$4.: .. . «- Rd}? Q in r? . k2 : .w. .{ .3 , gmhwfln. “.r. s. In it»? ., ‘ 4M...” m... 3. VJ. . in? a. x‘ .1 i. ‘ .. «a... . a Luna 33.5..“ .: .7 nus-v wig-www.— .... .a. .29.... .vu This is to certify that the thesis entitled WHAT EMPLOYER'S WANT: SKILL INVENTORY OF SELECTED AGRI-MARKETING PROFESSIONALS presented by RACHEL ANN WILLIAMS has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for the MS. degree in Agriculture and Extension Education $474 /Major ProfessorLsaS’ MA}! 0 '5 o ? Date MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution —‘-.-.-o- i________~l LIBRARY Michigan State University PLACE lN RETURN Box to remove this checkout from your record. To AVOID FINES return on or before date due. MAY BE RECALLED with earlier due date if requested. DATE DUE [ DATE DUE DATE DUE N’DMQM 6/01 c:/ClRC/DateDuo.p65-p.15 WHAT EMPLOYER’S WANT: SKILL INVENTORY OF SELECTED AGRI-MARKETING PROFESSIONALS By Rachel Ann Williams A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Education and Communication Systems 2003 ABSTRACT SKILL INVENTORY OF SELECTED AGRI-MARKETING PROFESSIONALS By Rachel Ann Williams Thisstudydeterminedtheskillsneeded forasuccessfirlcareerinagri-marketing, based on the opinions or professional agri-marketers and members of the National Agri- Marketing Association. Specific areas within the study included transferable skills, agri- marketing skills, knowledge required of computer programs used in agri-marketing, and importance of internship experiences. The target population of the study was a census of the 1,700 NAMA members as of April 26, 2002. A web-based questionmire was designed for the survey. Findings of this study provide information regarding skills needed for a career in agri—rmrketing. Overall, skills receiving the highest rating were transferable skills that are important to all graduates, regardless of their interest area. The two highest rated skills or values for the study were ethics and communication skills. Within specific agri—marketing skills, the highest rated skills were grammar, business writing, knowledge of marketing principles, spelling, budgeting and product promotiom. Internships were also identified as very important for future agri-marketing professionals. To my parents, Jim and Luann Williams, my sister Catherine Williams, my grandparents Gene and Sammie Johnston and Sloan and Mollie Williams, who have been my best friends and supported me in all my endeavors. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to the following: —To my major professor, Dr. Mikel Woods and my committee members Dr. Kirk Heinze and Dr. Harlan Ritchie, for their support throughout my research and graduate education. -A special thank you to Dr. Harlan Ritchie and Dr. Leah Ritchie for encouraging me to come to Michigan State for my graduate education and for helping me along the way. -To the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station for funding my graduate education. -To Robin Millsap for her support and mentoring throughout this program. -To Josh Wease for his assistance in programming and the web-based instrument used in this survey. -To Dr. Joe Levine, Mary Pierce and Gloria Bateman for their support and advice throughout my Master’s program. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................... viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY Introduction ........................................................................... 1 Background ........................................................................... 4 Statement of the Problem ............................................................ 7 Need for the Study ................................................................... 7 Purpose and Objectives ............................................................. 8 Operational Definition of Terms ................................................... 9 Abbreviations ......................................................................... 10 Assumptions ........................................................................... 10 Limitations ............................................................................. 11 CHAPTER II RELATED LITERATURE Career Development Theory ........................................................ 13 Structural Theory ............................................................ 13 Developmental Theory ..................................................... 14 Role and History of Agricultural Communications .............................. l6 Employability / Transferable Skills ................................................ 17 Employability / Transferable Skills in Agri-Marketing ................ 26 University College of Agriculture Training ....................................... 33 Teaching Employability Skills at the College Level .................... 36 Internships ............................................................................. 38 Current US. Job Market ............................................................ 40 CHAPTER IH METHODOLOGY Design of the study .................................................................. 42 Population and Sample .............................................................. 42 Instrumentation ....................................................................... 43 Validity and Reliability .............................................................. 45 Collection of Data .................................................................... 46 Timeline of Study ..................................................................... 47 Analysis of Data ...................................................................... 47 CHAPTER IV FINDINGS Demographic Information ........................................................... 49 Response Rates by Gender ................................................. 50 Response Rates by Segment of Industry Employment ................. 50 Response Rates by Employment Level and Experience ............... 51 Response Rates by Education Level ...................................... 53 Occupational Skills Needed by Agri-Marketing Professionals ................ 54 Layout / Design Skills ...................................................... 57 Photography Skills .......................................................... 59 Public Relations Skills ...................................................... 61 Marketing Skills ............................................................. 62 Research and Planning Skills .............................................. 65 Telecommunications Skills ................................................ 67 Writing Skills ................................................................ 68 Computer Skills ............................................................. 71 Cross-tabulation of Occupational Skills ................................. 75 Employability Skills Needed by Agri-Marketing Professionals ............... 82 Cross-tabulation of Employability Skills ................................. 86 Internship Experiences .............................................................. 86 Career Choices in Agri-Marketing ................................................ 91 Why Professionals Choose a Career in Agri-Marketing ............... 92 Extra-Curricular Activities ................................................. 93 International Experiences .................................................. 94 Current Agri-Marketing Job Outlook .................................... 95 General Advice from Professional Agri-Marketers .................... 96 CHAPTER V SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS Summary .............................................................................. 99 Conclusions ........................................................................... 103 Recommendations and Implications ............................................... 105 Implications for Students ................................................... 105 Implications for Ag Communications Administrators .................. 110 Recruiting and Training Students for Careers in Agri-Marketing. 115 Recommendations for Further Study .............................................. 116 Conclusion ............................................................................ 117 APPENDICES ................................................................................. 1 1 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................ 121 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Personality Types Relationship to Structural Theory .......................... 14 Table 2. Stages of Career Development Life Span ....................................... 15 Table 3. Transferable Skills Desired by Employers: Job Outlook ...................... 19 Table 4. Basic Skills, Higher-Order Thinking Skills, and Affective Skills and Traits .................................................. 21 Table 5. Rating of Concepts Necessary for Graduates of Agricultural Communications Programs ................................................. 31-32 Table 6. Research Objectives, Types of Tests, and Specific Questions ................. 48 Table 7. Importance of Different Areas of Study for Future Agri-Marketing Professionals .............................................. 55 Table 8. Layout and Design Skills Needed by Future Agri-Marketing Professionals ............................................. 59 Table 9. Photography Skills Needed by Future Ain-Marketing Professionals ...... 60 Table 10. Public Relations Skills Needed by Future Agri-Marketing Professionals ............................................. 61 Table 11. Marketing Skills Needed by Future Agri-Marketing Professionals ........ 63 Table 12. Research and Planning Skills Needed by Future Agri-Marketing Professionals ............................................. 66 Table 13. Telecommunications Skills Needed by Future Agri-Marketing Professionals ............................................. 67 Table 14. Writing Skills Needed by Future Agri-Marketing Professionals ......... 69 Table 15. Occupational Skills with Significant Differences by Industry Category Respondents ...................................................... 76 Table 16. Importance of Photo Editing Skills by Industry Category ................... 77 Table 17. Importance of Photo Composition Skills by Industry Category ............ 78 Table 18. Importance of Digital Photography Skills by Industry Category ........... 79 Table 19. Importance of Knowledge of Marketing Principles by Industry Category ............................................................ 81 Table 20. Importance of Employability Skills or Values for Agri-Marketing Professionals ................................................................. 83 Table 21. Cross-tabulation of Employability Skills by Industry Category ............ 86 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Survey Respondents by Gender ................................................ 50 Figure 2. Survey Respondents by Segment of Industry Employability ............... 50 Figure 3. Survey Respondents by Segment of Industry Involvement ................. 51 Figure 4. Employment Level of Survey Respondents ................................... 52 Figure 5. Survey Respondents by Years of Experience in Agri-Marketing ........... 52 Figure 6. Experience Needed with Desktop Publishing Programs ..................... 71 Figure 7. Experience Needed with Web Design Programs .............................. 72 Figure 8. Experience Needed with Graphic Design Programs .......................... 73 Figure 9. Experience Needed with Microsofi Office Products .......................... 73 Figure 10. Importance of Internships for Future Agri-Marketing Professionals...... 87 Figure 11. Preferred Number of Internships for Future Agri-Marketing Professionals ............................................. 88 Figure 12. Preferred Duration of an Internship ........................................... 89 Figure 13. Most Valuable Type of Internship ............................................. 90 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY The world is a tree, with agriculture as the roots. Business and economy are the branches. Kill the root and the branches wither away. - Ancient Chinese proverb The need for taking a proactive approach to informing the public about the importance of agriculture and the public’s dependence upon it has never been more crucial. However, the biggest challenge for companies wishing to hire students to help spread the agricultural message is not a shortage of applicants — but a shortage of applicants with the right skills (Vacek, 1999). Though we have fewer people who know as much about the breadth of agriculture today, we have more demands on what is needed to deal with the complex array of issues affecting agriculture. According to research conducted by the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, “more than half our young people leave school without the knowledge or foundation required to find and hold a good job’ (US. Department of Labor, 1991, p.xv). Business and industry representatives express considerable dissatisfaction with the general level of preparedness of prospective entry-level employees (Committee for Economic Development, 1998, p.viii). Discussions of the need for educational reform typically include concern about the gap between the skill requirements for entry-level employment and the skill levels of entry-level job applicants (Stasz 1993, p. 1). However, employers’ dissatisfaction with young job applicants also includes a lack of non-technical skills, as noted by Weantling (1987b). “Employers have no quarrel with the skills performance of today’s graduates, but they do have serious reservations when it comes to their non-technical abilities. (Wentling, 1987b, p.354)” Another name for these ‘non-technical abilities’ is ‘employability skills.’ Simply stated, “employability skills are the attributes of employees, other than technical competence, that make them an asset to the employer” (Buck and Barrick, 1987, p.29). As detailed in this study, employability skills include communication skills, problem solving, decision-making, dependability, a positive attitude, cooperativeness, and other skills and traits. According to Time Magazine, the United States is in a ‘buyer’s job market,” with fewer jobs being chased by more job seekers. With youth unemployment at 12 percent in June 2002, graduates have to be flexible with their futures (Rawe, 2002). Despite signs of economic recovery, many companies are still using hiring freezes to control costs, even in the agricultural communications area. As competition for jobs becomes tighter, state and land-grant colleges of agriculture must identify the skills needed to prepare students for successfirl careers in the current job market. This is especially true in the area of agricultural communications, where there is a continuous dwindling of degree programs and training for those interested in pursuing a career in agricultural communications (Pawlick, 2001). In the 1992 book Agriculture and the Undergraduate, Kunkel described changes in the structure of college undergraduate agricultural education. He declared that undergraduate professional education in agriculture can offer content, context and practice for undergraduate liberal study. Kunkel says the purpose of agricultural curriculum is to provide the needs of industry in a changing world, including flexibility, diversity, perspective and values. He further states curriculum development is a process of integration and should be based on a cooperation of industry and academic needs. Kunkel challenged colleges of agriculture to give attention to the executive potential in students and graduates and help students obtain internship experience. Following Kunkel’s challenge to land-grant institutions, McAlpine (1994) declared that curricula needs to be reviewed often to meet the demands of evolving technical information, technology, changing demographics, dwindling resources and the occupational requirements of the discipline. These calls to action provide the basis for the need for a study that determines the skills needed for careers in agricultural communications, based on industry’s perspective. Recognizing these challenges to both institutions of higher learning and industry, the National Agri-Marketing Association (N AMA) conducted a national survey in 1999 to research the agri-marketing job market from an employer’s standpoint. The survey indicated that finding and hiring new employees can involve large amounts of time and expense, and, therefore, employers must find the right candidate the first time. However, the biggest challenge for agri-marketing companies wishing to hire employees was not a shortage of applicants -- but a shortage of applicants with the right skills (V acek, 1999). The purpose of this study was to conduct a skill inventory of selected agri- marketing professionals to determine the skills needed to be a successfirl agri-marketer. What is a successful agri-marketer? For the pmpose of this study, a successful agri- marketer is defined as a professional in the agri-marketing industry who meets and exceeds employer expectations, is skilled and competent in their area of expertise, and is considered an asset to the agri-marketing field by his/her employer and/or peers. The study also looked at the importance of internship experiences in relation to fixture success in the agri-marketing field. The area of agri-marketing includes a broad spectrum of career interests, including business, economics, communications and sales. Therefore, being an agricultural sciences major is not a requirement to be a successfirl agri-marketer. Agri- marketing professionals come from a diverse academic background, including areas such as agricultural economics, agri-business and agricultural communications. This survey only looks as the skills needed fi‘orn an agricultural communications perspective. For the purposes of this study, the target population consisted of all members of the National Agri-Marketing Association (n=1700) as of April 26, 2002. Background Agricultural communications can be broadly defined as a profession that applies communication techniques and theory to decisions of companies that represent food, agriculture or natural resources. An agricultural communicator’s job responsibility requires communicating to both rural and urban audiences through a variety of media on matters of importance to food, agriculture and natural resources (Sprecker & Rudd, 1998). The discipline of agricultural communications has become an important part of spreading the agricultural message through mass media and other non-formal methods of dissemination (Terry & Bailey-Evans, 1995). Training for careers in agricultural communications began in the early 19005, with the recognition of agricultural journalism in the early twentieth century as an Extension function to help spread the agricultural message (Duley, Jensen & O'Brien, 1984). Since then, agricultural communications programs have evolved to include areas of journalism, marketing advertising and public relations. Doerfert and Cepica (1990) reported there were more than 30 academic programs for agricultural communications or agricultural journalism in the United States, many of these housed in colleges of agriculture within agricultural education departments. According to Terry and Bailey-Evans (1995), agricultural communications programs have been designed to fulfill two primary needs of graduates: 1) provide a strong basis of both technical agriculture and sources for agricultural information, and, 2) introduce methods of journalistic writing and other communications skills. Evans and Bolick (1982) stated agricultural communications graduates are taught to disseminate agricultural information to agricultural and non-agricultural audiences through various media. In summary, the goal of academic curricula in agricultural communications programs is intended to help graduates qualify for a wide range of job opportunities available in the career field (Evans & Bolick, 1982). Who then, should identify the skills needed by agricultural communications graduates to qualify for the wide range of jobs available? Paulson and Metzger (1990) stated if academic curriculum is to meet the needs of the industry, agricultural communications programs must continually survey professionals to determine the needs and skills required for a career in agricultural communications. The National Association of Colleges and Employers conducts a yearly Job Outlook study to determine job availability for recent graduates and identify core skills needed to be competitive in the job market. However, the Job Outlook study looks at the general job outlook for all college graduates, and does not break down job skills into specific areas of study such as agriculture, marketing or communications. The Job Outlook 2002 study found that the top qualities or skills employers seek were transferable skills that could be applied to all discipline, such as communication skills, honesty, integrity, teamwork, interpersonal skills, motivation, work ethic, and others (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2002). Since 1905, when the first curriculum in agricultural communications was established, there has been little formal assessment conducted in order to determine the skills needed for