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