order to develop a detailed plan of evaluation for this research, a research survey questionnaire assessment of sixty-seven traditional seniors who graduated in May 2013 need to first be conducted to determine whether or not the hypothesis theory is true. Once the survey is assessed, the data will need to be scrubbed and analyzed. The results and findings from the data will prove the hypothesis theory or reject the hypothesis theory.

Data Analysis

In the research plan, it is the plan to survey sixty-seven traditional graduating seniors out of one hundred and eighteen graduating senior students at ________ College. The reason why this group was selected is because this group of seniors was affected by administration changes within the institution and received no career awareness training. The researcher will find out whether or not _________ College has provided adequate services to the students and prepared them for the workforce in their field of study while matriculating at the institution. The theory that is going to be used would be the hypothesis theory. The hypothesis theory provides the researcher with a structural analytical method for making decisions of this type. To formulate the hypothesis the researcher used the null and alternative hypotheses. The null hypothesis is a statement about the sample values that was tested. The null hypothesis will be rejected only if the data provided has contradictory evidence. The alternative hypothesis includes all the values not covered by the null hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis is to be true if the null hypothesis is rejected.

Limitation of the Data Collection Plan

The essentials of the research survey questionnaire was to implement a systematic way of asking people to volunteer information about their opinions and beliefs regarding how prepared are they for the workforce. Identifying and writing survey questions is an important aspect of any survey process. Special precautions were made to remove bias in the data. The researcher did not include the students that were in the BEEP, CSX or JEA professional development program. The researcher preferred to receive direct answers from the participants to ensure concrete and concise results at the end of the survey. The way the survey questions perform, the adequacy with which they obtain the desired information, has a greater influence on the results of the survey than any other single part of the process. Therefore, careful consideration was taken when constructing the survey questionnaire. The type of questions that was chosen for this particular research survey was closed end questions. Closed-ended, or multiple choice, questions ask the group of participants to choose an answer from list of alternatives. In the opinion of the researcher, closed-ended or multiple-choice questions are easier for the participants to answer. They are also easier to analyze and tabular than open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions reduce changes of participants’ bias opinion on a particular subject. In a closed-ended or multiple-choice survey, questions are well administered and structural towards goal of survey compare to open-ended survey questions. As stated in Hightower and Scott (2012), “Some researchers prefer closed-ended or multiple-choice questions to gather quantitative data.” Another reason why the researcher chose to use closed-ended questions for this research is because it limits the participants’ input into the wording of answers, but ensures that the researcher or other people are not influencing the answer by randomly encouraging elaboration or making suggestions for answers. The survey tool that was created consisted of five questions focusing on the opinion of sixty-seven out of one hundred and eighteen traditional senior students at ________ College. Before the students were given the survey questionnaire a pilot-test was done. The pilot-test is useful for demonstrating the survey’s reliability. As stated in Kelley. K, Clark, B., Brown, V. and Sitzia, J. (2003) “the pilot test is a good way to determine the necessary sample size needed for experimental designs.” When a survey questionnaire is pilot tested it ensures that each question is valid, all the words are understood, whether or not the questions are answered correctly and whether or not the questions apply to each of the students. The sample for the pilot test were the same questions as the actual survey just given to a different selection of students. The pilot test was done on five students where graduates of the Class of 2012. This was extremely motivating as well as intriguing. Those students were extremely cooperative and were concise in their opinion. The results were different than the actual survey that was conducted because four out of five of the students that were selected ended graduated with jobs that they were already working but not in their field of study. The sampling technique that was used was based on convenience sampling. The researcher decided to have a sample size of sixty-seven participants because the researcher felt that it would be feasible, considering the time constraints. To further expedite the surveying process, each the survey was done during a meet and greet so that each person did the survey immediately. After each person had their surveys filled out, the results were placed into Microsoft Excel. This made the process easy and less time consuming. Formulizing the results after receiving the surveys back made it easy to begin analyzing.

CHAPTER 5

Summary of Results

The researcher proceeded to formulate the results from the survey. The raw data was scrubbed into a histogram, pie chart and bar graph to demonstrate the results. Out of sixty seven traditional students that were about to graduate with college degrees, only three students were working in their field of study. Out of sixty seven students that were about to graduate with college degrees, only two students were in management trainee programs in their field of study at the time of graduation. Students indicated that they did not feel that they were prepared for their career in their field of study. The students realized that they lack professional development skills that should have been taught while they were matriculating and is an issue for them now that they are facing their career in their field of study.

They hypothesis was proven to be correct. Traditional graduating students at _______ College are not prepared to work in their field of study because there are no professional training development programs in place for traditional college students to mandatory attend.

In other words, as the students are preparing to graduate, they are not employed in their field of study and not prepared to enter workforce. Students spend four to five years at the institution and during that time receive little to no professional training that will prepare them to enter the workforce. The results in the research also confirmed that the institution did not deliver a well-rounded college graduate because they are not professionally qualified to work efficiently and effectively in corporate America. If the students were asked to do a task regarding professional development they would not have an understanding how to apply those skills to the workplace.

CHAPTER 6

Conclusion and Recommendation

As stated in the aforementioned, professional development is a critical necessity in today’s educational environment. Students at ______ College are not receiving professional development training to ensure that they are prepared for a career in their field of study. Traditional graduating students at _______ College are not prepared to work in their field of study because there are no professional training development programs in place for traditional college students to mandatory attend. The study demonstrated that out of sixty seven traditional students that were about to graduate with college degrees, only three students were working in their field of study. The study also proved that out of sixty seven students that were about to graduate with college degrees, only two students were in management trainee programs in their field of study at the time of graduation.