graduates of agricultural communications programs based upon the opinions of professionals in the industry (Bailey-Evans, 1994). In 1995, Terry and Bailey-Evans conducted the first national study to determine the competencies needed for graduates of agricultural communications using input from leaders in agricultural communications, administrators of academic programs, graduates of academic programs and students studying agricultural communications. One objective of this study was to determine different discipline areas students should pursue to prepare them for careers in agricultural communications. Terry and Bailey-Evans (1995) found business, which included agri-marketing, to be an important area of knowledge for agricultural communicatiom graduates. This area included skills such as marketing principles, product promotion, buyer behavior, distribution systems and retail systems. They suggested further research be conducted to determine the depth at which the disciplines and concepts identified in this research should be studied. Therefore, a need exists for further research on specific areas of agricultural communications such as agri-marketing, agricultural journalism and others career options. Statement of the Problem The MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources preserves a historical mandate of providing quality undergraduate programs which prepare students for challenging and rewarding careers in the fields related to agriculture (Heinze, 1989). Graduates of agricultural communications programs face several potential career tracks, and should be equipped with the skills necessary to successfully compete for jobs in the area of their choice. By determining the skills necessary fi'om an employers or industry standpoint, institutions of higher learning can tailor their academic programs to best prepare students for the challenging job market. There has been little formal studies conducted to determine the skills needed for undergraduates to best prepare themselves for a successful career in agricultural communications, and no formal studies conducted to explore the skills needed for specific disciplines of agricultural communications, such as agri-marketing. Need for the Study The need for this study stems from the absence of studies evaluating specific job skills needed for a career in agri-marketing. There is precedence for skill inventory studies, as shown by the annual Job Outlook study and Terry and Bailey-Evans (1995) agricultural communications skill inventory. A survey of professional agri-marketers will provide feedback to CAN R and the AN RECS department regarding the skills employers seek in hiring future agri-marketers. The ANRECS academic department can use the findings from this study as a valuable tool to determine if undergraduate students are receiving proper training to be competitive for jobs in agri-marketing. This study also gives the CANR and ANRECS information to train students in areas to ensure they will be able to successfully compete for jobs in today’s sluggish economy. These factors, combined iwith the current downsizing and merging of agricultural communications programs at MSU and other land-grant universities, nuke this study both timely and important to our discipline. Kunkel’s (1992) and Paulson and Metzgar’s (1990) call to action to include industry in our curriculum reviews, combined with the current downsizing and merging of agricultural communications programs at MSU and other kind-grant universities, make this study both timely and important to our discipline. Purpose and Objectives The primary purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding of the occupmional skills, employability skills and internship experience an entry-level agri- marketing professional should possess. A secondary objective was to understand why an individual would choose to seek a career in the agri-marketing profession. To achieve these purposes the following four objectives guided the study: 1. Determine the occupational skills needed by agri-marketing professionals; 2. Identify the employability skills needed by agri-marketing professionals; 3. Assess the level of prior internship experience need by future agri-marketing professionals; and 4. Gain a greater understanding of why current professionals chose a career in agri- marketing. These objectives will help determine the skills needed for a successful career in agri-marketing. Findings will be useful to both students and faculty in land-grant institutions with an agricultural communications program. Operational Definition of Terms The researcher, for purposes of this study, defines the following terms within the context of the study. Agglmarketmg' : A specialization area of agricultural communications that includes advertising, marketing communications, public relations, product management or sales related to the agri-business industry. Employability skills: Employability skills are not job specific, but are skills which cut horizontally across all industries and vertically across all jobs from entry level to chief executive officer. (Sherer and Eadie 1987, p. 16) Examples of these skills include ethics, motivation, leadership ability, interpersonal skills, and so on. Some employability skills may somewhat overlap occupational skills. The researcher notes that the terms ‘employability skills’ and ‘occupational skills’ are not mutually exclusive. Future agg-marketmg' professionals: Students enrolled in agricultural communications pro grams that have an interest in pursuing a career in agri- marketing. Internships: Employment experiences for students arranged and monitored by an academic department at MSU, most likely the AN RECS department for agricultural communications majors. Occupational skills: Skills that are specific to a certain discipline. For example, knowledge of marketing principles is an occupatiorml skill related to agri- marketing. In some cases, occupational skills may overlap with employability skills. For example, work experiences (such as internships) are considered an employability skill, but a specific internship, such as working at a magazine, may be considered an occupational skill of the communications field. Abbreviations ANRECS Department of Agriculture and Natural Resom'ces Education and Communication Systems CANR College of Agriculture and Natural Resources MSU Michigan State University NAMA National Agri—Marketing Association Assumptions 1.All respondents will understand the questionnaire directions and truthfully answer the questions. 2.Membcrs of the National Agri-Marketing Association will fill out the questionnaire. 3.The respondents will express their opinions and attitudes truthfully and without restraint. IO Limitations The population of this study is limited to members of the National Agri- Marketing Association as of April 26, 2002. The relatively low response rate is another limitation of this study. Additionally, this study only looked at internships as one way for students to gain work experience. The survey did not include questions on other ways to gain valuable work experience, such as mentoring, shadowing, co-op work, part-time jobs, student worker positions, etc. Finally, the questions in this survey were composed fi'om an agricultural communications perspective. The researcher acknowledges that many other academic degree programs, such as agricultural economics and agri-business management, offer training and skills for a career in agri-marketing. ll CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW The purpose of this literature review was to provide insight into the employability skills and specialized skills needed for a successful career in agri—marketing and the importance of internship experiences Studies cited in this review of literature are drawn fiom documents pertaining to the topics of career development theory, the role of agricultural communications, employability skills, occupational skills, and internship ermeriences. These research documents, including studies, reviews and evaluations, address questions such as: What skills and traits to employers value most in prospective entry-level employees? Why have employability skills become so important in contemporary workplaces? What educational practices has research shown to be effective in imparting enrployability skills and traits to students? How important are internships? What is the role of agricultural communications training at the university level? Other referenced documents are related writings, mostly opinion pieces, curriculum guides, program descriptions, and guidelines for program development - which complement the findings in this study. The majority of research conducted on employer-preferred skills focuses on the perspectives of business/ industry representatives, usually CEOs or personnel officers. Instructors and students in both secondary and post-secondary institutions were the subjects of research on effective practices relating to employability skills. 12 Career Development Tmory In general, there are two types of career development theory: 1) structural theory, which focus on individual characteristics, occupational tasks, and 2) developmental theory, which focus on human development across life span Theories of career behavior and career practice have given insight into the cognitive and emotional aspects of individual career development, including how such behaviors can be learned, changed and re-learned (Savickas and Walsh, 1996). Structural Theory Structural career development began with Parsons (1909), who believed that an individual’s career choice depended on: 1) an accurate knowledge of yourself; 2) thorough knowledge of job specifications; and 3) the ability to make the proper match between the two. Parsons stated "In the wise choice of a vocation there are three broad factors: (1) a clear understanding of yourself, your aptitudes, abilities, interests, ambitions, resources, and limitations; (2) a thorough knowledge of the requirements and conditions of success, advantages and disadvantages, conrpensation, opporttmities, and prospects in difi'erent lines of work; and (3) true reasoning on the relations of these two groups of acts" (Parsons, 1909/1989, p.5). John Holland, a supporter of structural theory, stated "people can function and develop best and find job satisfaction in work environments that are compatible with their personalities" (Holland, 1990). Holland based his theory of personality types on two 13 assumptions, 1) people tend to choose a career that is reflective of their personality and 2) because people tend to be attracted to certain jobs, the environment then reflects this personality (Table 1). Table 1. Personality Type ’s Relationship to Structural Theory (Holland, 1 990). Personality Type Activities Occupations Realistic Working with things (tools) Farmer, Carpenter, Engineer Investigative Working with information Chemist Artistic Creating things Painter, Writer Social Helping people Social worker, counselor Enterprising Leading others Sales representative, entrepreneur Conventional Organizing data Night auditor, secretary Developmengrl Theory Developmental theorists state that people recognize changes as they mature, and that career patterns are determined by socioeconomic factors, mental abilities, physical abilities, personal characteristics and the opportunities to which a person is exposed. Super and Bachrach (1957) states that people seek career satisfaction through work roles in which they can express themselves, implement and develop their self-concepts. Career maturity, a main concept in Super's theory, is shown in the successful accomplishment of 14 age and stage developmental tasks across the life span (Table 2) (Super & Bachrach, 1957) Table 2. Stages of Career Developmental Life Span (Super and Bachrach, I 95 7 ) Stage Age Characteristics Growth Birth - 14 of 15 Form self—concept, develop capacity, attitudes, interests,and needs, and form a general understanding of the world of work. Exploratory 15-24 "Try out" through classes, work experience, hobbies. Collect relevant information. Tentative choice and related skill development. Establishment 25-44 Entry skill building and stabilization through work experience Maintenance 45-64 Continual adjustment process to improve position. Decline 65+ Reduced output, prepare for retirement. Super’s theory also identifies six factors in vocational maturity: 1) awareness of the need to plan ahead, 2) decision-making skills, 3) knowledge and use of information resources, 4) general career information, 15 5) general world of work information, and 6) detailed information about occupations of preference. Role and History of Agricultural Communications The need for taking a proactive approach to informing the public about the importance of agriculture and the public’s dependence upon it has never been more crucial. There is a great need for individuals who are knowledgeable of the field of agriculture and possess the abilities and skills needed to communicate information about agriculture to others. (Terry, Lockaby, & Bailey-Evans, 1995) The first agricultural communications programs were developed primarily to help disseminate information discovered and created at the experiment stations of land grant universities, with the first Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural journalism offered at Iowa State College in 1920. (Duley, Jensen & O’Brien, 1984). By 1928, there were seven colleges offering courses in agricultural journalism. According to Duley, Jensen & O’Brien (1984), the next era of significant growth for agricultural journalism programs was in the 19605, when an evolution took place in the terminology used to describe these programs. Most programs became identified as “agricultural communication(s)” rather than “agricultural journalism.” As of 1991, there were more than 30 such programs at colleges and universities across the nation (Doerfert & Cepica, 1991). Today, agricultural communications programs have a much broader mission than to simply train and prepare agricultural journalists for writing in agricultural magazines and newspapers. As described by Pawlick (2001), in his book The Invisible Fm there is l6 a nationwide decrease in the training of agricultural journalists and farm broadcasts. He states that of the 510 university schools of journalism listed in the Membership directory of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, only seven had any courses in agricultural journalism. However, agricultural communications courses and programs were offered by a number of universities with substantial agricultural science faculties. In 1990, Reisner found 16 US. institutions offering such courses. Employability / Transferable Skills Review of literature relating to employability or transferable skills provided a greater understanding of what general skills employers are looking for in employees. This research helps evaluate the importance of certain skills important to all job applicants and will also allow the researchers to relate the importance of these skills to those interested in a career in agricultural communications. Summarizing the research of several employability skills provides a brief overview of job skills sought be current employers. l. Employers want entgy-level employees to possess an array of basic. higher- order and affective employability skills. (Baxter & Young 1982; Beach 1982; Buchanan 1990; Buck & Barrick 1987; Busse 1992; Camevale, Gainer, &Meltzer 1988; Commission on Skills 1990; Committee for Economic Development 1985; Gregson & Bettis 1991; Harris & Sweet 1991; Herr & Johnson 1989; Junge, Daniels, & Karmos 1984; Kantner 1985; Lankard 1990; Lundy 1984; Nagle 1987; Neal 1983; Packer 1992; Painter 1985; Poole 1985, 1989; Rosove I982; SCANS 1991, 1992, 1993, ad; Sherer & Eadie 1987; I7 2. Stasz 1990, 1993; Stemmer & Smith 1992; Stevenson & Bowers 1986; Stone, et a]. 1990; Van Shelhamer & Bishop 1984; Wentling 1987; Young 1986). Employers value these generic employability skills above §pecific occupational skills. (Baxter & Young 1982; Beach 1982; Busse 1992; Camevale, Gainer, & Meltzer 1988; Commission on Skills 1990; Committee for Economic Development 1985; Greathouse 1986; Junge, Daniels, & Karmos 1984; Kantner 1985; Lankard 1990; Natriello 1989; Neal 1983; SCANS 1991, 1992, 1993, n.d.; Young 1986). Employers find far too many eng-level job applicants deficient in employability skilliand wan_t public schools to p1_ace more emphasis on developmg' these skills. (Baxter & Young 1982; Beach 1982; Byme, Constant, & Moore 1992; Charner 1988; Commission on Skills 1990; Committee for Economic Development 1985; Gregson 1992; Gregson & Bettis 1991; Packer 1992; Painter 1985; Poole 1985; Sherer & Eadie 1987; Wentling 1987). The demand for basic, m-omer, and affective employabilg' skills reflects gofoundphanges in the American workplace. (Bailey 1990; Berryman 1988, 1989; Busse 1992; Committee for Economic Development 1985; Lankard 1990; Packer 1992; SCANS 1991) 18 5. Failure to ui 0 1e with e lo abilit skills has far-reac ' consequences. (Bhaerman & Spill 1988; Byrne, Constant, & Moore 1992; Commission on Skills 1990; Kazix & Barton 1993; Rosove 1982; Wenting 1987). So, wlmt are these ‘critical’ employability skills identified by this research? This question is a constant debate amongst researchers and literature. One researcher identified 76 different skills in nine categories (Poole, 1985); another research group named 36 skills and traits in eight categories (SCANS, 1991); and so on. In 1999, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reported the findings from their Job Outlook ’99 survey, which stated the seven most desired skills. Respondents rated the skills on a scale of 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important) as found in Table 3. Table 3. Transferable Skills Desired by Employers Skill Scale Mean Interpersonal Skills 4.66 Teamwork 4.59 Verbal Communication 4.48 Analytical Skills 4.30 Computer Skills 4.15 Written Communication 4.10 Leadership 4.00 Note. From Job Outlook, 1999 19 Additionally, they reported the top ten personal characteristics employers seek in job candidates as: communication skills, work experiences, motivation/initiative, teamwork skills, leadership abilities, GPA/academic credentials, technical skills, interpersonal skills, analytical skills and ethics (Job Outlook ’99). After thorough comparison of employability attributes listed by different researchers, the following table was developed to reflect the skills that were cited most frequently. In general, the skills cited fit into three categories: basic skills; higher-order thinking skills; and affective skills and traits, as shown in Table 4. The skills and traits shown below are arranged in descending order according to the fi'equency with which each was cited in the research within each category. 