A Survey on the Skill Set Preference for Bachelor’s Degree Graduates from the Fire Safety Department
Article information
Abstract
This study conducted an industrial demand survey and statistical analysis (descriptive & χ2 to better understand the preferred skill set for bachelors’ degree graduates from the Fire Safety Department, then ultimately provided current students with a customized education. Based on the results, 1) it shows that the industrial thought of skill set related to major and personality as one of the most important factors. Particularly, they prefer people who are good at field work and hold a fire protection fundamental engineer license (mechanical/electrical), which is a state-registered license in terms of majors. 2) They also want universities to strengthen: field-oriented practical education, practical education with equipment and materials, and practical projects-oriented education to enhance their field work ability. 3) They prefer graduates who proactively participates in their jobs, possess a sense of responsibility and diligence, and have a good personality for harmonizing with current employees. 4) Lastly, they think it is efficient for universities to provide graduates from a fire safety department with goal and vision establishing training, achievement motivation development training, and involve them in leadership development programs.
Trans Abstract
이 논문은 소방학과 학사 졸업생에게 요구되는 직무능력의 선호도를 알아보기 위해 산업체 수요조사와 통계분석을 실시하였다. 분석 결과, 소방관련 산업체 종사자들은 신입사원이 갖춰야 할 능력 또는 자질로써 전공 관련 전문지식과 인성을 중요하게 생각하고 있었다. 특히, 전공능력 측면에서는 현장실무에 능하면서도 소방설비기사(기계/전기) 자격증을 보유하고 있는 졸업생을 선호하고 있었으며, 학생들의 현장실무 역량을 강화하기 위해서 대학교에서 현장중심의 실무교육, 실무기자재 및 장비활용교육, 실습 및 프로젝트 중심교육을 강화해 주기를 희망하고 있었다. 인성 측면에서는 성실성, 책임감을 갖고 적극적으로 회사 일을 처리하면서도 다른 직원들과 원만한 인간관계를 맺을 수 있는 신입사원을 선호하고 있었으며, 학생들의 인성함양을 위해서 목표설정 및 비전설정, 성취동기 개발훈련, 리더십 프로그램 등을 운영하는 것이 효과적일 것으로 생각하고 있었다.
1. Background
Recently, the industry has been trying to secure extraordinary talented man power and to reform bitterly its structural system. This has been undertaken in order to survive and grow as companies have engaged in radical change and now face limitless competition. On the other hand, the academia has been not only contributing a research field, but also acting as a main part of cultivating high quality human resources through diverse research. However, the academia cannot reach the radical changes and requests of the industry. This failure then requires companies to have to reeducate new employees for their needs. In addition, it gradually makes it difficult for senior students who want to get a job immediately after graduation to find their careers.
These days, it is gradually becoming more important to engage in a partnership between academia and company, field practice, and student start-ups in this unemployment crisis. It is highly necessary for the academia has to create and develop interdisciplinary education policies to make the above become a reality. In other words, only if universities are open and accepting of the link to the needs of society and companies will universities survive. Moreover, as the school-age cohort continues to rapidly decrease, universities’ employment rates and education programs are becoming much more significant and linking the needs of companies have become one of the top factors when prospective students choose their university career. Consequently, a university’s employment rate in the current job market will be one of the core parameters in the competitiveness among universities. Additionally, only the university can enable the survival of the industry due to such a rapidly decreasing school-age cohort.
To stably recruit prospective students in a university, it is required that universities make efforts to reflect opinions of the industry about the necessary skill set for graduates from universities.
The Saramin (www.saramin.co.kr), a job portal site, conducted the survey, which includes human resources managers in domestic companies, to better understand potential employees who companies prefer and core skill set to be required.
Also, another survey was conducted by a free online career development site in GyeonggiDo, which is called, Ggumnalgea (www.dream.go.kr). It carried out a survey, targeting their members who are currently being hired, about “the ability that required to new employees” on a nationwide scale. Responsibility, diligence, specialty, and an ownership mind have been highly ranked based on the results. That could be because companies prefer prospective employees who are trustworthy and responsible, especially when considering the current economic downturn and they are viewed as ones who fit the National Competency Standards (NCS). However, there has been little research conducted by each major industrial field. Therefore, this research specifically aims to enhance the practical job competition of the graduates from fire safety departments by conducting a survey, targeting fire protection companies’ current employees.