The purposed recommendation is starting in the Fall of 2014, the Department of Academic Affairs should provide mandatory professional development training to all traditional students at _______ College during the four to five years of their college career so that once they graduate from the institution, they can be well prepared to succeed in their field of study. The purposed career development part of the academic curriculum would be called “The Professional Development Academy.” These credited career-development focused classes will enhance, educate and empower traditional students about professional development while preparing them to be successful in their field of study while they are taking educational courses. The students will have the opportunity to be advised and trained in the area of professional career-development and other professional development training in classification phases as they matriculate through college.

Chapter 7

Reflections

In everyday life I am constantly researching various things and researching how to perfect my craft. I have learned that not everyone is equal to being determined to get the job done. Among my peers, there was frustration because of the number of pages that needed to be prepared for the topic. In all of my classes, I have always written and produced more than what was required of me. The Literature Review was a little challenging for me. The reason it was challenging for me was because I had to intensify and specify my research to get the support needed for my problem. I knew what I wanted to write about because I have written several papers on the same problem throughout my career as a college student. The only difference this time was I needed to narrow in on the nucleus of the problem specifically. This is the learning outcome that I received. Stop looking at the broader picture and just look the specific problem so that I can figure out how to solve that problem. Then once the problem is solved, this will help the broader picture.

The entire program as well as the business application project has affected me and changed my life tremendously. It has made me more aware on how valuable a college degree is needed to be successful in my career. My education is extremely important to me. I will try to apply the learning outcome to my personal life because I tend to become overwhelmed when I look at the broader picture instead of the problem at hand. Being an advocate of the adult learner I’m grateful for the opportunity of being able to earn a college degree. The CLIMB program at Edward Waters College is the best kept secret for adults who couldn’t earn a degree and now would like to complete what they started in the past.

REFRENCE LIST

Applegate, J., (2002), 201 Great Ideas for your Small Business, Bloomberg Press,

Princeton

Barkin, C., (1999), When Your Kid Goes to College: A Parent’s Survival Guide, Avon

Books, New York

Boisjolie, M., (2012), Preparing for the Real World, nacacnet.org, Retrieved March 20,

Name: Group: Date:

Using your completed Problem Analysis Worksheet as a guide, type your responses to the following questions. Strive for complete, yet concise, statements.

1. Problem statement (This can take the form of a statement or question and should include where the problem is found, major elements or variables involved, and the population affected.)

Traditional graduating students at _______ College are not prepared to work in their field of study is because there are no professional development programs in place for them to mandatory attend.

2. What is your personal involvement with the problem, and to what degree do you have control over the situation?

My personal involvement is that the school does a poor job preparing them to work in their field of study and I would like to implement into the curriculum a program to help the traditional students be successful in their career.

3. On the basis of your problem analysis, what are your explanations and assumptions about the cause(s) of this problem?

Traditional graduating students at ______ College are not prepared to work in their field of study is because there are no professional development programs in place for them to mandatory attend.

4. Specifically, in what practical ways will the situation improve if the problem is

solved? How will your organization benefit?

The situation will be a win-win for everyone involve. The traditional students will have a solid experience in their field of study and will be able to secure a job in their field. _________ College will produce successful students working in their careers as well as securing a variety of partnerships for the institution.

5. What are the first two or three steps you need to take?

Interview graduating traditional students, address the issue, research the problem, and find a solution to the problem.

6. How do you plan to go about gathering your information?

I plan on interviewing the graduating traditional students, doing surveys and research about college graduates being unprepared for the workforce.

APPROVAL:

Senior Project Facilitator: -_______________ Date: ______________

APPENDIX C

Professional Development Academy

Proposed Curriculum for Traditional Students

Student Name: _________________________________ ID# ____________________

Course Code Course Name Credit Hours Semester Grade

Freshmen and Transfer Students: Career Awareness (8 hours)

Sophomore Students: Career Exploration (6 hours)

Junior Students: Career Experience (6 hours)

Senior Students: Career Transition (6 hours)

Total 26 Credit hours

APPENDIX D

APPENDIX E

SENIOR SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

Senior’s Name Date:

Major:

Please answer the following questionnaire as part of your department exit packet.

Please rate on a scale of 1 - 5 with 5 being fully prepared and one being not prepared.

APPENDIX F

As a result of the students that took the survey:

64 of the students surveyed are unemployed graduates;

3 of the students surveyed are presently employed in their field of study;

64 shared that they were not prepared for their career;

2 shared that they are in management trainee programs at the time of graduation

APPENDIX G

Appendix G is the results of the last question on the survey on a scale of 1 -5

As the result of the students that took the survey the findings were as follows:

1. 75% of the students surveyed shared that were not are not prepared for their career;

2. 16% of the students surveyed shared that they were fully prepared for their career;

3. 9% of the students surveyed shared that they are somewhat prepared for their career.

APPENDIX H

Appendix H shows the Histogram Results of all the questions on the survey

As the result of the students that took the survey the findings were as follows:

1. Sixty-four students said “No” to all four questions to the survey

2. Three students said “Yes” to all four questions to the survey

3. Sixty –four students said that they were not prepared

4. Two students circled five and said they were prepared

APPENDIX I

To further support the hypothesis the researcher did a z-test. The results of the z-test are shown in Appendix I. The hypothesis is proven to be correct as shown in the test.

results from senior class questionnaire

Fully Prepared for Career Somewhat Prepared for Career Not Prepared for Career 8 15 68

33

Results From Senior Class Survey Questionnaire

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Unemployed

Graduates

Graduates

Employed in

Field

Graduates Not

Prepared for

Career

Graduates in

Management

Trainee

Program

Number of Students

Unemployed Graduates

Graduates Employed in Field

Graduates Not Prepared for

Career

Graduates in Management

Trainee Program

Histogram Results of Senior Class

Survey Questionnaire

0

20

40

60

80

643642

Number of Students

Frequency

64

3

64

2