20 Table 4. Basic skills; higher-order thinking skills; and infective skills and traits Skill Examples Basic Skills Oral communications (speaking, listening) Reading (understanding and following instructions) Basic arithmetic Writing Higher-Order Thinking Skills Problem solving Learning skills, strategies Creative, innovative thinking Decision making Affective Skills and Traits Dependability / Responsibility Positive attitude toward work Conscientiousness, punctuality, efficiency Interpersonal skills, cooperating, working as a team Self-confidence, positive self image Adaptability, flexibility Enthusiasm, motivation Appropriate dress, grooming As shown in the Table 4, skills such as reading, writing and mathematics are critical employability skills. However, respondents who cited mathematics and/or oral and written communication skills as key employability skills, often used qualifiers, e.g., 21 simple arithmetic, basic reading, brief memo writing. These basic cognitive skills were combined with other values, such as ‘dependability,’ ‘responsibility’ and ‘positive attitude toward work.” These findings apply to employers in all segments of the job industry and reflect the views of workers holding different management positions within the companies surveyed. Skills such as a high literacy level, responsibility, communication and a commitment to continued learning are considered more important than specific occupational skills (Committee for Economic Development, 1985, p. 17). Along the same lines, Natriello (1989) summarized 14 studies on the needs expressed by employers for entry-level job qualifications. His summary suggests that employers place the greatest importance on employee attitudes, basic skills, and an understanding of the work environment (Natriello, 1989, p. 1). Young (1986, p.246) stated that specialized were actually de-emphasized when compared to the importance of social skills, a positive attitude and good communication skills. Though research shows employers value many transferable skills higher than job- specific technical skills, many entry-level job applicants lack these skills. This lack of skills often contributes to a lack of possible job ofiem or employment opportunities. Charner (1988) identified reasons for not hiring young people for entry-level jobs, including: 0 Low grades and low levels of academic accomplishments 0 Poor attitudes, lack of self-confidence 0 Lack of goals, poorly motivated 0 Lack of enthusiasm, lack of drive, little evidence of leadership potential 22 0 Lack of preparation for the interview 0 Excessive interest in security and benefits, unrealistic salary demands and expectations 0 Inadequate preparation for type of work, inappropriate background 0 Lack of extracurricular activities 0 Inadequate basic skills (reading, writing, math) (p. 30). Similarly, the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce reported that even though businesses everywhere complain about a lack of “job skills,” more than 80 percent of employers were more concerned about finding a candidate with a good attitude, pleasant appearance and good personality. One can easily see that enrployability skills are not merely attributes that employers desire in prospective employees; rather, many employers now require applicants to have these skills in order to be seriously considered for employment. What happens if employers hire applicants and then find them to lack these skills? Gregson and Bettis (1991) suggest that many employers are likely to promote someone with a good work ethic and a positive attitude, compared to someone who is deficient in those areas (Gregson and Bettis, 1991, p.2) Herr and Johnson (1989), after presenting a typical list of general employability or “work context” skills, note that, “Studies show that these are at the heart of work adjustment, job satisfaction, and work satisfaction; low levels are the core reasons that workers are discharged” (1989, p. 17). Moreover, Beach (1982) cites research indicating that fully 87 percent of persons losing their jobs or failing to be promoted were found to 23 have “improper work habits and attitudes rather than insufficient job skills or knowledge” (1982, p. 69). Employers expect to train new employees in company-specific procedures and to acquaint them with the behavioral norms, standards and expectations of their workplace. They ofien provide training in job-specific technical skills as well. But they are firm in their conviction that schools should take most of the responsibility for equipping young people with general employability skills. Following their review of over 100 studies undertaken to identify the characteristics and skills desired by contemporary employers, Sherer and Eadie (1987) conclude, “It is very important...that the schools provide the basic employability skills so tint all students and adults are equipped to handle the complexities of their jobs throughout their lives” (1987, p. 16). Focusing on a specific vocational area, Lundy’s (1984) encourage educators to remember the need for preparing students with good work habits. He says students should be taught things such as honesty, punctuality, regular attendance, productivity and conscientiousness. (p. 23) Be that as it may, many researchers have found “employers do not think that the schools are doing a good job of developing these much-needed abilities” (Committee for Economic Development 1985, p. 17). Changes in technology have revolutionized the workplace and its skill requirements. For one thing, many kinds of routine, repetitive work has been eliminated (Lankard, 1990). For another, today’s workers must be able to perform increasingly more sophisticated operations, such as operating computers and analyzing data (Bailey 1990; Berryman 1988, 1989; Busse 1992). 24 Recent changes in the US. job market have caused a growing awareness in the lack of qualified job applicants. A publication by the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce shows the nations failure to provide young people with a solid foundation for employability: We must remember that employment and employability are not the same thing. Being employed means having a job. For a youth or adult who is not adequately prepared, having a job is likely to be a temporary condition. Being employable means possessing qualities needed to maintain employment and progress in the workplace (Bhaerman & Spill 1988, pp. 42-43). For most of our young people, the United States has a more or less do-it- yourself system for making the transition from school to work....what they learned in school is not adequately related to what they need to know to succeed after leaving school (Byrne, Constant, & Moore 1992, p. 23). Some writers have gone on to argue that providing young people with qualifications for employability is, among other things, an ethical responsibility. “This is not just an economic issue,” write Bhaerrmn and Spill (1988); “it is one of equity and fairness.” They consider it a moral obligation to provide the most complete education and training possible for students. (pp. 43-44). 25 In like fashion, Rosove (1982) writes that work is the central importance to society’s well being, since many people take a large part of their identification and self- concept from their occupation. (p. 114). Employability / Transferable Skills in Agri-Marketing In 1999, the National Agri-Marketing Association interviewed key agency executives to determine the number-one skill they seek in prospective employees. The Morgan & Myers agri-marketing agency cited knowledge of how to change opinions and behavior as the number one quality they look for in prospective employees. Similarly, Steve Rhea, president of Dwyer, Rhea and Kaiser, stated it is important for future agri- marketers to understand integrated communications and new media. He firrther stated a need for skills in business, computers and multi-tasking. Executives hour the Terra agency look for people with a strong personality who can work well with others, and people who are self-motivated (V acek, 1999). Allen (1992) states improving communications skills of undergraduates in all areas is a very high priority of many employers. He explains that improving communications skills comes from repetition and should be built into undergraduate training, through course work, essay tests, computer skills, oral presentations, organizational activities and student classroom discussions. Allen also states that any undergraduate today who is not at least semi- comfortable with a computer at the time of graduation will probably be at an immediate disadvantage (Allen, 1992, p. 191). This literature is compatible to Sprecker and Rudd’s 26 (1997) findings that more emphasis is being placed on electronic medial Internet to the future of communications in general. Strong communication skills were mentioned most frequently in a focus group conducted by Scanlon, Bruening & Cordero (1996) as the main skill looked at by employers when hiring new employees. This includes the ability to choose the right style and adapt to communicate, both oral and written. Typical responses from their focus groups included: “Certainly the ability to communicate these days is probably the premier thing you are looking for.” “I think writing has to be up there at the top of the list. If you can’t write and communicate and do it in a brief format you’re not going to get anywhere. I think writing would be the top thing, at least the top thing I’d look at.” Additionally, Scanlon, Bruening & Cordero (1996) found team work, leadership and problem solving skills to be interpersonal skills sought in a potential employee. Selected comments related to these skills included: “. ..if they can’t communicate and work in teams they are not going to make it in the business world or customer service industry and it doesn’t matter how intelligent you are.” “I would tend to see it in terms of leadership that is something certainly we want in people that we hire in the association.” 27 “I think that it is real critical to our business setting people to know how to solve problems.” Competencies needed by an agricultural communications graduate have changed with technology and job requirements, indicating a need to examine the curriculum to make it applicable to students and their firture employers (Sprecker & Rudd, 1997). In 1999, the National Agri-Marketing Association conducted a national survey to assess the job nnrket, and found many employment opportunities for those wishing to become an agri-marketer. At that time, 70 percent of agri-marketing agencies had positions open for one or more marketers (Vacek, 1999). Certainly, thejob market has changed in the past 3 years, however the fundamental skills needed remain similar. Tom Waldinger, president of Waldinger/Birch agency, stated that hiring agri- marketers “is tough because there is a shortage of people with the right skills, not a shortage of applicants.” His statement followed the results of the 1999 NAMA study, in which the supply of high-quality job applicants was the single biggest obstacle in the hiring process. Sm'vey respondents from corporations also noted that middle management and senior management positions were the most difficult to find. Agencies noted senior- level account team members and creative writers are more difficult to find (V acek, 1999). Sprecker and Rudd (1997) found that students should be trained primarily as communicators, not agriculturalists, and need rigorous training in communications. Reisner (1990) noted that the model agricultural communications graduate should also possess excellent writing skills. Desktop publishing skills were another important 28 agricultural communications skill identified by Sprecker and Rudd (1997). They report most practitioners and alumni agree that desktop publishing skills are much more important to their work than electronic media/Internet skills. They acknowledge a need for electronic media skills, however in 1997, the need was not great enough to cause agricultural communicators to value it above other tools. In 1995, Terry and Bailey—Evans conducted a national Delphi study of agricultural communications professionals fi'om members of the Agriculttu'al Communicators of Tomorrow, Agricultural Communicators in Education, Agricultural Relations Council, American Agricultural Editors' Association, Cooperative Communicators Association, Livestock Publications Council and National Association of Farm Broadcasters to determine the competencies needed by agricultural communications graduates. Their survey also served as a conceptual fi'amework for this research. In the Terry and Bailey-Evans study, desktop publishing and grammar were the top two most important areas of competency. Additionally, a 95 percent agreement level was reached on the importance of seven additional skills needed for agricultural communications graduates: writing (98.6 percent), reporting (98.7 percent), editing (97.4 percent), oral communications (97.4 percent), speech writing (97.3 percent), public relations campaign planning (96.0 percent), and history of American agriculture (96.0 percent). Their research identified other disciplines with the important concepts for agricultural communications majors including computer applications, agricultural economics, journalism, advertising, photography, international relations and 29 telecommunications. In total, 83 concepts were identified as important for agricultural communications graduates to know about (Terry & Baily-Evans, 1995) (Table 5). 30 Table 5. Rating of Concepts Necessary for Graduates of A gricultural Communications Programs (Terry and Bailey-Evans, 1995) Concept %' English Grammar 100.0 Creative Writing 88.2 Technical Writing 94.7 Literature 64.4 " Govemment/Political Science Government Policy 94.7 Legislation 84.2 Political Analysis 82.9 Local Government 63.2 b Fiscal Administration 53.9 b Political Parties 52.6 b History American Agriculture 96.0 American History 92.1 World History 71.0 State History 60.5 b Western Civilization 57.9 ” International Relations Trade Relations 80.2 Cultural Differences 79.0 Communication Systems 76.3 Economics 75.0 Political Restraints 75.0 Mathematics Statistics 85.5 Algebra 71.0 Geometry 51.4 b Lagonometty 28.9 b Biological Sciences Botany 80.2 Zoology 76.3 Biochemistry 71.0 Physical Sciences Geography 85.6 Chemistry 72.4 Atmospheric Sciences 68.4 b Geology 54.2 " Physics 43.5 b Psychology Individual Behavior 77.6 Personafity Structures 57.9 b 31 Concept %' Sociology Group Behavior 73.7 Social Institutions 67.1 " Social Interactions 67.1 ” Cultural Development 64.5 b Business General Concepts and 71.0 Principles Ethics 68.5 b Administration 61.8 " Accounting 60.5 ” Roles and Functions 57.9 b Marketing Marketing Principles 80.2 Product Promotion 75.0 Buyer Behavior 72.4 Distribution Systems 65.7 b Retail Systems 64.5 b Advertising Creative Strategies 94.8 Media Planning 92.1 Campaign Planning 89.5 Graphic Design 88.1 Budget'mg 85.5 Journalism News Writing 98.6 Reporting 98.7 Editing 97.4 Ethics in Journalism 93.5 Design and Layout 92.1 Dissemination Systems 88.2 Photography Composition 92.1 Camera Functions 85.6 Ethics in Photography 73.7 Printing 72.4 Developing 69.7 ” Public Relations Campaign Planning 96.0 Problem Solving 93.4 Personnel Management 84.2 Public Administration 67.1 b Table 5 (continued) Rating of Concepts Necessary for Graduates of A gricultural Communications Programs (Terry and Bailey-Evans, I 995) Concept %'I Public Speaking Oral Communications 97.4 Speech Writing 97.3 Nonverbal Communications 79.0 Telecommunications Script Writing 93.4 Broadcasting 92.1 Video Production 89.5 Radio Production 88.1 Television Production 86.8 Agricultural Communications Communicating Agriculture 93.4 to Public (Domestic) Agricultural Publications 90.8 Communicating Agriculture 89.4 to Public (International) History and Principles 84.3 Agricultural Economics Marketing 92.1 Agricultural Policy 90.8 Macro Economics 80.3 Agricultural Finance 77.6 Agribusiness Management 76.3 Micro Economics 73.7 Farm and Ranch 65.8 " Mamgement Agricultural Leadership Ethics 81.6 Interpersonal Relations 80.3 Organizational Dynamics 77.6 Personal Development 75.0 Multicultural Relations 69.8 b Styles and Theories 67.1 " 32 Concept %‘l Agronomy Crop Production and 80.3 Management Soil Science 63.2 b Breeding/Genetics 63.1 " Plant Physiopgy 63.1 ” Animal Science Livestock Production and 82.8 Management Reproduction/Genetics 64.5 b Livestock Selection 61.8b Applied Nutrition 60.6” Anatomy/Physiology; 59.2 b Environmental Sciences Conservation 85.5 Ecology 82.9 Range Management 60.6 b Wildlife Managgment 606" Food Science/Technology Food Safety 77.6 Processing 59.2 b Food Analysis 48.7 b Computer Applications Desktop Publishing 100.0 Word Processing 98.6 Presentation Graphics 92.1 Graphic Design 89.5 Electronic 88.2 Communications/Networking Database Management 82.8 Spreadsheet Development 73.7 Internship Experience Application of Agricultural 92.1 Communications Concepts Personal/Interpersonal Skills 90.8 Development Problem Solving 85.5 Enrployee Responsibilities 84.2 % = percentage of respondents who marked “strongly agree” or “agree” for each item. b from list of recommendations. Items with less than 70% were excluded Terry, Lockaby and Bailey-Evans (n.d.) developed a model to display the disciplines, competencies and objectives for core curriculum areas important to agricultural communications students. Their model served as a conceptual framework for the research project and is available in the Appendix. University College of Agriculture Training The conceptual framework for this study was based on challenges set forth by the 1992 book Agriculture and the Undergraduate, the proceedings fi'om the National Research Council’s Board on Agriculture conference. In this book, the Board on Agriculture and its steering committee discuss challenges facing undergraduate professional education in today’s universities. Currently, universities are being challenged to improve undergraduate education to achieve more balance between research and teaching, to globalize student learning, to create a more diverse student population, to re-examine fundamental values and to affirm that education is their primary mission (National Academy Press, 1992). Two clmllenges associated with providing excellent undergraduate training are the continued downsizing of agricultural programs, combined with the changing demographics of the undergraduate agricultural major. In the late 19803, Manderschied (1988) reported a 24 percent decline in land grant university agricultural enrollments and a 13 percent decline in non-land grant university agricultural programs from 1978 to 1988. There were also cutbacks in faculty positions at the university, as shown by a 22 percent decrease in faculty enrollment of the American Association of Agricultural Education fiom 1984 to 1995 (Dyer, Breja & Andreasen, 1999). Despite the cutbacks in programs, undergraduate enrollments began to rebound in the 19908. Litzenberg, 33 Whatley and Scamardo (1992) reported that, with the exception of the North Central Region, agricultural enrollments had recovered to the early 1980 levels. Dyer, Breja and Andreasen (1999) describe a change in the typical agricultural major at Iowa State University and suggest changes in how universities train their agricultural majors. With an increasing number of fieshmen coming fi'om urban backgrounds and/or situations in which they have gained no knowledge of or experience in agriculture, new problems and opportunities have emerged. Colleges of Agriculture must provide information, not only in agriculture but about agriculture (Dyer, Breja & Andreasen, 1999). Because of this change in the face of agricultural undergraduate majors, many future agri-marketing professionals may lack first hand experience in agriculture. Farm backgrounds and degrees tied to agriculture are very important to corporate agri- marketers. However, agri-marketing agencies do not place such a high importance on farm experiences, and cite experience and marketing training as more important than a farm background or an undergraduate degree tied to agriculture (V acek, 1999). Though we have fewer people, faculty and students who know as much about the breadth of agriculture today, we have more demands on what is needed to deal with the complex array of issues affecting agriculture (Allen, 1992). What then, is the role of the university in providing training for future agri- marketing professionals? The 1999 NAMA Job Market survey states that universities are well networked with alumni and are a common place for hiring companies to find possible job applicants. This survey also found that universities are able to provide 34 training in international agriculture, and that helps create entry-level candidates with international experience (Vacek, 1999). According to Kunkel (1992), there is a need to ‘rethink’ the purpose of professional education in agriculture: “Undergraduate professional education in agriculture can offer content, context, and practice for undergraduate liberal study. It may function best by laying a foundation for understanding professional life. It may also be a model for higher education in its specified expectations of students and curriculum, its interest in improved teaching and advising, its efforts to construct an intellectual content for learning and for the application of theory and methodology, and its integration of undergraduates into a professional and disciplinary environment” (Kunkel, 1992, 3—4). Similarly, Brandt (1992) states universities should avoid training students for only one purpose or one use. He says we should educate young scholars to be able to grow and adapt in order to be able to change jobs and change careers if they should choose. This research is also aligned with the proposed agenda for undergraduate professional education in agriculture by Hasselmo (1992): 0 Make undergraduate professional education more interdisciplinary. 0 Make agricultural sciences degrees more environmental. - Make undergraduate education benefit more fi‘om the research and public service environments of land-grant universities. 0 Make undergraduate education more customer friendly, economical and effective. (p. 30) 35 These recommendations are similar to Coorts’ research (1987, pp. 20-21), in which he states the major considerations 3 curriculum must satisfy to meet the expanded agricultural skills and knowledge needs of today’s graduates: 0 Continuous computer literacy for students and faculty; 0 Improvements of students’ oral and written communication skills; 0 Curricula adjustment for non-agricultural experienced students; 0 Diversity of international agriculture and other cultures; 0 Less technically Specialized curricula in order to produce graduates broadly trained to met the job market. Teaching Employability Skills at the College Level In general, research related to teaching employability skills does focuses on identifying the practices used in successful programs. By identifying effective practices (and, inefl'ective ones), researchers are able to make research-based recommendations to program developers, supervisors and teachers about elements to include in (or delete fiom) instructional designs. Effective teaching research is both observational and experimental. In observational research, researchers identify teachers whose students exhibit high levels of employability skills and teachers whose students are less equipped with these skills. Then they conduct observations in those teachers’ classes, noting differences in instructional content, teaching approach, classroom design, etc. In experimental research, a control group of students receives no employability skill instruction, an experimental group hears a series of lectures on employability skills, and another experimental group iS exposed to 36 enrployability skills via an interactive, experimental approach. Researchers then compare the acquisition of employability skills by students in the three groups (as determined by rating instrument, teacher judgment, workplace supervisor, or other means.) Research, however, Shows that these employability skills and traits are very amenable to being taught. (Buck & Barrick 1987; Camevale, Gainer, & Meltzer 1988; Foster, Engels, & Wilson 1986; Greathouse 1986; Gregson 1992; Gregson & Bettis 1991; Gregson & Trawinski 1991; Herr & Johnson 1989; Meyer & Newman 1988; Stasz, et al. 1990, 1993; Stone, et a1. 