The armed services : a career choice?

The aim of this research was to identify what factors were preventing secondary school students from enlisting as army officers to the same extent as they had in the past, and to measure the relative merits of significant others and organizational projection on the vocational development of youth. A sample of 485 male and female, sixth and seventh form students from seven Christchurch and four rural secondary schools in the Canterbury region were surveyed. Two questionnaires (one assessing the situational influences on students during vocational development, and the second assessing attitudes towards the armed services), and the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPD were administered. The findings indicated the usefulness of the VPI as an instrument for predicting and assessing suitable entrants into the armed services. Differences were found between informative and influential sources on students while making vocational choices; the role of parents (significant others) was influential and advertising (organizational projection) was informative. These two sources had the greatest impact. Results offered some support for the situational approach to career choice. Finally, it appeared that students are not joining the army because they are not informed and have a narrow image of what an army officer career entails. The recommendations that follow consist of: the broadening of the image that is portrayed through organizational projection; the maintenance of parental support for the armed services; and the possibility of using realistic job previews to deal with the false or incorrect expectations that students hold towards the army as an organization