2. The Skill Set Preference Survey for the Bachelor’s Degree Graduates
2.1 Research Subject and Method
To conduct a survey, over 130 fire protection related companies were randomly selected, located in Seoul/Incheon/Gyeonggi, Daegu/Gyeongbuk, and Busan/Ulsan from November 10th, 2014 to November 21st, 2014. The questionnaires were collected by a face-to-face method after making appointments by telephone. To find out insufficient and lacking information in the questionnaires, the collected data was double checked and censored, and then 126 validated questionnaires were finally selected. Statistical analysis was conducted using the 126 questionnaires.
2.2 The Questionnaire
The contents of the questionnaire focused on “the appropriate people for your company”, “the qualification for your company as a college graduate with a major specialty”, “what major courses should be strengthened in a fire safety department?”, “what programs would contribute to the personality development for bachelor’s degree graduates of a fire safety department?”, “what State-registered licenses could be recommended to bachelor’s degree graduates of a fire safety department?”, “to what some extent language abilities are needed to bachelor’s degree graduates of a fire safety department?”, and “how much 2nd language ability is needed?”. The questionnaire consists of a total of 6 questions. The respondents were able to choose two or three different choices, depending on the questions. Among the contents of the questionnaire, the questions related to the appropriate people for a company and competency are basically based on job portal sites’ questions. Also, programs that are thought to be effective in strengthening the talent and competence of the graduates that are currently being run in universities and departments were considered.
2.3 Research Method
Frequency distributions were conducted to understand a company’s preference for the bachelor’s degree graduates of fire safety departments. To undertake this, Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 18 was used. Also, a Chi-Square test of independence was conducted to confirm preferences of each group for five different questions related to the qualification and ability for the bachelor degree graduates of a fire safety department. Independence test for the groups about distribution of categorical data can be approximately conducted.
Null hypothesis (H0) = there is no difference for preferences among groups.
Null hypothesis will be accepted if the result of Chi-square test is more than 0.05 of P-value. In other word, if the P-value is less than 0.05, there would be differences for preferences among groups.
2.4 Frequency Analysis and Chi-square Test of Independence
2.4.1 The appropriate people for your company
Fig. 1 shows the result that respondents expect the appropriate people for your company as a new employee who is graduated from a fire safety department. First, the integrity and diligence is frequently answered as 65.1%, the next is a sense of responsibility and ownership to their company (46.8%), proactive or positive attitude (38.1%), specialty for a job field (37.3%), professional attitude and a sense of duty to a job (29.4%), and lastly harmonious relationship among colleagues (27.0%). The response rate for the top 6 categories is relatively high around 80%. Furthermore, the respondents by corporate status (right) represents the result of the preference depending on respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross for their company, and the number of employee. It also shows a similar pattern with all of respondents (left).
The Preference for the Appropriate People of a New Employee - All of Respondents (Left) / the Respondents by Corporate Status (Right).
The result of the Chi-square test for the appropriate people for your company, as shown in Table 2, showed no significant differences among groups which are respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross of company, and the number of employees. It means every group has the same preference with frequency analysis.
Chi-Square Test for the Appropriate People of a New Employee (N)
The Number of Respondents by Corporate Status
2.4.2 The qualification and ability as a new employee
Fig. 2 shows the result of questions for the qualifications and abilities as a new employee. First, the expertise related to majors (fire protection) is ranked at the top with 69.0%. The next is human nature and professional attitude (65.9%), Personal Computer (PC) skills for a general office work (23.8%), and last, mastering new technologies and utilizing those (16.7%). The response rate for the top 4 categories is relatively high around 60%. The preference depending on respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross, and the number of employees is similar with the respondents by corporate status (right).
The Preference for the Qualification and Ability of a New Employee - All of Respondents (Left) / the Respondents by Corporate Status (Right).
In Table 3, the result of the Chi-square for qualification and ability of the new employees shows that there was no significant difference in preference among groups regarding to respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross, and the number of employees (p-value>0.05).
Chi-Square Test for the Qualification and Ability of a New Employee
2.4.3 Majors that should be strengthened in the fire safety department
Fig. 3 is the overall response result related to majors that should be strengthened in a fire safety department. A field-oriented practical education is ranked at the top with 85.7%. The second is also similarly a practical education with equipment and material (36.5%), practical and projects-oriented education (34.1%), default knowledge for majors (11.9%), and lastly, specific liberal arts for personality (9.5%). Based on the above, the top 4 ranks explain around 55% of respondents’ replies. Additionally, the preference regarding to respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross, and the number of employees in the respondents by corporate status (right) is shown as a similar pattern with all of respondents (left).