1990). Researchers have found that employability skills are most likely to be taught and learned when they are explicitly stated along with other program goals. This keeps instructors focused on activities to build these skills and places employability skill development on the same level as academic and technical skills. Gregson and Bettis (1991) found successful instructors, “attempted to teach work values and attitudes in a context similar to what students would experience in the world of work” (p. 19). Junge, Daniels, and Karmos (1984) make a similar point regarding the acquisition of work-applicable basic skills. They consider learning to be more than just acquiring skills and demonstrating mastery of facts. They encourage teachers to engage students in active participants in the classroom in order to prepare them to become active participants in the workplace (p. 145). A key feature of classes that successfillly teach employability skills is that instructors hold and communicate high expectations for the learning and behavior of their students-whether or not the overall culture of the school holds high expectations for them (Lankard 1990; Stasz, et al. 1990, 1993). General educational research shows that 37 communicating high expectations for students’ learning are critical features of efl‘ective schooling (Cotton 1989). Teachers who communicate high expectations for their students generally find students to be quite responsive. If teachers create a workplace-like learning environment, they communicate employer-like expectations for basic skill application, punctuality, dependability, thoroughness, decision-making capability, cooperation and so on. Students have opportunities to practice and perfect these skills and traits. This enhances the desirable employability qualities of skill-related self—confidence and general self-esteem. This pattern has been found consistemly in high-expectation vocational classrooms, even within schools which, as a whole, do not hold high expectations for vocational students. Conversely, teachers who do not hold high expectations for their students can foster the learning of generic skills and attitudes (Stasz, et al., 1993 p. xxii). In classes that effectively teach employability skills, instructors assume the role of facilitators and coaches rather than lecturers and order givers, requiring students to take much of the responsibility for their own learning (Graham, Vitale, & Schenk 1991; Gregson 1992; Nagle 1987; Spill & Tracy 1982; Stasz, et a1. 1990, 1993). With the instructor firnctioning as a guide and “expert practitioner,” the student engages in group problem solving and decision making with others on his or her team while working on a group project, generating hypotheses, testing ideas, and deriving generalizations (Gregson 1992). Internships lntemships often provide a planned transition from the classroom to the job, and internships are the natural bridge between college and the work world (Farinelli & Mann, 38 l 994). Through internships, students should solidify and expand on the knowledge and skills learned in course work (Sprecker and Rudd, 1997). Why Should a student participate in an internship? Students, employers and universities all benefit from the internship experience. Completing an internship is an excellent way for students and others to learn about an occupation and to make valuable contacts (US. Department of Labor, 2002). According to Heller (1997), internships provide many opportunities for the student, such as: Better understanding of the similarities and differences in how classroom concepts relate to practical application. Improved knowledge of industry as it relates to career paths. Crystallization of personnel interests and career ambitions. Reduced shock when entering the workplace after graduation. Possibility of faster advancement than non-intems. From an employer’s standpoint, internships allow a company to evaluate a prospective employee nearly risk-free (Coco, 2000). For this reason, it is common for companies to hire their most competent interns for full-time positions after graduation. Maynard (1997) reported the following benefits to companies who utilize interns: Inexpensive sources of competent assistance without paying fringe benefits. Access to highly motivated and productive employees. The release of full-time employees fi'om routine tasks; and The opportunity to evaluate and cultivate potential full time employees. 39 Students with internship experience often have an advantage over those who do not. In fact, all practitioners interviewed in Sprecker & Rudd’s 1997 study stated that internships were important for a potential employee to have. lntemships can give students much-needed experience when applying for their first jobs. Employers tend to hire experienced personnel, leaving inexperienced college students little opportunity to compete for jobs (Coco, 2000). According to Ramos (1997), college graduates with internship experience receive higher starting salaries and more job offers. Typically, 30 percent of each year’s graduating seniors have job offers before graduation, but if the student completed an internship, the percentage jumps to 58 percent. Internships can be the most impressive listing on a student’s resume, and it can be the deciding factor in securing employment. In 1997, the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs conducted a national Slu'vey on the use of internships, sent to all schools accredited by their organization. Survey results showed that more than 92 percent of schools responding ofi'ered internship programs. Thirty-nine percent of internships occurred during the student’s senior year and 32 percent during the junior year (Coco, 2000). Current US. Job Market Making informed career decisions requires reliable information about Opportunities in the future (US. Department of Labor, 2002). Factors such as population, labor force, education and training, employment and industry each play an important role in determining the uncut job market. 40 In “The World Has Changed,” authors of the 1991 SCANS report address the evolution of the American workplace and its requirements. Making reference to the days when “a strong back, the willingness to work, and a high school diploma were all that was needed to make a start” (p. 1), commission members contrast this with the “high performance workplace” that is becoming more and more common. Instead of work that is “routine, repetitive, and organized along hierarchical lines,” this modern workplace requires different kinds of tasks, approaches, and employees. Today’s workplace is often problem-oriented and organized in teams. Many companies consider labor not a cost, but an investment. (pp. 3-4) As Busse (1992) and many others observe, changes in the American workplace have been inspired largely by foreign-and particularly Japanese-competition. In today’s “global marketplace,” many US. business and industry leaders have realized that rennining internationally competitive requires structuring the work environment in ways patterned on the approaches taken by foreign competitors-the use of “quality circles,” for example, and lines of communication which allow workers to speak directly with upper management representatives. 41 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY Design of Study The design of this study followed the format of a descriptive census survey. Specifically, this study was designed to determine the preferred employability skills and occupational skills needed by students wishing to enter a career in agri-marketing. Surveys, a method for gathering data by asking questions of a group of individuals, are a widely used method for research in education (Ary, Jacobs and Razavieh, 2002). The data-gathering technique used in this survey consisted of an Internet questionnaire. Population and Sample The target population of the study included all members of the National Agri- Marketing Association (NAMA) The National Agri-Marketing Association is a professional organization open to anyone involved in marketing communications, public relatiom, product management or sales in agribusiness. A list of 1,700 NAMA members was obtained from Eldon White, Executive Director of NAMA. All active members through April 26, 2002 were included in this list. The roots of the National Agri-Marketing Association began in 1957, with the formation of the Chicago Area Agricultural Advertising Association. This group included advertising representatives, agency men and advertising managers who gathered monthly for a Short program and exchange of ideas. Once a year, the organization hosted a day- long seminar that included educational programs and panel discussions (NAMA, 2003). By 1965, professionals fiom New York, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Omaha expressed interest in starting Similar organizations. With the interest from new 42 participants, the National Agricultural Advertising and Marketing Association was created. In 1969, membership was extended to student chapters. In 1973, the name was changed to the National Agri-Marketing Association. To date, NAMA consists of 3,500 members globally, with 25 US. chapters and four Canadian chapters. There are 37 accredited student chapters (NAMA, 2003). In 1997, the organization, continuing to focus on the local chapter, introduced five regions across the United States to promote regional seminars and meetings, along with the regional Best of NAMA program. All chapters are included in one of the five regions (NAMA, 2003). During the 2000 Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City, the Executive Committee introduced NAMA'S new purpose statement: “The National Agri-Marketing Association serves the food and fiber industry, focusing on our members' professional development by providing access to solutions and opportunities in agribusiness” (NAMA, 2003). Instrumentation The instrumentation for the study was composed of an Internet survey questionnaire. Each individual received an e—mail with a hyperlink to the online questionnaire, which is included in the appendix. The instrument included both open- ended and close-ended questions. An in-depth literature review was conducted to determine appropriate questions related to the skills needed for a career in agri-marketing. There were four sections in the questionnaire, including knowledge level of Specific areas of agri-marketing, internship importance, demographic data and two open-ended questions regarding advice for future 43 agri-marketing professionals. The first section included questions concerning the level of knowledge future agri-marketers Should have in the areas of transferable skills, areas of study, layout/design skills, photography Skills, public relations, marketing, research and planning, telecommunications, writing, desktop publishing, web publishing, graphic design, and computer applications. A total of 72 difi'erent specific agri-marketing Skills were evaluated on a four-point Likert-type (1 = no knowledge required, 2=little knowledge required, 3 = some knowledge required, 4=extensive knowledge required). The second section of the questionnaire focused on internship experiences for future agri-marketing professionals. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of internship experiences, the appropriate time frame of an internship, the preferred number of internships, and what type of internships are most beneficial students pursuing a career in agri-marketing. The third section of the questionnaire included demographic questions used to characterize the survey respondents and also assist NAMA in membership programming and event planning. These questions were provided to the researchers by NAMA. Respondents were asked to answer eight demographic questions including gender, Specialization area of agri-marketing, employment level, years involved in agri- marketing, segment of agri-marketing they are involved with, education level, and the area of study in which they received their degree. Two open-ended questions were included at the end of the questionnaire. The first question asked respondents to briefly describe why they chose a career in agri-marketing. The second question gave respondents the opportunity to Share any additional comments for future agri-marketing professionals. 44 The online survey design was developed using Adobe GoLive computer software and followed Dillrnan’s Tailored Design Method for Mail and Internet Surveys (Dillman, 2000). Several factors were taken into consideration such as Internet connection speed of the respondents, browser capabilities, screen size differences, color choices and text wrap features (Dillman, 2000). Technology staff and graduate research assistants at Michigan State University tested the instrument and suggested changes in structure and design of the page prior to distributing the instnunent to the sample. Technology staff at Michigan State University programmed the Web survey to autonntically send survey responses to a Microsoft Access database, stored on the web server of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University. The survey was designed in a three-screen series. The first screen included an introduction and 9 questions. After answering these questions, respondents were prompted to click on a button to be taken to the next page. After completing the second page of questions, respondents choked on a button that said “Submit Survey”. At this point, surveyresultswere Senttothedatabaseandcodedwithauniquetimeanddateof completion. The respondent’s browser was redirected to a final screen, thanking them for participating in the survey and inviting them to enter a drawing for one-year paid membership to NAMA. If respondents chose to enter the drawing, their name and address were sent to a second database, which was sent directly to the NAMA office. Validity and Reliability Validity and reliability are two important factors to consider when designing a questionnaire, especially in the field of education. Assessing validity is important to the educational researcher because the questions are designed for measuring hypothetical 45 constructs and are measured indirectly (Ary, Jacobs and Razavieh, 2000). The validity of this instrtunent was measured by a panel of experts including members of the NAMA Executive Council, faculty and graduate research assistants at Michigan State University. The instrument was pilot-tested for reliability with a like group of NAMA members included in the sample. An alpha coefficient 0.7995 was determined for the survey using the pilot-test data. A post hoc reliability test was used to further test reliability, showing alpha coefficients 0.9593 for questions pertaining to level of knowledge required for specific skills sets; 0.8894 for questions pertaining to knowledge level of specific discipline areas of agriculture and 0.6435 for questions pertaining to transferable skills. These Cronbach Alpha values were considered adequate to establish reliability for the scales included in this survey. Collection of Data The data collection procedure used in this survey followed the recommendations of Dillman (2000). The first email contact was sent to all members of the sample and included an e-nnil from Eldon White, NAMA Executive Director, inviting members to participate in the survey while adding a personal touch to the e-mail. An incentive of entering a drawing for one year paid membership to NAMA ($500 value) was also used to encourage members to participate in the survey. A hyperlink to the survey URL was included in the email. A second e-mail was sent two weeks later thanking members for participating and inviting those who had not participated to complete the survey. The third and final mailing was sent out four weeks after the initial e—mailing. Altogether 425 usable responses were received from the NAMA population, resultinginaresponserateonSpercent.Theresearchersrecognizedtheneedtohavea 46 higher response rate in order to generalize the findings to the population. However, early and late responses were compared to determine if they differed significantly on selected variables under study, and no difl‘erences were observed. Therefore, as suggested by Miller and Smith (1983), the findings can be generalized to the study population. Additiomlly, several studies have found that response rates for Internet surveys are lower that equivalent mail surveys (Boznjak and Tuten, 2001). Timeline of Study The following time line was used to design and conduct the web-based survey. Data analysis began afler June 7, 2002 and continued through October, 2002. Findings will be reported in peer-reviewed journals and submitted for publishing after January 2003. Jan. 7 to Jan. 28, 2002 Literature Review to Determine Survey Questions Jan. 29 to Feb. 5, 2002 Design Survey Instrument Feb. 12 to March 4, 2002 Programming Internet Survey March 25 to April 1, 2002 Pilot test instrument April 26, 2002 Send first e-mail invitation to participate in survey May 10, 2002 Send e-mail reminder to participate in survey May 24, 2002 Send final reminder to participate in survey June 7, 2002 Last day to complete survey Analysis of Data The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). Statistical methods such as means, frequencies, percentages and standard 47 deviations were used to analyze the close-ended questions. The non-response error was dealt with through a t-test comparing responses from early to late respondents. Open-ended questions were analyzed using content analysis and emergent design to identify specific characteristics of the responses. Table 6 indicates the research objective, type of test used and the specific questions from the survey that were used to analyze the data for each objective. Table 6. Research Objectives, ije of Tests and Specific Questions Research Objective Type of Tests Specific Questions 1. Determine the occupational Means, Standard Section 1, Question 1 to 9 skills needed by agri-marketing Deviations, Section IV, Question 2 professionals. Frequencies, Open- 2. Identify the employability Skills needed by agri-marketing professionals. 3. Assess the level of prior internship experience needed by future agri-marketing professionals. 4. Gain a greater understanding of why current professionals chose a career in agri- marketing. Ended Questions, T- Test Means, Standard Deviations, Frequencies, Open- Ended Questions Means, Standard Deviations, Frequencies, T-test Open-ended questions Section 1, Question 1 Section 11, Questions 1 to 4 Section IV, Questions 1 and 2 48 CHAPTER IV FINDINGS Findings from this study provide a greater understanding of the occupational skills, employability Skills and internship experience an entry-level agri-marketing professional should possess as well as help understand why an individual would choose to seek a career in the agri-marketing profession. Data were collected to find the opinions of professional agri-marketing Specialists regarding the skills needed for a successful career in agri-marketing. Survey data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 11.0. In all, 28 questions were asked in the categories of knowledge level of agri-marketing skills, experience needed with Specific computer applications related to agri-marketing, internship experiences and demographic information. Findings are presented as follows: demographic data, transferable Skill inventory, agri-marketing Skill inventory, internship importance, and content analysis of why professionals chose a career in agri-marketing. Demographic Information Demographic data were collected fi'om respondents relative to gender, industry involvement, industry segment Specialization, employment level, experience, agri- marketing segment experiences, education level and type of degree received. Reamnse Rates by Gender Of the 425 agri-marketing Specialists who responded to the study, the majority (54.5 percent) were males, as shown in Figure 1. An N of 419 was obtained. 49 5° 54.5 .. 55 - g so « I I 45.6 4H 40 ' 1 L 1 Male Female Gender Figure I . Survey Respondents by Gender. Reamnse Rates by Industry Employment Segment The majority of respondents were employed by an agri-marketing agency (34.9 percent) or an agri-marketing service (31.2 percent) as shown in Figure 2. Respondents were also involved in areas such as print media, association work, e-businesses, and farm broadcasting. An N of 381 was obtained. 40 H 30 r 1:: § 20 - 15 12.9 0 °‘ 10 . 2.6 3.4 Print Media Assn. E-Business Farm Marketing Broadcast Service Segment Figure 2. Survey Respondent Segment of Industry Employment 50 Within their respective industry categories, 34 percent were involved with general agriculture, followed by crop protection (18.4 percent), shown in Figure 3. Other segments with higher percentages of survey respondents include livestock (14.6 percent), seed (11.0 percent) and equipment (10.4 percent). Of those involved with the livestock segment of the industry, 43.2 percent worked primarily with beef clients, 37.0 percent worked in the dairy industry, 8.6 percent worked in the swine industry, 6.2 percent worked with small animal clients, and the retraining 0.9 percent worked with the poultry or equine industry. 