The Signaling Power of Occupational Certification in the Automobile Service and Information Technology Industries.

.................................................................................................................................... ix Background ............................................................................................................................... 1 Operational Definitions......................................................................................................... 2 Review of Literature ................................................................................................................... 5 Overview of the Automotive Service Industry and the Information Technology Industry ....................................................................................................... 6 Background Information on the Automotive Service Industry ......................................... 7 Automotive Service Industry Workforce Growth Projections .......................................... 7 Automotive Service Industry Response to Workforce Growth Projections....................... 8 Educational Qualifications of Entry-Level Automotive Service Industry Employees ....... 8 ASE Certification............................................................................................................ 9 Background on the Information Technology Industry.................................................... 10 Information Technology Industry Workforce Growth Projections ................................. 10 Information Technology Industry Response to Workforce Growth Projections.............. 11 Educational Qualifications of Entry-Level Information Technology Industry Employees................................................................................................. 12 CompTIA A+ Certification ........................................................................................... 13 Education Credentials and Occupational Certification......................................................... 14 Theoretical Framework for the Study .................................................................................. 15 Human Capital Theory .................................................................................................. 16 Signaling and Screening Theories.................................................................................. 16 Research Objectives.................................................................................................................. 19 Method ..................................................................................................................................... 21 Research Design ................................................................................................................. 21 Population and Sample.................................................................................................. 23 Variables....................................................................................................................... 23 Procedures .................................................................................................................... 24 Data Analysis...................................................................................................................... 29 Results...................................................................................................................................... 31 Characteristics of the Sample .............................................................................................. 31 The Signaling Power of Occupational Certification in the Automobile Service & Information Technology Industries vi National Research Center for Career and Technical Education Quantitative Results ............................................................................................................ 31 Preference for Educational Qualifications in Entry-Level Employees ............................ 31 Comparison of Preference for Educational Credentials Controlling for Experience........ 35 Comparison of Educational Qualifications for Applicants with No Experience.............. 36 Comparison of Educational Qualifications for Applicants With Fewer Than 2 Years’ Experience ................................................................................................ 37 Comparison of Educational Qualifications for Applicants With 2 to 4 Years’ Experience .............................................................................................................. 38 Influence of Applicant Work Experience Level on Educational Qualification Preference ............................................................................................................... 39 Influence of Respondent Characteristics on Preference for Educational Credentials ............................................................................................................. 39 Qualitative Results .............................................................................................................. 42 Question 1: What is looked for in an entry-level employee resume? .............................. 42 Question 2: What do education, certification, and experience signal? ............................ 49 Question 3: What education, certification, and training are required once employed?....................................................................................................... 56 Summary of Qualitative Analysis........................................................................................ 57 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 59 References ................................................................................................................................ 65 Appendixes Appendix A: List of ASE Certificates ................................................................................. 73 Appendix B: Automotive Service Industry Resumes ........................................................... 75 Appendix C: IT Industry Resumes ...................................................................................... 87 Appendix D: Recruitment Script for Automotive Service Managers.................................... 99 Appendix E: Recruitment Script for IT Managers ............................................................. 101 Appendix F: Consent Form ............................................................................................... 103 Appendix G1: Automotive Service Industry Certification Survey...................................... 105 Appendix G2: IT Industry Certification Survey................................................................. 107 Appendix H1: Automotive Service Industry Interview Protocol ........................................ 109 Appendix H2: IT Industry Interview Protocol ................................................................... 113 Appendix I: Frequency Rankings for Each Resume........................................................... 117 The Signaling Power of Occupational Certification in the Automobile Service & Information Technology Industries The National Research Center for Career and Technical Education vii List of Tables Table 1. Frequency Table of Each Resume Ranked in First Place ............................................. 32 Table 2. Comparison of Education Credentials for Applicants with No Previous Work Experience .......................................................................................................................... 37 Table 3. Comparison of Education Credentials for Applicants with Fewer Than 2 Years’ Previous Work Experience.................................................................................................. 38 Table 4. Comparison of Education Credentials for Applicants with 2–4 Years’ Previous Work Experience ................................................................................................................ 38 Table 5. Cross Classification of Preference for the Certification and the Work Experience Level ................................................................................................................ 39 Table 6. Correlation Matrix of Respondent Characteristics and Preference for the Certification........................................................................................................................ 40