An Employer Needs Assessment for Vocational Education: Palomar Community College District.

A study was conducted to determine the employment needs within the Palomar Community College District. Surveys were mailed to a stratified random sample of 600 North San Diego County employers, requesting respondents to provide information on type and size of business, to rank the occupational programs offered by Palomar according to employment needs, to recommend new programs to be considered in the next 5 years, and to project the number of employees that would be needed in those fields. Study findings, based on responses from 256 (43%) of the employers, included the following: (1) of the responding companies, 16% were classified as construction/apprenticeship, 16% as manufacturing, 14% as hospitality and recreation, 11% as transportation, 10% as business and clerical, and 10% as public services; (2) 68.8% of the respondents represented small businesses, 21.5% medium-sized businesses, and 9.8% large firms; and (3) the programs rated as most important to the employers' needs were accounting, word processing, computer science, office management/clerical, mechanic/general, telecommunications, bookkeeping, banking and finance, escrow, nursing, quality assurance, nurse assistant, machine tool operator, and restaurant manager. The study report includes findings presented by vocational area, additional information from various sources regarding population and employment projections for the San Diego area, a list of responding employers, the goals of the state's 5-year plan for vocational education, and the survey instrument. (HB)