40 30d 8 20. 14 14.6 11.3 10" 56 15 o i i .——.. E—_J - I If] Crop Equipment Feed Finance FruitSNeg Gen. Ag Horticulture Livestock Protect. 34 Percent Industry Figure 3. Survey Respondents by Segment of Industry Involvement Re§p_onse Rates by Employmeat Level and Experience The majority (84.6 percent) of survey respondents were at an employment level of middle management or higher, including senior management, CEOS, and owners of agri- marketing firms, as shown in Figure 4. Only 10.0 percent of the respondents were considered junior management, 4.4 percent considered entry level, and 1.0 percent were retired agri-marketing specialists. An N of 409 was obtained. 51 50 39.4 40 4 ,__.... 29.8 '5 30 . 20 :1 15.4 “- 10.0 10 . I I 4.4 I I 1.0 0 I I I I' V I CEO/Owner Entry Level Jr. Mgmt. Mid Mgmt. Sr. Mgmt. Retired Employment Level Figure 4. Employment Level of Survey Respondents Just as the majority of survey respondents were at a higher employment level, many survey respondents had several years experience as a professional agri-marketing specialist. Most survey respondents (57.3 percent) had ten or more years experience in the industry, with 30.3 percent having more than 20 years experience. For this portion of the survey, an N of 423 was obtained, and results are Shown in Figure 5. 35 36.3 30‘ 23.2 ‘l'_" E 25‘ 19.6 mi § “-2 128 a 15r ' 101 5:1 0 1 r U U 0105 61010 111015 151020 MMZO Yeas Figure 5. Survey Respondents by Years of Experience in Agri-Marketing Survey respondents had a wide variety of experiences in agri-marketing, including marketing communications (41.4 percent), input supplier marketing (28.6 52 percent), general media (19.3 percent), association work (6.1 percent), governmental experiences (3.5 percent) and agricultural policy work (1.1 percent). Within the input supplier discipline, 22.1 percent worked with crop protection clients, 15.5 percent worked with seed companies, 14.4 percent worked with field equipment and 13.3 percent worked with animal health companies. The remaining input supplier agencies worked in a variety of areas including agricultural production (6.1 percent), consulting (6.6 percent), farm cooperatives (4.4 percent), feed companies (5.5 percent), fertilizer manufacturers (0.9 percent), finance insurance (2.4 percent), livestock equipment (0.2 percent), market research (2.2 percent) and processing (1.7 percent). In the area of marketing communications, 53.3 percent of respondents worked for a full-service marketing agency. Twenty-two percent were employed by an advertising agency, 20.1 percent worked in product publicity and 4.7 worked in the area of direct marketing. For those involved in the media segment, the majority of respondents (52.9 percent) worked with print media. Mixed media (14.7 percent) and broadcasting (12.7 percent) were the next two highest areas of media employment. The remaining media professionals were employed in the areas of public relations (8.8 percent), universities (3.9 percent), trade shows (2.9 percent), media training (2.9 percent) and computers (1.0 percent). Response Rates by Education Level In the area of education level, 70 percent of survey respondents have received a bachelor’s degree and 21.2 percent have received a master’s degree. Specific areas of 53 study include a variety of majors in colleges of agriculture, business, communications and others; however 40.7 percent of respondents received their BS. in agricultural communications. General marketing was another popular plan of study, with 21.3 percent of respondents trained in this area. Agricultural business was the third highest ranked area oftraining, reporting 13.8 percent. Other sm'vey respondents were trained in the areas of advertising (4.9 percent), English (6.6 percent), journalism (3.9 percent), business (4.3 percent), and communications (4.6 percent). Objective 1. Determine the occupatioglikills n_eeded by agri-marketing professionals. Findings show that future agri-marketers should possess a basic understanding of several areas of agriculture. . . given the wide variety of clientele an agri-marketer may serve. As shown in Table 7, the most important academic area of knowledge for agri- marketers is agricultural communications, with a mean rating of 3.43. This is followed closely by agricultural business, with a mean rating of 3.39. Agricultural economics was also identified as an important area of study, with a mean rating of 3.1 1. The remaining disciplines received a mean score lower than 3.0, which equals “very little” level of knowledge required for a successful career in agri-marketing. 54 Table 7. Importance of Diflerent Areas of Study for Future A gri-Marketing Professionals Area of Study N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Agricultural Business 418 3.39 .527 .026 Agricultural Communications 41 7 3 .43 .559 .027 Agricultural Economics 417 3.1 1 .510 .025 Agricultural Education 416 2.65 .614 .030 Agricultural Engineering 416 2.38 .602 .029 Agricultural Technology 41 7 2.88 .598 .029 Animal Science 415 2.83 .530 .026 Crop Science 415 2.90 .487 .024 Entomology 414 2.56 .582 .029 Fisheries and Wildlife 415 2.30 .601 .029 Food Science 414 2.74 .667 .033 Forestry 413 2.28 .599 .029 Horticulture 41 2 2.53 .609 .030 International Agriculture 413 2.95 .644 .032 Land Management 413 2.59 .624 .031 Plant Science 412 2.70 .573 .028 Soil Science 409 2.64 .594 .029 Responses to open-ended questions in this survey provided valuable insight into the specializations needed within specific areas of agri-marketing. In general, survey 55 respondents indicated a broad understanding of agriculture is important. Selected responses include: “Be as broad as possible during your undergraduate years. Experiment with research and class studies that focus on industries other than agriculture. First, you will confirm that agri-business is where you want to focus. Second, you will be more valuable to future employers.” (Junior manager) “Get a general understanding of as many areas as possible (agriculture and communications). Then focus yourself in the area you want to specialize in.” (Junior nnnager) “Get a well rounded education with emphasis on liberal arts.” (Senior manager) “Have a broad background because it’s a fluid market and you never know which end of the spectrum you may be working on. Agriculture is a broad and evolving industry and change is the norm.” (Senior manager) “Learn all aspects of agriculture, at least a little of each portion — chemicals, seed, livestock, and all the other areas. Don’t just hone in on one area. Be well-rounded, it will make you more marketable / employable.” (Middle manager) “Learn as much as you can about the entire food chain, scientific aspects of agriculture and multimedia.” (Senior manager) 56 “Need to insure young people take more business and accounting courses in college. We are not prepared to move into senior management at today’s companies with our basic agricultural degrees. Employees need to understand budgets, spreadsheets, P&L and balance sheets.” (Retired agri-marketer) “Seek a broad background in many areas to compliment your core studies. Today it really requires a well rounded individual to be successful and have opportunities. Otherwise, you’ll be only one of many in a job.” (Senior mager) “Technical knowledge of agriculture is great to have right out of the gate but not a ‘must’.” (Senior manager) “Train them in business and a little ag. The business training will carry them through. Ag is big business now and your students need to compete with big school MBA’s. The old agecon degree won’t cut it anymore.” (CEO/Owner) Layout/Design Skills Layout and design skills are important to agri-marketing professionals, especially those involved in the creative aspects of the media, as shown in Table 8. Findings show knowledge of design principles is the most important skill related to layout and design, with a scale mean of 3.03 (St.Dev=.62) on a scale of 1 (no knowledge) to 4 (extensive 57 knowledge). Knowledge of design principles includes the basic framework and foundation for designing advertisements, brochures, newsletters and other materials. Once a student has the basic framework for design principles, the next highest rated area was knowledge of how to use design programs (scale mean=2.69, St.Dev=.69). This refers to a working knowledge of computer programs used to aid designers such as Quark Xpress or Adobe Pagemaker. HTML/Web design skills also received a scale mean of 2.69 (St.Dev=.65). Though this was not the highest rated area of layout and design, it may increase in importance as more emphasis is placed on Internet technology. Photo editing skills received a scale mean of 2.64 (St.Dev=.68), which includes skills such as photo cropping, photo altering, and other skills usually performed using Adobe Photoshop or a similar program Finally, typography skills received a scale mean of 2.48 (St.Dev=.68), which refers to knowledge of font choices, font size, leading and kerning. 58 Table 8. Layout and Design Skills Needed for Future A gri-Marketing Professionals Percent (N) No Very Little Some Extensive Mean Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge (SD) Design 412 1.7 12.6 66.5 19.2 3.03 Principles (.621) Design 410 3.2 34.9 51.5 10.5 2.69 Programs (.698) HTML / 409 3.2 32.3 56.7 7.8 2.69 Web (.659) Design Photo 410 4.1 35.6 52.7 7.6 2.64 editing (.683) Typography 410 6.8 42.9 46.1 4.1 2.48 (686) Photography Skills Survey respondents were asked to rate the importance of 8 photography skills on a scale of 1 (No Knowledge) to 4 (Extensive Knowledge) Findings show that fixture agri- marketing professionals need some understanding of photography skills and principles, however, no single photography skill received a scale mean higher than 3.0. As shown in Table 9, only little knowledge in photography is needed for a career in agri-marketing. Of all the skills relating to photography, a knowledge of digital photography received the highest rating with a scale mean of 2.83 (St.Dev=.747). This was followed closely by a knowledge of good photo composition, with a scale mean of 2.78 (St.Dev=.803). 59 Table 9. Photography Skills Needed for Future A gri-Marketing Professionals Percent (N) No Very Little Some Extensive Mean Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge (SD) Black and 7.8 36.0 53.8 2.4 2.51 White 41 1 (.675) Photography Camera 409 6.1 27.6 56.7 9.5 2.70 Functions (.725) Color 409 5.6 28.9 55.7 9.8 2.70 photography (.722) Photo 408 6.6 26.0 50.5 16.9 2.78 composition (.803) Developing 408 19.9 52.0 26.2 2.0 2.10 and printing (.728) Digital 410 5.6 21.0 58.3 15.1 2.83 photography (.747) Film 407 1 1.8 44.7 40.8 2.7 2.34 (.719) Lighting 406 9.9 36.0 46.6 7.6 2.52 (.775) These findings indicate that though agri-marketers need a basic knowledge of photography, they may use trained professional photographers to take pictures, instead of actually taking the photos themselves. Similarly, the technical aspects of photography, such as lighting, film choices and printing and developing received the lowest levels of importance. 60 Public Relations Skills Agri-marketing and public relations often go hand-in-hand, and a good marketing program is often dependent on a successful public relations plan. Survey respondents were asked to evaluate the knowledge level required for 6 public relations skills, as shown in Table 10. Each skill identified as an important public relations skill received a mean rating higher than 3.0, which indicates at least some knowledge of all public relations skill areas. Table 10. Public Relations Skills Needed for Future Agri-Marketing Professionals (N) No Very Little Sorne Extensive Mean Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge (SD) Campaign 1.0 3.9 53.5 41.6 3.36 Planning 409 (.606) Event Planning 410 0.5 7.3 60.0 32.3 3.24 (599) Media Relations 410 0.2 3.4 45.6 50.7 3.47 (577) Product 410 0.0 1.2 46.6 52.2 3.51 Promotion (.524) Risk 407 0.0 8.1 59.0 32.9 3.25 Communications (.591) Stakeholder 402 1.0 13.7 60.9 24.4 3.09 Relations (.643) Survey findings show a high level of importance placed on public relations skills. The most important skill identified was product promotion skills, with a scale mean of 61 3.51 (St.Dev=.524). In this area, 98.8 percent of survey respondents agreed that at least some knowledge of product promotion skills were important. This was followed by media relations, with a scale mean of 3.47 (St.Dev=.577). Campaign planning, risk communications and event planning were also identified with mean scores of 3.26, 3.25 and 3.24 respectively. Finally, stakeholder relations was the least important public relations skill, however it still received a mean of 3.09, which is equal to somewhat important. Marketing Skills Obviously, a future agri-marketing professional needs an extensive knowledge of marketing, and survey findings prove that in Table 11. All skill areas related to marketing received a mean rating of at least 3.0, except media placement. 62 Table 1 I . Marketing Skills Needed for Future A gri-Marketing Professionals Percent (N) No Very Little Some Extensive Mean Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge (SD) Advertising 409 0.7 1 1.0 69.2 19.1 3.07 Design (.571) Budgeting 409 0.0 1.2 40.1 58.7 3.57 (519) Buyer 407 0.0 3.4 45.0 51.6 3.48 Behavior (.565) Market 410 0 2.9 49.0 48.0 3.45 Research (.554) Marketing 409 0.0 1.0 25.4 73.6 3.73 Principles (.468) Media 409 2.0 17.8 62.3 17.8 2.96 Placement (.677) Media 409 1.0 14.7 62.3 22.0 3.05 Planning (.636) Product 407 0 2.2 48.4 49.4 3.47 Promotion (.542) Of the marketing skills surveyed, a knowledge of marketing principles received the highest scale mean of 3.73 (St.Dev=.468). Moreover, 73.6 percent of survey respondents state an extensive knowledge is required of basic marketing principles. The next most important knowledge level regarding marketing was knowledge of budgeting, with a scale mean of 3.57 (St.Dev=.519). An agri-marketer ofien works on a budget set by his or her client, and is expected to get the most return on his client’s investment. In 63 all, 98.8 percent of survey respondents said at least some knowledge of budgeting is essential for a career in agri-marketing. Other skill sets with the highest scale means were buyer behavior (scale mean=3.48, St.Dev=.565), product promotion (scale mean=3.47, St.Dev=.542) and market research (scale mean=3.45, St.Dev=.554)). These areas are often important when developing new products, promoting new products, or introducing new products to the marketphce. It is interesting to note the scale mean of product promotion, as it related to public relations, received a very similar scale mean of 3.51 (St.Dev=.524), which indicates product promotion nray be a team effort between public relations specialists and marketing specialists. The areas of advertising design, media planning, media placement and received the lowest three mean scores. These lower means may indicate these are better suited to other specializations within agri-marketing, such as creative designers or public relations teams. Many responses to the open-ended questions provided insight on the specific marketing skills needed by future agri-marketing professionals. The following quotes are specific examples of comments made by practicing agri-marketing professiomls relating to the importance of marketing skills. “Agri-marketing professionals are first and foremost marketers. Experiences in other industries can only strengthen and expand their thinking. The more we understand the complex stakeholders in the agricultural community the more effective we can be.” “Be a mketer first and a communicator second.” (Senior nunager) “As an industry, we need to encourage more young people to consider careers in ag advertising...especially the creative side. This category should be just as firn and exciting as Nike, Coke, and the other big brands we all know and love.” (CEO/Owner) “Learning and understanding of business concepts such as finance, financial analysis, general economic influences affecting business, and nnrketing strategy are fundamental to success in marketing.” (Senior manager) “Marketing and communication skills are key. The agriculture business can be learned like any other business; however, true marketing and communication competencies are hard to come by.” (Middle manager) “Try to develop a well-rounded understanding of marketing principles. The agricultural understanding allows graduates to focus their career options, but marketing training will allow deeper understanding of the difficulties and needs agribusinesses have.” (Middle nunager) Research and Flaming Skills Six questions were asked dealing with the knowledge level required for research and planning skills in agri-marketing. These type skills are used to assure that clients 65 receive the most benefit for their nmketing or public relations plan. Table 12 shows the scale means and fiequencies of skills related to research and planning for an agri- marketer. Table 12. Research and Planning Skills Needed for Future A gri-Marketing Professionals Percent (N) No Very Little Some Extensive Mean Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge (SD) Analyzing 409 0.3 2.0 60.9 36.8 3.07 Data (.571) Conducting 391 0.3 13.0 67.3 19.4 3.06 Research (.577) Constructing 403 0.5 21.3 63.3 14.9 2.93 Survey (.614) Instruments Developing 406 0.2 8.6 63.3 27.8 3.19 Evaluation (.583) Strategies Interpreting 404 0.0 5.7 55.0 39.4 3.34 Survey (.581) Results Understanding 402 0.2 5.2 61.4 33.1 3.27 Different (.565) Research Methods One response to the open-ended questions provided more in-depth insight into the importance of research and planning skills, as shown below: 66 “Agri-marketing professionals need more exposure to use of databases and basic research methods. It gives them a better basis for interpreting the data they see and use on a daily basis.” (CEO/Owner) Telecommunications Skills Telecommunications is an important area of agricultural communications, however it is not a common specialization related to agri-marketing. Findings show that only little knowledge is required about telecommunications, as shown in Table 13. Of the five telecommunications skills surveyed, all skills received a mean in the range of 2.54 to 2.78, indicating very little importance to a career in agri-marketing. Table 13. Telecommunications Skills Needed for Future Agri-Marketing Professionals Percent (N) No Very Little Some Extensive Mean Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge (SD) Radio 401 3.2 24.2 64.1 8.5 3.07 Broadcast (.571) Radio 400 6.3 34.3 53.8 5.8 3.06 Production (.577) TV Broadcast 401 4.0 27.7 61.6 6.7 2.93 (.614) TV 401 7.3 36.0 52.3 4.5 3.19 Production (.583) Video 399 4.0 25.8 62.2 8.0 3.34 Production (.581) 67 C O W mg Skills Writing skills is one of the most important skills for a successful career in agri- marketing. Table 14 shows the mean importance level of 12 different writing skills used in a career in agri-marketing. 68 Table 14. Writing Skills Needed for Future A gri-Marketing Professionals Percent (N) No Very Little Some Extensive Mean Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge (SD) Creative 409 1.9 11.9 52.3 33.8 3.18 Writing (.710) Drafting 410 2.4 17.1 59.0 21.5 3.00 (.696) Concepting 410 0.2 3.2 43.9 52.7 3.49 Written (.573) Materials Business 412 0.0 0.5 24.5 75.0 3.75 Writing (.447) Editing 411 0.5 6.6 47.9 45.0 3.37 (.629) Grammar 412 0.0 1.2 18.9 79.9 3.79 (.439) Newspaper 410 1.7 17.6 61.5 19.3 2.98 Writing (.661) PR Writing 412 0.7 9.2 58.7 31.3 3.21 (.627) Radio Scripts 411 4.9 23.6 59.4 12.2 2.79 (.713) Spelling 412 0.7 4.4 22.6 72.3 3.67 (596) Technical 412 1.0 15.3 60.4 23.3 3.06 Writing (.650) TV Scripts 409 7.3 34.5 50.1 8.1 2.59 (.743) 69 As shown by survey findings, the top three writing skills rated with the highest level of importance are grammar, business writing and spelling. Proper knowledge of grammar and spelling is the cornerstone of good writing skills. Business writing is important to agri-marketers, and ofien utilized in the form of proposals, communication with clients and inter-office communications. The writing skills seen as the least important to future agri-marketers include newspaper writing, radio script writing and television script writing. Findings from responses to open-ended questions revealed a high level of importance of writing skills, as shown by selected responses below: “Clear, effective writing is the foundation of all marketing communications activities. Work diligently on those skills because if you can communicate well in writing, the rest of the discipline will fall into place.” (Senior manager) “I would encourage them to pursue any opportunities that would allow them to gain more experience in writing. Whatever area future agri-marketing professionals become involved with, strong writing skills will always be an important area to have experience in.” (Middle manager) “Judging by my responses, I think it should be clear that a well-rounded background in the fundamentals provides the best opportunities for someone starting out. Grammar, spelling, document writing, letter writing, etc.” (Senior manager) 70 “Take at least some journalism courses. The practice of writing in the “inverted pyramid’ will help you understand how to prioritize issues. . .which is the single more important sill set of a successful marketer.” (CEO/Owner) “Writing is still one of the most important tools you can have in any profession. Without it, you will not earn respect when giving presentations and in dealing with people one-on-one sales.” (Middle manager) Knowledge of Computer Prode in Agi-Marfiting As the area of agri-marketing becomes more technologically advanced, findings show tint it is important for firture agri-marketing professionals to have some knowledge of computer programs prior to entering the workforce. Depending on what area of agri- marketing a student may choose, he or she may need experience with a wide variety of programs, as shown in Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9. 