Comparing Process Technology Education and Work Experience

摘要

The authors examined how many years of on-the-job experience are equivalent to the job preparation provided by the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Process Technology (PTEC). The authors examined records of 157 potential employees for their work experience, education, and job preparedness. Job preparation was measured with a validated pre-hire test. Authors examined scores on the pre-hire exam with years of experience as a PTEC operator, experience in related fields, PTEC education, and other academic education. Total years of previous work experience as an operator and years of PTEC education showed the strongest positive correlations to pre-hire test scores. However, each year of PTEC education was worth 5.3 years of job experience. Future research regarding additional dependent variables such as training completion time and starting wage are discussed.