The Preference for the Education that Hope to be Strengthened in the Fire Safety Department - All of Respondents (Left) / the Respondents by Corporate Status (Right).
Table 4 shows the result of the Chi-square for majors that should be strengthened in a fire safety department. It also shows that there was no significant difference in preference among groups regarding to respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross of company, and the number of employees (p-value>0.05).
Chi-Square Test for the Preference for the Education That Hopes to be Strengthened
2.4.4 The program that could improve personality
Fig. 4 represents the overall response result associated with the program that could enhance personality. Establishing goals and visions is the top at 62.7% and the next is achievement motivation development training (47.6%), leadership development program (41.3%), mentor (19.0%), voluntary activity (14.3%), and encouraging readings (8.7%) in sequential order. The top 5 ranks represent around 60% from the respondents’ reply. It can be confirmed that the preference regarding to respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross of company, and the number of employees in respondents by corporate status (right) is highly similar with all of respondents (left).
The Preference for the Program That Could Improve Personality - All of Respondents (Left) / the Respondents by Corporate Status (Right).
The result of the Chi-square for the program of an individual personality improvement in Table 5 shows that there was no significant difference for preference among groups with regard to respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross, and number of employees (p-value>0.05).
Chi-Square Test for the Preference for the Program That Could Improve Personality
2.4.5 The recommended State-registered licenses
Fig. 5 shows the recommended State-registered licenses to the bachelor’s degree graduates. A fire protection fundamental engineer (Mechanical; FEM) license is at the top with 86.5%, and a fire protection fundamental engineer (Electrical; FEE) (84.9%), a hazard material industrial engineer (HMIE) (29.4%), an industrial safety engineer (ISE) (15.9%), a building facilities engineer (BFE) (13.5%), a fire scanning and evaluation engineer (FSEE) (11.1%) in sequence. Top 4 items explain as high as around 70% of all respondents’ replies. Shown as Fig. 5 (right), the preference with regard to respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross of company, and the number of employees also has a similar pattern with the left.
The Preference for the State-registered Licenses to be Recommended - All of Respondents (Left) / the Respondents by Corporate Status (Right).
The Preference for the Foreign Language Ability Required to the Graduates – the Preferred Foreign Language (Left) / the Level of TOEIC to be Required (Right).
The result of the Chi-square for the State-registered license to be recommended is Table 6. Based on the result, there was no significant difference (p-value>0.05) for the preference among groups regarding to respondents’ working region, job type, career, total gross of company, and the number of employees.
Chi-Square Test for the Preference for the State-Registered Licenses to be recommended
2.4.6 The language ability required to the graduates
English is the most selected language as the second language (88.1%). Specifically, respondents chose the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) score. The next is Chinese (5.1%), and Chinese characters (1.7%). In other opinions, TOEIC speaking test is also regarded as one of the important speaking abilities. Based on the result of respondents, the TOEIC score that respondents want from the graduates is from 700 to 800 (34.7%). The next is from 600 to 700 (28.6%), then over 800 (18.4%). In a rough way, they think the 2nd language ability is not mandatory. That would be because fire-protecting companies are mostly small or mid-sized domestic companies. Another reason would be that English is not necessary in their business.
3. Conclusion
This study conducted an industrial demand survey and statistical analysis in order to better understand the preferred skill set for bachelors’ degree graduates and the result of research is as followings:
(1) The industry considers “the expertise related to majors” and “personality” as the most important qualifications and abilities required of new employees.
(2) The expertise related to majors’ perspective view, they want a new employee who holds FEM/FEE licenses as well as who is good at working in the field. In order to strengthen field work, it is highly recommended that classes such as field-oriented educations, practices with equipment and materials, and project-oriented educations should be increased in universities.
(3) In personality perspective view, the industry prefers new employees who have integrity and diligence, a sense of responsibility, and a good personality that harmonizes with current employees. Then, it would be highly effective to run programs that can improve personality attributes, such as establishing goals and vision, achievement motivation development, and leadership programs in the universities. This industry’s demand survey result analysis will be used as a reference to develop current curriculum for a fire safety department to match the industry’s demands.
Acknowledgements
This study was carried out with the support of the Goal- Oriented Fire Safety Training Agency (GO-FIRST) selected as ‘University for Creative Korea (CK-1)’ in 2014.