2’8 2 74 2.75 . . ' . 2.7 . 2.68 l c d 3 2.65 2 2-5 ‘ 2.55 2.55 . 2.5 - I I 2.45 4 . Pagemaker MS Publisher Quark Xpress Progran Figure 6. Experience Needed with Desktop Publishing Programs. For an agri-marketer involved in layout or design, findings show the most important program to be familiar with is Quark Xpress, which is often referred to as the ‘industry standard’ in desktop publishing. The next most important program to have some 71 experience with is Adobe Pagemaker. Finally, the least important program to be familiar with is Microsoft Publisher. In addition to desktop publishing software, some experience is also needed with web publishing software. Though no single program received a significantly higher mean score, Microsoft FrontPage received the highest mean of 2.58 with an N of 384. This program was followed closely by Macromedia Dreamweaver (mean=2.55; N=3 86) and Adobe GoLive (mean=2.42, N=380). These findings suggest that no single program is increasingly more popular than the other, and some experience with a web design software program is sufficient. 2.6 2.58 2 55 ‘ . 2.55 r—1 : 2.5 ‘ 8 2.45 . 2.42 2 2.4 - 7 2.35 -1 l l 2.3 , u : GoLive Dreamweaver FrontPage Program Figure 7. Experience Needed with Web Design Programs. In the area of graphic design software, two Adobe products received the highest mean scores: Adobe Photoshop (mean=2.84; N=398) and Adobe Illustrator (mean=2.72; N=39‘3). These findings also support the industry standards, in which Adobe Photoshop is the most commonly used photo editing program, while Adobe Illustrator is considered the “new generation” of graphic design software. The PhotoDraw software received a mean of 2.35 (N=389), followed by JASC Paint Shop Pro (N=385), which received a mean of2.33. 72 2.72 2.84 3 2.5 . ‘ 2.35 , , 2.33 I: 2 r 8 1.5 2 1 a 0.5 4 0 u fl 1 T r I Illustrator Photoshop Photo Draw Paint Shop Pro Progran Figure 8. Experience Needed with Graphic Design Programs. In addition to specialized software programs for desktop publishing, web publishing or graphic design, findings show the most important computer programs to be the Microsoft Office products. These high findings may be attributed to the fact tint these type programs are often used by all agri-marketers, regardless of their specialization area, on a daily basis. 4 3 6 3] ‘ 3.78 2.98 F—_l r- , r——'1 3 . C 8 2 - 2 1 .. o I i I MS Access MS Excel MS Power Point MS Word Product Figure 9. Experience needed with Microsoft Office Products. As shown in Figure 9, a higher level of experience with Microsoft Office programs is needed than other specialized programs. Experience with Microsoft Word received the highest mean rating of 3.78 (n=414), which is considered extensive experience. An agri-marketer would use the Microsoft Word software for general word 73 processing, mailings, and creating reports. Experience with Microsoft Power Point was rated the next highest, with a mean of 3.70 (n=416). This program is used for creating presentations, and is often used by agri-markets to present proposals to clients or report on results of a marketing campaign. Microsoft Excel also received a high mean score of 3.60 (N=412). This program is a spreadsheet type program and is used for record- keeping, calculations and references. It is also sometimes used as a database management program, however Microsoft Access is the standard database program of the Microsoft Office group. Experience with Microsoft Access was rated with the lowest mean score of 2.98 (N=405). In other computer applications, respondents also noted an extensive need of experience with e-mail software (mean=3.50, N=414). Database management was identified as an important skill for future agri-marketers, with a mean of 3.16 (N=412). Thesetypeskillswouldbeimportanttoadirectmailing campaign, mailing list management, and market research data. Findings indicate that though some knowledge of these computer programs is appropriate, it may not be necessary for everyone planning on a career in agri-marketing, as shown by the comment below: “As per some of the questions listed above, unless you are planning to work on the creative side of the advertising world, there is little point in investing knowledge of some of the creative software applications noted.” (Senior manager) 74 Cross-tabulation of results A cross-tabulation of survey findings was conducted to determine if any significant differences existed between the irnportances of certain skills based on the survey respondents’ area of industry involvement. For the results of the compelte cross- tabulation, please see Appendix. Those areas with a Pearson Chi-square rating of 0.05 or less were considered significant differences, and are shown in Table 15. 75 Table 15. Occupational skills with significant differences by industry category respondents. Percentage of Respondents Skill Skill N Not Little Somewhat Very Chi- Category Irnportant Importance Inrportant Important Sane Photo editing Layout/ 410 4.1 35.6 52.7 7.6 .042 Design Composition Photography 408 6.6 26.0 50.5 16.9 .015 Digital Photography 410 5.6 21.0 58.3 15.1 m I photography Lighting Photography 406 9.9 36.0 46.6 7.6 .014 Campaign Public 409 1.0 3.9 53.5 41.6 002 planning Relations RiSk Public 407 0.0 8.1 59.0 32.9 -013 Communication Relations StakehOIder Public 402 l .0 1 3.7 60.9 24.4 -003 relations Relations Mmketifls Marketins 409 0.0 1.0 25.4 73.6 -011 principles Media Marketing 409 2.0 17.8 62.3 17.8 .041 placement Radio broadcast Telecommu 401 3 ,2 24.2 64.1 8. 5 .022 nications Radio Telecommu 400 6.3 34.3 53.8 5.8 .018 production nications Editing Writing 41 1 0.5 6.6 47.9 45.0 -041 PR writing Writing 412 0.7 9.2 58.7 31.3 .008 Radio Scripts Writing 411 4.9 23.6 59.4 12.2 0.38 As shown in Table 15, there were significant differences in the cross-tabulation between the importance of photo editing, photo composition, photo composition, digital photography, radio script writing, public relations writing, editing, radio broadcast, radio 76 production, campaign planning, risk communications, stakeholder relations, marketing principles and media placement. Table 16 shows the ratings of this skill by industry category. Of all respondents, the majority (53 percent) rated this skill as ‘somewhat important’. More respondents in theareaofprint mediaratedthe skillas somewhat important, with67 percent rating it as somewhat important. Nearly 20 percent of farm broadcast respondents rated this skill as very important. Table I 6. Importance of photo editing skills by industry category. Percentage of Responses Industry N Not Little Somewhat Very Category Important Importance Important Important Agency 129 5 43 48 4 Print Media 55 O 27 67 6 Association 48 2 29 56 1 3 E-Business 10 20 30 50 0 Marketing 1 1 5 4 3 7 50 10 Services Farm Broadcast 11 0 18.18 63.63 18.18 Total 368 4 36 53 7 In the area of photo composition, 51 percent of respondents rated this skill as somewhat important, followed by 27 percent rating it with little importance. Eighty-three percent of farm broadcasters rated this skill as somewhat important, followed by nearly sixty percent of agency employees rating it also as somewhat important. Twenty-five percent of association workers felt this skill was very important. 77 Table 1 7. Importance of photo composition skills by industry category. Percentage of Responses Industry N Not Little Somewhat Very Category Important Importance Important Important Agency 128 3.9 25 59.4 1 1.1 Print Media 55 3.7 23.6 52.7 20 Association 48 2 23 50 25 E-Business 9 1.1 55.6 33.3 0 Marketing 1 14 1 1 32 41 16 Services Farm Broadcast 12 12.5 0 83.3 12.5 Total 366 6 27 51 16 In the area of digital photography, 75 percent of respondents rated this skill as somewhat important or higher. Of the print respondents, 80 percent rated this skill as somewhat important or higher, compared to only fifty percent of e-business employees. Sixty-five percent of marketing services employees rated this skill as somewhat important or higher. 78 Table 18. Importance of digital photography skills by industry category. Percentage of Responses Industry N Not Little Somewhat Very Category Important Importance Important Important Agency 128 4.7 18 68 9.3 Print Media 56 3.6 16 67.9 12.5 Association 48 2 16.7 50 31.3 E-Business 10 10 40 50 0 Marketing 114 6.1 29 49.1 15.8 Services Farm Broadcast 12 8.3 0 75 6.4 Total 368 4.8 20.9 59.5 15.5 In the area of campaign planning, overall 96 percent of respondents rated this skill as somewhat important or higher. Within each industry segment, 100 percent of farm broadcasters rated this skill as somewhat important or higher, compared to 99 percent of agency workers, 98 percent of association stafl; 94 percent of marketing service employees, 91 percent of print media professionals, and only 88 percent of e-business employees. Risk communication is a relatively new area of agri-marketing, however 92 percent of respondents rated this skill as at least somewhat important. All respondents in the e-business and farm broadcast category rated this skill as somewhat important or higher, followed by 97 percent of agency workers and 96 percent of association workers. Only 89 percent of agency workers rated this skill as somewhat important or higher, followed by 86 percent of nmketing services employees. 79 In the public relation skill area of stakeholder relations, 86 percent of respondents rated this skill as somewhat important or higher. Agency employees rated this skill slightly higher, with 91 percent of respondents rating it at least somewhat important. Only 78 percent of marketing service employees rated the skill as somewhat important or higher, and 20 percent of these respondents said stakeholder relations was of little important. Overall, only 12 percent of respondents rated this skill as little importance. Knowledge of marketing principles is essential to a career in agri-marketing. Of all respondents, 74 percent said this skill was ‘very important’ to a career in agri- marketing. Only 25 percent said this skill was somewlmt important. As shown in Table 19, knowledge of marketing principles was very important to the areas of agency employees and marketing service employees. Eighty-one percent of agency employees rated this skill as ‘very important,’ followed closely by 78 percent of marketing service employees. These skills were not as important to print media professionals, of which only 59 percent of employees rated it as very important. Similarly, only 25 percent of e- business employees felt it was very important to be skilled in marketing principles. 80 Table I 9. Importance of knowledge of marketing principles by industry category. Percentage of Responses Industry N Not Little Somewhat Very Category Important Importance Important Important Agency 128 4.7 18 68 9.3 Print Media 56 3.6 16 67.9 12.5 Association 48 2 16.7 50 31.3 E-Business 10 10 40 50 0 Marketing 1 14 6.1 29 49.1 15.8 Services Farm Broadcast 12 8.3 0 75 6.4 Total 368 4.8 20.9 59.5 15.5 In the area of radio production, obviously this skill is considered important to farm broadcasting professionals. All respondents fi'om the firm broadcast area rated this skill as somewhat or very important, with 75 percent rating it as somewhat important and 25 percent rating very important. Responses fi'om other industry segments were not as high. Overall, only 6 percent of respondents rated this skill as very important. The majority of respondents (55 percent) rated this skill as somewhat important, and 33 percent rated it with little importance. Five percent rated it as not important. Additionally 74 percent of association workers rated the skill as somewhat important. Editing skills were considered somewhat to very important by all respondents, with 95 percent of the scores in these two categories. Ninety percent of firm broadcasters rated this skill as somewhat important, and 10 percent rated it as very important. Agency employees also rated this skill highly, with 97 percent scoring it as at least somewhat 81 important. Specifically, 44 percent rated it as somewhat important and 53 percent rated it as very important. Ninety-six percent of print media employees rated the skill as at least somewhat important, with 61.8 percent rating it as somewhat important and 35 percent rating editing as very important. E-business employees did not rate editing as highly as other industry employees, and 50 percent of these respondents rated it as somewhat important, 30 percent as very important, and 20 percent with little importance. The last occupational skill area with significant differences in industry segment of respondents was radio script writing. Farm broadcasters rated this skill the highest, with 63 percent rating it as somewhat important, and 33 percent rating it as very important. Only 12 percent of all respondents rated the skill as very important, however 20 percent of association employees rated it as very important. The majority of respondents (83 percent) rated this skill as either little importance or somewhat important. Objective 2. Identify the employability skills needed by ggri-marketrng’ professionals. Findings show a number of transferable skills and values to be very important to firture agri-mketing professionals, as shown in Table 20. According to the survey, ethics is the most desired value for future agri-marketers is ethics, with a mean rating of 3.98 out of 4.0. This value was closely followed by basic communication skills, rated at 3.96. In addition to ethics and good communication skills, future agri-marketing professiornls should possess decision-making skills (3.83), interpersonal skills (3.82), and motivation and initiative (3.82). Basic computer skills and teamwork are also very important to future agri-marketing professionals, both receiving a mean rating of 3.71. Other skills such as analytical skills (3.62), leadership abilities (3.53), work experiences 82 (3.22) and technical skills (3.04) each received a rating above 3.0, which is considered somewhat important to fixture agri-marketing specialists. Interestingly, the least two important transferable skills were typing skills (2.92) and GPA or academic credentials (2.71). Table 20. Importance of employability skills or values for agri-marketing professionals. Transferable Skill Area N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Decision Making 421 3.83 .375 .018 Typing 419 2.92 .708 .035 Analytical Skills 421 3.62 .502 .024 Basic Computer Skills 421 3.71 .498 .024 Communication 421 3 .96 . 1 86 .009 Ethics 420 3.98 .201 .010 Interpersonal Skills 419 3.82 .388 .019 GPA / Academic Credentials 421 2.71 .559 .027 Leadership Abilities 417 3.53 .537 .026 Motivation / initiative 420 3.82 .398 .019 Technical Skills 420 3.04 .536 .026 Teamwork 41 8 3 .71 .472 .023 Work Experiences 418 3.22 .592 .029 The open-ended question at the conclusion of the study also provided insight into the importance of transferable skills for future agri-marketing professionals. Several responses to this question addressed skills such as communication skills, teamwork, leadership ability and other transferable skills. Selected examples of comments related to transferable skills include: 83 “Ability to be articulate, both verbally and in writing, is a skill we see declining among younger job applicants and employees. Learn the language, learn to spell. Learn to express yourself clearly!” (Middle manager) “My advice to the young agricultural professionals and leaders: Strive to be as honest and ethical as you deal with firmers.” (Senior manager) “Be a team player. Develop strong listening and telephone skills, you will need them. Develop relationships with everyone you meet. The agricultru'e industry is relatively small, and the people you work with or go to school with now, may help you in the future.” (Middle manager) “Developing a positive and professional attitude to demonstrate one’s ability to make a commitment and provide performance.” (CEO/Owner) “First, learn the fundamentals. Communication is extremely important — it can’t beunderestimated. Thatmeansbothwrittenaswellasspeaking. And,areyouan effective listener? Also, do you understand the principles of good business?” (Middle manager) “Having the drive to do the best job possible on EVERYTHING is the most important characteristic.” (Middle manager) 84 “I would like to see better basic skills in students, such as writing, interpersonal communication and ethics.” (Middle manager) Results of the cross-tabulation of employability skills by industry employment category are show in Table 21. The only skill with a significant difference was work experiences. The majority of respondents (60.5 percent) rated work experiences as somewhat important and 31.6 percent of respondents rated it a very important. Thirty-six percent of agency workers rated work experiences as ‘very important,’ however only 23 percent of print media workers rated work experience (which includes all types of work experiences, not just internships) the same. 85 Table 21. Cross-tabulation of employability skills by industry category Percentage of Responses Skill N Not Little Somewhat Very Chi- lmportant Importance Important Important Squre Decision Making 378 0 0 17 83 .119 Typing Skills 377 3 13 61 13 .837 Analytical Skills 378 0 1 36 63 .180 :3": “mm" 378 0.2 1 24.4 74.4 .730 Communication 378 0 0 3,7 963 .723 Interpersonal Skills 376 0 0 18,4 81.6 .390 2:22:15 378 2.4 26.5 68.3 2.8 '080 Leadership Abilities 374 0,3 1 44,7 54 .132 :23?“ 378 o 0.3 17 82.7 '635 Technical Skills 377 03 10,6 73.2 15.9 .411 Teamwork 375 0 0.3 28 71.7 357 Work Experiences 375 0.2 7.7 60.5 31.6 -001 Objective 3. Assess the level of prior in_temship experience need by firture agri-mar_kefin_g professionals. Survey findings show that internships are very important to a successful career in agri-marketing, as shown in Figure 10. When asked how important internship experiences are for future agri-marketing professionals, 72.1 percent of survey respondents indicated that internships were “very important.” An additional 26.8 percent indicated that internships are “somewhat important,” and only 0.9 percent said an 86 internship had “little importance.” No survey respondents (0 percent) that said an internship was “not important.” 80 71.8 8 ’°‘ E40“ . 26.8 . - 20W . I 0.9 0 0 . * * . . Very lmportmt Sornewhatlmportmt Littlelmportmce Notlrnportmt Percent Figure 10. Importance of lntemships for Future Agri-Marketing Professionals. Pieferred Number of Internships Once the importance of an internship has been established, it is important to know how many internshipastudent should participate into best preparethemforacareerin agri-marketing. Figure 11 shows that the majority of survey respondents (60.2 percent) think a student should complete two internships prior to graduation. If they are not able to participate in two internships, 29.3 percent of respondents state that a student should participate in at least one internship. Participation in one or two internships was clearly the preference of survey respondents, as only 8.3 percent said a student should complete three internships, and only 2.4 percent think a student should complete four intermhips. 87 60¢ tp—I—I! 5‘” 540‘ 29.3 a: 3°“ . 20" 83 1o. ' 2.1 o ' I E J I L. 1 2 3 4 NmmeroflnunnlmsCormleted Figure 11. Preferred Number of lntemships for Future Agri-Marketing Professionals. Responses to open-ended questions regarding the number of internships show that most respondents preferred one or two internships, as shown below: “Do not take repeated internships with the same company each summer.” (Middle manager) “Take one internship or job outside of ag to keep a broad perspective and to bring something to agriculture.” (Middle manager) “Two internships would be a minimum, but three is even better. The quality of internship is critically important.” (Middle manager) “As someone who hires interns, I look for somne who has a variety of experiences already. A few different internships is better than one long one, I think.” (Middle mamger) 88 Preferred Duration of lntemships Additionally, survey findings show that a summer or semester-long internship is the most beneficial for future agri-marketers to gain the most from their internship experience, as shown in Figure 12. More than 90 percent of survey respondents agree that either a semester or summer internship is most appropriate. Only 7.9 percent felt an entire year should be spent in the internship experience. 60 50.1 50 ‘ r—fi 42.0 ‘E 40 . —— iat- * o. 20 - 10 . 