ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM ON PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES OF ENGINEERS.

Abstract

Sorry, the full text of this article is not available in Huskie Commons. Please click on the alternative location to access it.

136 p.

This study correlated four sets of independent variables with job performance of engineering professionals in telecommunications. Based on Cervero's model linking CPE and behavioral change, this study demonstrated that variables other than training did affect job performance.Forty-three engineers and professionals in telecommunications participated in job-related training. Performance scores were correlated to variables in the four components of the framework: Characteristics of the Individual Professional, The Change Proposed by the Training, the Continuing Professional Education Program, and The Social System in Which the Professional Works. Additionally, variables were selected from the four components to determine cumulative effects on job performance in a stepwise regression analysis.Findings of the study revealed significant relationships in performance to variables in the four components. Engineers with higher job status, who had a higher level of education, who strongly agreed the training would benefit them, or even rated the training more highly, had significantly higher job performance scores. Additionally, engineers who agreed that the change proposed by the training was relevant to the job, prepared them to do the job more effectively, addressed a need in the company, and agreed that the benefits of the training would positively affect the company also had significantly higher job performance scores. Variables from the four components of the model accounted for up to 45% of the variance in job performance based on the regression analysis.Findings suggest that variables other than the CPE program impact significantly on performance. Determining the effect those variables have on performance allows program planners, evaluators, and administrators of CPE to understand why a program fails or succeeds.