4 DOCUMENT RESUME . ED 217 CE 032 933 (AUTHOR Taylor, Patricia A:; Grandjean, Burke D. TITLE Schooling; Trainirig,.and,Patterns of Occupational Change 'among Career Civil Servapts, 1963-1977. Final Report. 'INSTITUTION Sweet Briar Coll., Va. SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education(ED), Washington,\DC. PUB DATE Jun 81 GRANT 'NIE-G-78-0005 NOTE EDRS PRICE Mi'01/PC05 PlUs Postage. DESCRIPTORS AdUlts; *Caree Change; Career Laddeils;*Education Work Relitionship;,*FederalGovernment; *Goverwent Employees; Midlife T sitions; *Occupational Mobility; *Transfer Of Training; Vocational Adjustment ABSTRACT' This project examined the careers of aone percent, sample of federal civil servants for theyears 1963 through 1977. The areas of emplOyment investigated included economic returns to schooling and experience/ factors affecting promotion and turnover, and occupational career la dens. A series of hypotheses and objectives specified at thd outset wee subjected'to multivariate estatisticaianalysis using he official personnel, records of more than 68,000 federal.employeeS. The results show that the main conclusions of human capifl research in economics andstatus attainmet research in sociologyholddor the federal government. However, internal labor market chAfacteristics must also be-- considered for a full understanding of civil service careers. The: findings suggest 'that mobi'ity between major occupational categories is infrequent in the federal service, and that_ when it doesoccur the attribUtes of origin and destination jobsare not similar. Attribute continuity is greatest for mobility involving a change of gradeof detailed occupation without a change of Major categories, for .1 ipploye- in mid career, .not new entrants; and for two_ of the nine attributes considered -- knowledge required-by the job and its physical %demands. The implication for educational practice is thata concern Ytor teaching transferable skillsto prepare students for a career of cfccupational change should not sacrifice thorough mastery df specific subject matters. (Author/KC) , ***********************************'*****;***k************************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are tHe best that call be made *, from the original document. *********************************************,************************** /1- 40. .1 $ 4 SCHOOLING, TRAINING, AND PATTEAS_OF OCCUPATIONAL' CHANGE AMONG'CAREER CIVIL SERVANTS, 1963-1977* Final Report to the National Institute of EduCation on 4Research Conducted under Grant No. NIE-G-78-0005 . C by . Patricia A. Taylor, Ph.D. Burke D. Grandjean, Ph.D.' Department of Sociology , Department of Sociology University of Virginia University of Virginia . Principal Investigator: Patricia A. Taylor Performing Orginization: Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar, Virginia o A *Since grantees conducting research and development projects under Govern- ment sponsorship are encouraged to express their own judgment freely,.this report does not necessarily represent the official opinionor policy of the National"Inttitute of Education. The grantee is solely responsible for the contents of this,report." This report may be reproduced, in wholeor in %part, for use by the Federal government. 'June, 1981 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) /Tinsdocument has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it 1 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this docu ment do not necessarily represent official NIE position or poky a SCHOOLING, TRAINING, AND PATTERNS OF OCCUPATIONAL CHANGE AMONG CAREER CIVIL SERVANTS, 1963 - 1977 . ABSTRACT This project examined the careers 'of a one percent sample of Federal civil servants for the years 1963 through 1977. The areas of employment investigated included economic returns to schooling and experience, factors affecting promotion and 'turnover, and occupational career ladders. A series of hypotheses and objectives specified at the outset were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis using the official personnel-recordsiof over 68,000 Federal employees. The results show that the main conclusipns of human capital research in economics and status attainment research.in sociology hold for the Federal government. However, internal labor market characteristics must also be con- sidered for a full unddrstanding of civil service careers. , Theotexploration of career ladders concerns the extent to which -occupational change involves movement between-jobs with similar attributes and, by inference, similar skill requirements. Here the findings suggest that mobility between major occupational categories is relatively infrequent in.the Federal services . and that when it does occur the attributes of origin and destination jobs are not very similar. Attribute continuity is gredtest for mobility involving a change of gradd or detailed occupation without a change of major categories, fo ;- employees in the'middle of their careers TS Compared to recent entrants, and for two of the -nine attributes considered-- the knowledge required by the job, and its physical demands, including technical skills. The implication for educational practrice is that a concern for teaching transferable skills to prepare students fora career of occupational change should hot'sacrifice thordugh mastery of specific subjea matters. 