7.9 0 . i E I Summer Semester Yea Duration I Time Frame Figure 12. Preferred Duration of an Internship. Most Beneficial Type of Internship Students in agri-marketing fice many options for an internship experience, however survey results found that most agri-marketing practitioners (52.9 percent) consider internships with an agricultural company (such as Monsanto, Elanco, etc.) to be the most valuable, shown in Figure 13. Experience with an agency (such as an advertising or public relations firm) was rated as the next most valuable internship, with 24.1 percent. Only 10.5 percent of respondents felt a magazine or newspaper internship was the most valuable, followed by 6.3 percent choosing an association internship and 6.1 percent stating an organizational internship (Farm Bureau, etc) was the most valuable. 89 52.9 60 50% E 40 d g 30 . 24.1 1 20- 10.5 61 I I 63 10 - ' ' 0 m l I ‘- U T 1 Magazine- Ag Company Organization Agency Assn. Newspaper Sponsoring Organization/Company Figure 13. Most Valuable Type of Internship. Additional insight relating to the importance of internships can be drawn fiom responses to open ended questions regarding internships shown below: “Do everything possible to obtain an internship while in college in an industry in which you lnve a strong career interest. While you are in college, get a good share of your education outside the classroom.” (Middle manager) “I feel that in any career internships are important, but for those looking to enter the communications profession, they are extremely important. Every job I looked ataftergraduaterequiredaportfoliotobepresented, andthebestwaytobuild that is through internships.” (Junior manager) “Internships and personal skills are huge in most any career. Get all the ‘real world’ experience you can. Try to make it as applicable to what you think you’d like to pursue as your career as possible.” (Senior mamger) 9O “Internships are vital. A good internship will allow you to dabble in mrmerous ‘skills sets’ which should help you identify what you enjoy or don’t enjoy doing before entering the job market.” (Middle manager) “One word - internships - they are a necessity for success and a great networking tool.” (Junior manager) “Use internships to develop an understanding of what field you want to go into so when you walk in for job interviews you can say without a doubt this is the area in which you want to work.” (Senior manager) “Get as much background as possible. . .work for your college newspaper and radio station, etc. If you can get internships, go for it! Build as large a network of contacts as possible!” Middle marfiger) Objective 4. Gain a greater understandingEof why current professionals chose a camer in ggri—marketmg’ . One open-ended question was asked near the end of the survey to gain insight as to why someone chooses a career in agri-marketing. Sixty-nine survey respondents chose to answer this question for a 16.2 response rate within survey respondents. Of those 69 individuals, the majority of respondents (53.6 percent) indicate a love of agricultural as the main reason they chose a career in agri-marketing. Many of these respondents also indicated a background in agriculture, such as firming, ranching or participation in youth 91 agricultural organizations. The following responses show the importance of agricultural heritage when choosing a career in agri-marketing: “Agriculture is and always will be in my life.” (Middle mamger) “Agriculture is near and dear to my heart.” (Senior manager) “Best fit my background and interests.” (Entry level) “Family history. That’s all I knew growing up on a farm.” (Middle manager) “Grew up in agriculture and got involved in FF A and 4-H.” (Senior manager) “It’s what I knew best. It’s what I like to do.” (Retired) “To stay close to the environment I grew up in.” (Middle manager) “To stay involved in agriculture and get a paycheck.” (Middle manager) Additionally, survey respondents indicated they enjoyed working with the agricultural community, and the people involved in agriculture. These experiences helped propel them to a career in agri-marketing. These selected respomes firrther explain the importance of enjoying the people involved in agriculture: “The people in this industry are the most genuine.” (Middle manager) “Wanted to communicate with people like my parents.” (Middle manager) “Like working with firmers and those in agriculture.” (Middle manager) “Agriculture particularly has a lot of great people.” (Senior manager) “I have a passion for agriculture and for people.” (Junior manager) “I chose this career to work with down to earth people.” (Junior manager) 92 Finally, the third theme that emerged for why people choose a career in agri- marketing is either challenge or chance. Many indicate they did not suspect to choose a career in agri-marketing, rather it chooses them. This happened either through internship experiences, the best job to fit certain skills, or job availability. As shown be the responses below, agri-nfirketing is a challenging and exciting career with a variety of opportunities, not just for those with an agricultural background: “It’s a challenge. . .the industry is always changing.” (Senior mager) “Agriculture was a niche area that fit my photojournalism skills.” (CEO/Owner) “I backed into it through heavy equipment advertising!” (Senior manager) “Combines writing with agriculture.” (Junior manager) “There were many potential employment avenues.” (Senior mmger) Responses to open ended questions provided valuable insight into several areas that were not covered in the questions of the survey. However, after a content amlysis of the survey comments, additional areas of importance emerged such as extra-curricular activities, importance of international experiences, the current agri-marketing job outlook, and general advice for future agri-marketing professionals. lmmrtance of exflcurricular activities Several respondents noted the importance of extra-curricular activities in preparation for a career in agri-marketing. The following comments show the importance of gaining a broad variety of experiences while in college, both inside and outside the classroom: 93 “I think it’s important to have experiences outside of agriculture to become too insulated. I was able to learn more about the agri-marketing profession by getting involved in student organizations and chrbs such as NAMA, and taking advantage of opportunities to attend conferences and other “off campus” events.” (Entry Level) “I would encourage students to maintain their involvement in ag associations — again a great networking tool and the opportunity for education outside the classroom.” (Junior manager) “If you truly love agriculture and/or marketing communications, find ways to work in this field before graduation, even if it means volunteer activities. Experiences and contacts are everything.” (Middle manager) monmce of International Experiences The importance of international experiences and thinking of agri-marketing fiom a global perspective clearly emerged as a significant area of importance for a successful career in agri-marketing. As shown in the comments below, several responses also indicated a need for agri-marketing professionals who are bi-lingual: “Learn multiple languages — at least Spanish, but also consider Japanese, French, German or Russian.” (Senior manager) 94 “If you choose Spanish or another language as a second language there will be a lot more doors open, even in agriculture.” (Senior manager) “Students should be sent to ag competitor countries to learn why these regions are competitive with the USA. These would include countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Hungary, China and India.” (Senior manager) Current Agg-Marketmg' Job Outlook Several survey responses indicated that this is a time of great opportunity for a career in agri-marketing. Despite recent economic setbacks, nmny agri-marketing professionals felt this was an exciting time to be involved in agriculture, as shown by the responses below: “Agri-marketing provides a long-term, relatively stable opportunity for a career. Agriculture is an incredible and vast industry that serves the most important needs of people. We need smart, curious, dedicated people to continue to improve peoples’ lives.” (Senior manager) “Even though the industry is consolidating rapidly at all levels of the value chain, there will be ample opportunity for young people to obtain jobs and establish valuable careers in the ag industry. Just focus on what they want to do and stay the course.” (Senior manager) 95 “I believe you can make a wonderfirl career in this industry, no matter what your background. Almost all the technical skills can be learned - you need a positive attitude and willingness to work on a team to be successful.” (Middle manager) “There is reason to be optimistic about a career in agri-marketing even though the agricultural economy hasn’t been doing very well. I’m amazed at the number of people employed in agri-marketing even though the number of farmers has decreased.” “This is an extremely exciting time to enter the field of agri-marketing. The rapid developments/changes in knowledge, media and audiences provide both challenges and excitement. These developments serve to underline the importance of the agri-marketing.” (Faculty member) “This is a wonderful field of study with many opportunities for career development. As a woman, I was not sure how I would fit in but the industry is booming with opportunities for young ag professionals. You will soon find that ag is a very small industry.” (Middle manager) Generg Advice for Future Agri-Marketing Professionals The final open-ended question asked survey respondents to share any additional comments for future agri-marketing professionals. Many respondents chose to address 96 topics that were asked in the survey, however a few gave general comments regarding the agri-marketing profession, and advice for those wishing to pursue a career in this field: “Ask yourself what do I want to do? Then look for companies that can help you accomplish that goal. Be flexible and obtain a wide range of experiences. Don’t be afi'aid to take c es. And most importantly don’t base your career moves upon money only.” (Middle manager) “Bepreparedto growwiththetrendsandchanges inagriculture, especially how technology is affecting the business. The world will depend on agriculture to produce food for the exploding population.” (CEO/Owner) “Consider being as well-rounded as you possibly can to increase employment options and your attractiveness as a hiring candidate. Good marketers are those that have relevant education but also relevant experiences that contribute to a potential employer’s needs.” (Middle manager) “Find a mentor whose experience is both traditional and current, reach a level of agreement and commitment and then follow his or her advice to gain maximum results from each level of responsibility.” (Senior manager) “Get infornntion about, learn about as many aspects of the marketing process as possible. For example, don’t be afraid to get experience at a printing facility or film house if you might work for an agency.” (Middle manager) 97 “Don’t be afiaid to ‘buck’ the system and try new things.” (Senior manager) “Remember that good jobs are not handed to you, but it is a job that you work hard to achieve.” (CEO/Owner) “The main challenge of any profession is to grow and adapt with the times. Careers related to agriculture are on a downside for the moment. But those who plan to continue to work in the area and join it in the future must hone their basic skills.” (CEO/Owner) 98 CHAPTER V SUMMARY / CONCLUSIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS Summary The purpose of this census study was to determine the skills needed for a successful career in agri-marketing as perceived by practicing agri-marketing specialists who are members of the National Agri-Marketing Association. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to: 1. Determine the occupational skills needed by agri-marketing professionals; 2. Identify the employability skills needed by agri-marketing professionals; 3. Assess the level of prior internship experience needed by future agri-mketing professionals; and 4. Gain a greater understanding of why current professionals chose a career in agri- marketing. The population of the study comprised of 1,700 active members of the National Agri-Marketing Association as of April 26, 2002. This census survey technique was used dueto easeofcollecting dataviathe Internetandeaseofcontacting all membersviathe organization’s listserv. The instrumentation for the study was a web-based questionnaire, which included both open-ended and close-ended questions. The researchers developed the instrument after a careful review of similar skill inventories conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers and other agricultural communications researchers. The validity of the instrument was established through a panel of experts including faculty at 99 Michigan State University and the Executive Council of the National Agri-Marketing Association. Scale reliability was established through testing Chronbach’s Alpha. Three emails were sent to the members of the National Agri-Marketing Association through the organization’s listserv. The “from” line in each e-mail appeared fi'om Eldon White, NAMA Executive Director, which helped establish a name recognition and encouraged members to participate. The initial e-mail invited all members to participate in this survey and provided an incentive of entering a drawing for one-year paid NAMA membership after completing the survey. The second e-mail was sent two weeks after the survey was distributed and thanked the respondents for completing the survey and reminded those who had not completed it to do so. The final e- mail was sent four weeks after the survey was distributed inviting those who had not participated to do so one final time. Two weeks later a name was drawn at random to award the one-year membership to NAMA. Altogether, 425 usable questionnaires were received fiom the NAMA population, resulting inaresponserateof25 percent. Theresearchersrecognizetheneedtohavea higher response rate in order to generalize the findings to the population. However, early and late respondents were compared to determine if they differed significantly on selected variables under the study, and no differences were observed. Literature has also documented a typically lower response rate using Internet survey’s compared to mail surveys. The response rates of this survey are also very similar to response rates for the national Job Outlook survey conducted each year. 100 Areas of agm' ultural em'ence The first objective sought to determine the occupational skills needed by agri- marketing professionals. Agricultural communications and agricultural business training were rated the two areas in which a future agri-marketing professional should have experience. Additionally, agricultrnal economics, international agriculture, and crop science rounded out the top five areas of importance. While all areas received a rating that indicated at least “little” experience needed, the least two areas of importance were fisheries/wildlife and forestry. Sflialization Skill Sets wi_thin Agri_-Marketmg' Skills related to marketing, writing and public relations received the highest scale means. A complete ranking of all agri-marketing skills is included in the Appendix. Overall, the top five skills requiring the most extensive knowledge for a career in agri- marketing were grammar, business writing skills, a knowledge of marketing principles, spelling, and experience with budgeting. Other areas receiving a high scale mean rating include: product pronrotions, concepting written materials, knowledge of buyer behavior, media relations skills, and market research skills. In general, technical skills such as layout and design, telecommunications and photography received the lowest scale mean scores. The specific skills with the least level of knowledge required include HTML/Web design, photo editing, radio/TV production, and photography skills such as lighting, film choices, and film developing. Em’ nce with computer progra_m§ used in ggri—mmkam' In general, the most extensive knowledge was needed for the Microsoft Office products, including Word, Power Point, Excel and Access. Knowledge of using e-nrail 101 programs was also viewed as important. The preferred software for graphic design was Adobe Photoshop, and Quark Xpress was the preferred software for desktop publishing. Web publishing received the lowest level of importance; however the Macromedia Dreamweaver program received the highest scale mean within that category. The second objective of this study was to determine the employability skills needed by agri-marketing professionals. The respondents rated their opinion of 13 different transferable skills or values on a scale of 1 (not important) to 4 (very important). Ethics and communication skills were rated as the two most important skills or values sought by agri-marketing professionals. Other skills including decision rmking abilities, motivation / initiative and interpersonal skills received the next highest ratings, whereas typing skills and GPA / academic credentials were seen as the least important tramferable skills. These findings show that hiring employers in agri-marketing are looking for a student who is ethical, has excellent written and oral communication skills, is able to make decisions, is personable, and is able to make decisions. The third objective sought to assess the level of prior internship experience needed by future agri-marketing professionals. Results show that internships are clearly important to future agri-marketing professionals, with 72.1 percent of respondents indicating internships as “very important” and an additional 26.8 choosing a “somewhat important” level. The majority of survey respondents (60.2 percent) think a student should complete two internships prior to graduation. The majority of survey respondents felt either a summer long (3 month) or semester long (6 month) internship are the most beneficial. Additionally, 52.9 percent of respondents felt the most beneficial type of internship was with an agricultural company. 102 The fourth objective was to provide insight on why current agri-marketing professionals chose a career in this discipline. The most prevalent theme as to why someone chose a career in agri-marketing was a love of agriculture, which included a background in farming or participating in youth agricultural organizations such as 4-H or FFA. The second most numerous type responses indicated a love for people involved in agriculture as the reason to pursue a career in agri-marketing. Finally, a small group of people chose a profession in agri-marketing because they felt it offered a challenge. Conclusions Conchrsions are limited to the members of the National Agri-Marketing Association and are based on findings from this study. 1. Determine the occupational skills n_eeded byggri-marketmg' professionals. Future agri-marketing professionals need a slight understanding of the different areas of agricultural study; however the most important areas for a career in agri- marketing are clearly agricultural communications and agricultural business training. Additional training in the areas agricultural economics and international agriculture are viewed as important. In general, survey respondents indicated a student should determine anareaofagri-marketingthatheorshe ismost interested, thenspecializetheirskillsto fit that area. Therefore, it is not expected that a student have an ‘extensive knowledge’ of all skills relating to agri-marketing. Overall, the skills requiring the most extensive knowledge for a career in agri-marketing were grammar, business writing skills, a knowledge of marketing principles, spelling, experience with budgeting, product promotions, concepting written materials, a knowledge of buyer behavior, media relations skills, and market research skills. Those students wishing to specialize in areas 103 such as layout/design, photography or telecommunications should focus on skills within those areas; however these skills are not essential for everyone involved in agri- marketing. Survey findings indicate an extensive knowledge is required on the Microsoft Ofiice fimily of products, including Word, Power Point, Excel and Access. Additiomlly students should be familiar with how to use E-mail software programs. After these skills, experience with specific computer programs used to aid agri-marketers are dependent on the specialization area a student wishes to pursue. Students interested in graphic design need some experience with Adobe Photoshop. Those interested in desktop publishing should be familiar with Quark Xpress. Though web design software experience received the lowest scale mean, Macromedia Dreamweaver was the computer application of choice for web design. 2. Identify thg enrployabilfl' skills n_eeded byagri-marketmg' professionals. Questions were asked concerning agri-marketing professionals opinion toward the transferable skills needed for a successful career in agri-marketing. Findings indicate that ethics, communication skills, decision making abilities, motivation/initiative and interpersonal skills are the most desired values for a future agri-marketing professional. 