Analysis of the Perceived Competence of Junior Civil Engineering Officers

摘要

Civil Engineering (CE) officers are sent directly to their first duty station without any job related training. This lack of training could cause new CE officers to be unprepared for their job. The perceived competence of officers was used to determine how well prepared CE officers are for their first assignment. Civil Engineering second lieutenants were surveyed to determine their perceptions of their overall competence, technical competence, managerial competence, and knowledge of the CE organization. Supervisors also rated each officer in these four areas. The data was statistically analyzed to determine if time in service, prior military service, academic degree, source of commission, and attendance at Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) School of Civil Engineering courses effect perceived competence. The results indicate that time in service, source of commission, and the number of courses attended at AFIT have a significant effect on perceived competence. The results also show that prior military service, academic degree, and the AFIT Introduction to Base Civil Engineering course have no significant effect on perceived competence. An important finding was that supervisors rated officers significantly higher in competence than the officers rated themselves. The conclusions were that more job familiarization is needed for new CE officers and attendance at AFIT technical courses should be highly encouraged for young officers. (Thesis)