The purpose of this study was to investigate the value high school counselors assign to the fourteen national work competencies identified by the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (Author, 1991) and the National Career Development Guidelines (National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, [NOICC] 1989) among different groups of students: at-risk, work-bound, and college bound. Rising national concern about economic competitiveness in the global marketplace has dictated the need to provide all students with the skills necessary to enter the workforce.
Two research questions were explored in this quantitative study. The data were acquired via a questionnaire adapted from a similar multi-state study by Deborah Bloch, Ph.D. (1996), and developed by her for that purpose. The population for the study was high school counselors in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Two hundred fifty-five individuals responded to questions about their value of the 14 work competencies among the three student groups.
Results of the study indicate that counselors consistently believe that the work competencies are more valuable for college-bound students than for work-bound students and more valuable for work-bound students than for at-risk students. Results also show that counselors valuing of the work competencies are consistent with those of the participants of Bloch’s 1994 study (1996)