3. Assess the level of prior internship experience needecLby future agri-miketing mfessionals. lntemships are clearly important for future agri-marketing professionals. Survey respondents indicate that a student should participate in at least 2 internships prior to graduation and those should be either a summer or a semester-long internship. 104 Experience with an agricultural company (such as Monstanto, John Deere, Pioneer) was seen as the most beneficial type internship. 4. Gain a ter understand' of why curren_t professionpls chose a career in ggrj- marketing. Survey responses indicate a wide variety of reasons why somne chooses a career in agri-marketing, however most survey respondents indicate a love for the agricultmal industry or a love for people involved in agriculture as the main reason they chose this career path. Another popular response was that agri-marketing offers a challenging and dynamic employment experience. Recommendations and Implications Implications from this research can be applied to a variety of audiences, including faculty, and students. The researcher makes the following recommendations based on the research of this study. Implications for Students It is virtually impossible to train students interested in agri-marketing to have ‘extensive’ experience in all the specific skill sets relating to agri-marketing, and results of this study show that extensive experiences in all categories are not necessary. Therefore, a student interested in agri-marketing should identify a specialization area in which they would like to pursue a career. For example, if a student wishes to enter the creative side of agri-marketing, they should be familiar with the computer programs used in creative design. If a student wishes to enter sales, he or she does not need experience 105 with skills such as photography or television production, and instead needs a solid foundation of skills such as buyer behavior, marketing principles, and other related skills. Students should also participate in the NAMA student chapter. As shown by responses to open-ended survey questions, this is an important way to meet current agri- marketing professionals and participate in extra-curricular activities to strengthen your agr-marketing experiences. Recommendations for students: 1. Students should take an active role in determining their career paths. For example, if a student wishes to enter the area of television production, he should enroll in these classes fiom the College of Communications. A student should be willing to look outside of the AN R Communications department to find appropriate coursework to specialize his skills. The following benchmarks can help students and academic advisors determine if they are providing adequate services: 0 How often to students meet one-on-one with their academic advisor? o Is a career fiir or career information day offered to students? 0 Do courses show the variety of specialization areas available to students? For example, mny classes heavily emphasize on writing, but may not spend a great deal of time on areas such as television or radio production. 0 Are all students aware of career opportunities in all areas? 106 2. Students should participate in a variety of extra-curricular clubs to expand their knowledge gained in the classroom. All students wishing to join the field of agri- marketing should place membership in the student NAMA chapter and consider placing membership in other related organizations, such as Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT). The following benchmarks offer ways to evaluate the potential for student activities in an academic department: 0 What percentage of students in the academic department are active members of an extra-curricular organization? 0 What percentage ofstudents are members ofboth ACT and NAMA? o What other organizations do NAMA members belong? o Are there similar organizations offered in the College of Communications that would benefit our students? 3. A student wishing to enter the field of agri-marketing should seriously consider participating in the student NAMA competitive team. Advisors and students can use the following benchmarks to improve their programs: 0 What percentage of NAMA members apply for the NAMA competitive team? 0 How are members of this team recruited? o Are all students aware of this opportunity or only the elite students in the department? 107 4. Students should participate in some type of internship or work program to gain hands-on experience in their area of specialization. This could be achieved through an internship, a work-study program, a student worker position, volunteer efforts, co-op program, shadowing or mentoring. The following benchmarks can help students and advisors determine if they are offering the highest quality work experience for their students: 0 How many students participate in internships each year? 0 When a student completes an internship, how many of those results in a job offer after graduation? o How do students find out about internship experiences? 0 Of all students participating in work experiences, how many participate in internships? In student worker-programs? In work study? 5. All students who graduate with a degree in agricultural communications should be familiar with basic computer programs such as the Microsoft Office products. Departments and ficulty can measure their computer services program by using the following benchmark: - Do instructors encourage students to use these type of programs by requiring all reports to be typed, or by requiring students to make a Power Point presentation in class? 108 6. Students should have access to advanced programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Quark Xpress, should they wish to gain experience in this area. Obviously, not all students need advanced experience with specialized programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Quark Xpress. These programs should be available for those students who are interested in pursuing a career in areas such as graphic design or magazine production. The following benchmarks can help instructors and computer lab technicians meet students needs: 0 Are students able to enroll in an upper-level publication design class that utilizes these software programs? 0 Is there a faculty or staff member who is proficient with these programs who can offer technical support and advice to interested students? 0 Are these programs available in a school computer lab? 7. Graduates of an agricultural communications program should possess excellent basic communication and writing skills. Other specialized skills, such as web design, graphic design, or radio and television production, are not as important, therefore, should not be a major focus of a student’s coursework. In order to measure these skills, the following benchmarks can be used: 0 How are basic communication and writing skills used in a course curriculum? 0 Are students required to complete term papers, make presentations, etc? o Is there some type of senior project where a student must complete a research report and oral presentation? 109 o Are electives available in specialized areas such as web design, advertising design, etc? o Are students given the opportrmity to be involved with a student publication, or university radio/TV station if they desire? 8. A student wishing to enter the field of agri-marketing should be well-rounded in agricultural experiences, with a basic knowledge of several areas. A recommendation is that agricultural communications curriculum includes a variety of agricultural electives for students to choose different areas of agriculture that may interest them. A student who wishes to specialize in marketing firm machinery should take a class in agricultural engineering or soil and crop sciences to give them a background in their future clientele. Similarly, students wishing to be employed by a livestock publication should take a general animal science or food science class. The following benchmarks can help students and academic advisors use elective classes to their highest potential. 0 What electives are required for graduation with an agricultural communications degree? 0 Do students officially declare a specialization area such as livestock publications, natural resources communications, etc. o Are other departments open to allowing students from outside their major to enroll in their classes? Implications for Ag Communications Instructors and Administrators Transferable skills, such as ethics, communication, decision-making, motivation and interpersonal skills should be built into curriculum and classroom experiences to strengthen students’ skills in these areas or encourage their development. 110 Survey respondents indicated several areas of agri-marketing that required an extensive amount of knowledge. Faculty at Michigan State University should incorporate these skills/principles into their coursework to help built a student’s foundation in these areas. Basic skills such as grammar, spelling, concepting written materials and business writing can be strengthened through writing assignments and essays. Special agri- marketing skills such as marketing principles, budgeting, product promotions, buyer behavior, media relations, and nfirket research can be strengthened through both coursework and involvement in student organizations such as Student NAMA. In terms of experience with computer programs, recommendations are to provide some exposure to computer software programs in the areas of desktop publishing, graphic design and web design. Ideally, students should have access to the software most widely used in the industry. However if this is not available, students should have at least some exposure to a similar software program. Only a basic understanding of specialized computer programs is required, as much of this training may occur ‘on the job’ or may only be important to students wishing to enter the creative side of agri-marketing. lntemships are clearly important for future agri-marketing professionals. This survey suggests a student should participate in two different internships prior to graduation. The researcher recommends all students enrolled in the agricultural communications program at Michigan State University be strongly encouraged, if not required, to complete some type of supervised internship experience prior to graduation. If this is not available, all students should participate in a mentor or shadowing program to gain a better insight as to the business world of agri—marketing or agricultural communications. 111 Recommendations: 1. The MSU AN R Communications academic program should assess their current programs to determine if they are adequately preparing students with employability skills for a successful career in agri-marketing. A few benchmarks used to measure how well employability skills are being taught are below: 0 Are skills such as regular attendance, work ethic, teamwork built into coursework? o Is attendance mandatory in classes? 0 Do students participate in both individual and team projects? 0 Are communications skills built into coursework (written assignments, public speaking assignments, etc?) o Are graduates of the agricultural communications program given a chance to provide feedback on their education after graduation (such as exit interviews, follow-up surveys, etc)? 2. Academic administrators should consider making internships, or an equivalent type of work experience, a requirement for graduation. The following benchmarks may help administrators determine if they are providing students with enough internship opportunities prior to graduation: o Are internships required for graduation? 112 o Are students encouraged to participate in internships? If not, do students have an opportunity to gain some type of work-related experience? 0 How actively does ficulty assist students in finding internships? o Are all students aware of internship opportunities (through a listserv, internship/job board, classroom announcements, etc)? 3. Academic curriculum should provide enough flexibility in electives to allow students to choose an area and specialize in it if they wish. Students should be encouraged to take classes in other programs or colleges (such as the College of Communications) if available. Since agricultural media can be just as creative and exciting as general media, our students should have the opportunity to interact and create professioml relationships with their counterparts in the general communications field. This flexibility should also allow for students to take general agricultural classes, such as introductory classes in other agricultural departments to provide a solid foundation of agricultural education. The following benchmarks are useful to help in planning elective requirements and flexibility: o Are partnerships encouraged between the College of Communications and the College of Agriculture? 0 Are students in a general communications program encouraged to take classes in agricultural communications? Vice versa? 113 0 Do students in an agricultural communications program have an opportunity to interact with fellow students in the general communications program? 4. Students should have access to computer programs used most frequently in the industry. If these programs are not available, the most similar program should be offered to students. Instructors and administrators may use the following benchmarks to help determine the level of computer experience provided to students: 0 Do students have access to a computer lab on campus? How convenient is the computer lab access? 0 Is the lab open at convenient hours? 0 Are there plenty of computers available or are they on a limited basis? 0 Are the computers up to industry standards or are they outdated? 0 Do students have access to the industry standard software such as Adobe Photoshop or Quark Xpress? 0 Are both Mac and PCs offered? 0 Are competent lab monitors or faculty advisors available to answer questions about the computers? 114 Recruitmg' and Training Studejnts for Careers in Agri-Marketmg' Results of this study show that current agri-marketing professionals come from a variety of educational backgrounds and degree program. Though most agri-mketing professionals have experience in agriculture, this is not required to be a successful agri- marketer. Some sru'vey respondents also encouraged students to be trained as communicators, not agriculturalists. One could view this as a challenge to the CAN R at Michigan State University, but, on the other hand, it could be an opportunity. Survey findings clearly show that agri-marketing is a dynamic, diverse field. An agri-marketing professional could be a television broadcaster, a seed salesman, a magazine editor, and so on. The career options for agri-marketing are basically unlimited. Faculty and staff in the CANR need to emphasize this flexibility to students. Many students may feel that agri- marketing is simply agricultural sales, which is not the case. Another misconception that affects our recruiting is that agri-marketing deals with only your standard agricultural products, such as cattle or corn. In actuality, agri- marketing professionals work with a variety of inputs, such as animal health, crop protection, feed, fertilizer, equipment, livestock, seed and much more. We need to do a better job at the university level of letting students know that there is much more to agri- marketing than selling seeds or selling livestock. Recommendation: 1. Promote the diversity and flexibility of a career in agri-marketing to prospective students, which can be measured by the following benchmarks: 115 o Are careers in agri-marketing encouraged by faculty and academic advisors? 0 Do advisors in other colleges and departments know about career opportunities in agri-marketing? Recommendations for Further Study . In five to ten years, what skills are needed for a successful career in agri- marketing? (Follow up study) . What skills are important for a career in farm broadcasting? . What skills are important for a career in livestock publications? . What skills are important for a successful career in agricultural journalism? . Do current agri-marketing professionals possess the skills necessary for a career in agri-marketing? If so, where did they learn these skills? . How important is on—the-job training for beginning agri-marketing professionals? . How important is continuing education to agri-marketing professionals? . Why do people choose a career in agri-marketing? . What skills are important for graduates of an agricultural economics program to possess if they wish to enter the field of agri-marketing? Animal science majors? General business majors? 116 Conclusion There has never been a time of more critical importance to train students for careers in agriculture, and especially areas such as agricultural communications and agri- marketing. Even though production agriculture is rapidly transforming into highly technical, innovative agricultural businesses, there is a huge need for professionals to help spread the agricultural message to the public. Both research and the popular press note the shortage of students properly traimd to meet the communications needs of the changing face of agriculture. (Pawlick, 2001; Vacek, 1999; US. Department of Labor, 1991; Committee for Economic Development, 1998) Students graduating from an agricultural communications program must possess ethics, communication skills, decision making skills, interpersonal skills and initiative, in addition to the specialized skills of their discipline. This research supports literature that states students with these type skills are more of an asset to the employer, which is similar to the research conducted by Buck and Barrick (1987) and Kunkel (1992). As stated in the original quote of this document, without agriculture, the world is lost, and agricultm'e needs professionals with strong values, ethics, and occupational skills to relate the agricultural message to the public. By recognizing these challenges and changing structure of the agricultural industry, land-grant agricultural communications programs can help students earn the skills they need to successfully compete, and successfirlly achieve employment in the job of their choice. 117 APPENDICES 118 Appendix A Cross Tabulation of Agri-Marketing Employability Skills by Industry Category. Skill Skill Category N Not Little Somewhat Very Chi- lmportant Importance Important 1m portant Squre Design Principles Layout/ Desigp 412 1.7 12.6 66.5 19.2 .054 Design programs Layout/ Design 410 3.2 34.9 51.5 10.5 .082 HTML / Web Layout/ Design 409 3.2 32.3 56.7 7.8 .820 Design Photo editing Layout! Design 410 4.1 35.6 52.7 7.6 .042 Typogrgphy Layout/ Design 410 6.8 42.9 46.1 4.1 .098 Black and white Photography 411 7.8 36.0 53.8 2.4 .514 photography Camera ftmctions Photography 409 6.1 27.6 56.7 9.5 .273 Color Photography 409 5 .6 28.9 55 .7 9.8 .178 photography Composition Photography 408 6.6 26.0 50.5 16.9 .015 Developirfi Photography 408 19.9 52.0 26.2 2.0 .543 Digital Photography 410 5.6 21.0 58.3 15.1 .011 photography fighting Photogpaphj 406 9.9 36.0 46.6 7.6 .014 Campaign Public 409 1.0 3.9 53.5 41.6 .002 planning Relations Event planning Public 410 0.5 7.3 60.0 32.3 .282 Relations Media relations Public 410 0.2 3.4 45.6 50.7 .210 Relations Product Public 410 0.0 1.2 46.6 52.2 .444 Promotion Relations Risk Public 407 0.0 8.1 59.0 32.9 .013 Communication Relations 8 Stakeholder Public 402 1.0 13.7 60.9 24.4 .008 relations Relations Advertising Marketing 409 0.7 l 1.0 69.2 19.1 .195 Design Budgeting Marketing 409 0.0 1.2 40.1 58.7 .170 Buyer behavior Marketing 407 0.0 3.4 45.0 51.6 .269 Market research Marketing 410 0 2.9 49.0 48.0 .616 Marketing Marketing 409 0.0 1.0 25.4 73.6 .01 1 principles Media Marketing 409 2.0 17.8 62.3 17.8 .041 placement Media planning Marketing 409 1.0 14.7 62.3 22.0 .180 Product Marketing 407 0 2.2 48.4 49.4 .214 romotion Analyzing data Research 409 0.3 2.0 60.9 36.8 .637 119 Cross Tabulation of Agri-Marketing Employability Skills by Industry Category. (Continued) Skill Skill N Not Little Somewhat Very Chi- Category Important Importance Important Important Squre Conducting Research 391 0.3 13.0 67.3 19.4 .497 research Constructing Research 403 0.5 21.3 63 .3 14.9 .847 surveys Developing Research 406 0.2 8.6 63.3 27.8 .243 evaluation strategies Interpreting Research 404 0.0 5.7 55.0 39.4 .384 research Understandi Research 402 0.2 5 .2 61 .4 33 .1 .742 ng different research methods Radio Telecom 401 3.2 24.2 64.1 8.5 .022 broadcast municatio ns Radio Telecom 400 6.3 34.3 53.8 5.8 .018 production municatio ns TV Telecomm 401 4.0 27.7 61.6 6.7 .564 broadcast unications TV Telecomm 401 7.3 36.0 52.3 4.5 .145 production unications Video Telecomm 399 4.0 25.8 62.2 8.0 .179 production unications Business Writing 409 1.9 l 1.9 52.3 33.8 .234 writing Concepting Writing 410 2.4 17.1 59.0 21.5 .243 written materials Creative Writing 410 0.2 3.2 43.9 52.7 .581 writing DraftinL Writing 412 0.0 0.5 24.5 75.0 .840 Editing Writing 41 1 0.5 6.6 47.9 45.0 .041 Grammar Writing 412 0.0 1.2 18.9 79.9 .547 News Writing 410 1.7 17.6 61.5 19.3 .167 writifl PR writing Writing 412 0.7 9.2 58.7 31.3 .008 Radio Writing 411 4.9 23.6 59.4 12.2 .038 scripts Spelling Writing 412 0.7 4.4 22.6 72.3 .169 Technical Writing 412 1.0 15.3 60.4 23 .3 .584 writing TV scripts Writing 409 7.3 34.5 50.1 8.1 .627 120 BIBLIOGRAPHY 121 BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, D. 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