3 0 t -3- . TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Number Title Page 1 Abstract 2 Table of Contents 1 3 List of Tables 5 ., Introdyction 7 .._ Organization of the'Report a T 7 . Research Design and Data Set . 8 Human Capital Hypotheses 10 Hypothesis 1 12 , H9:gothesis.2 12" Hypothesis 3, 12 Hypothesis 4 15 Hypothesis 5 T7 Hypothesis 6 2'2 AO Mobility 31 HypothesA7 31 `v < Hypothesis 8 41 4 'Hypothesis 9 44 ... Hypotklesis 10 -4,4 fl Hypothesis 11 . 44 2 ,A, ', V o . - Occupational Career Ladde'rs . , 46 Objective 1 . , 46*-,,- . Objective 2 46 4 ,-, -4 J Page Number * Objective 3 46 Objective 4 46 \, %, Summary and Conclusions 55' Appendix A (Hypotheses and Objectives) Appendix 8 (Department of Labor Final Report) Appendix C.(The Data Base) Appendix D (Bibliography) If, . Of I / i CO r, = ...S. 11. 4 .... e 5 , I -5- LIST OF TABLES Rage Number Table 1: Education Level Attained, by GS Grade, and by \ Sex, August, 1974 11 Table 2: Pay,ttructureof,Minority/Sex Groups, for Four Cohorts, 1963-1977, Predicting 1977 Salary 13 Table 3: Standardized Returns to Schooling and ExperiendeA, by Minority/Sex Group, for Four Cohorts,,1963- 1977, Predicting 1977 Salary 16 Table 4: Effect of Degree 'Certification on Salary of Professionals and Administrators Only, for Four-- Minorfty/Sex Groups, Net of Independent Effects, Cross-Section 1977 18 Table 5: .Regression' Equations Predicting 1977 Salary for the On-Board, White-Collar Employees, by Educational Certification . 20 . , . Table 6: Effect of Schoolingon Duration and Expense of Job Training,. Cross-Section, 1974 - 1977., 24 Table 7: Effect of Training; Education, and Experience on 1977 Salary for Five Cohorts 25 Table 8: Employee Traiging by Minority/Sex Group, fdr Average Hours of 'Trai4ing, % Receiving Training, and Average- Cost of Training Per Worker Hour, Fiscal Year, 1976 . 28 .Table 9i Regression Estimates of Minority /Sex Status in Predicting Differences in Cost of Institutional Job Training with Non-Minority Males Among Federal, White-Collar Employees; 1974'-1977 30 o f Figure 1: Schematic Model of Socioeconomic Achievement in' the Federal Civil Service . 32 Table 16: Variable Means and Standard Deviations for Five CohOrt1 of Career Federal Civil Servants 34 o Table 11: Socioeconomic Achievement Among. Longterm Employees: Net Metric Regression Coefficients for Pre-1963 Entrats to the U.S Civil Service -'37 , $ Tabler12: -SociOecOknomic Aphievement,in the Great Society and Vietnam Cohorts: Net Metric Regression Coefficients .for 1963-65. and 1966-68 Ent6nts to the U.S. Mil Service . ,. , ....... ... 3B Table 13: aocioeeonomic_Achievement in the,Nixonomics and. Watergate Copor;s: Net `Metric Regression Coef-' ficients for 1969-71 and 1972-73 Entrants to the U.S..Civil Service 39 c 6 -6- , Page Number Table 14: .Effectt of Education,MinoriWSex Group and 4 Occupatignal'Category on Termination for Entrants and Mid-Career Civil Servants 45 Table 15: A Log-Linear Analysis of Occupational Mobility, 19.69-1977: Standardized Lambdas . 48 Table 16: Selected 1973 and 1977 Occupational Categories of 4169 Clerical Employees (Percents) 50 Tableil,: Factors in the Factor Evaluation System 51 Table 18: Continuity Coefficients for Raw Scores and Profile Scores on Nine Job'Attributes, by Mobility: Entrants to the U.S. Civil Service, 1963-1973 ' 53 Table 19:. Continuity Coefficients for Raw Scores and Scores on'Nine Job'Attributes, by Mobility: Mid-Careei U.S. Ctvil Servants, 1965. 54 Table 20: Effects of Selected Job Attributes (Raw Scores and Profile Scores)on'Mobility: Entrants to the U.S. Civil Service, 1963-1973 %56 0 Table 21: Effects of Selected Jqb Attributes (RwScores and Profile Scores) on Mobility:- Mid-Career U.S. Civil Servants, 1965 4 -7- A FINAL REPORT:., . Schooling, Training and Patterns of Occupational Change among Career Civil Servants, 1963- 1977 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION GRANT #78-0005 Introduction A dominant themd in American education has been "Ifyou want a better Ijob, get a better education." Indeed, there has been considerable evidence that education does have a great impact on one's salary and thesocioeconomic status of one's occupation.