FindingsResults from the initial qu

FindingsResults from the initial questionnaire demonstrated certain facets, which were relevant for the later stages of the research; for example, students and employers differed from lecturers and secretaries in their perceived need for competence at word processing. This was crucial from NVQs in that text processing only featured in one unit with no requirement for other evidence to be text processed. Lecturers and secretaries believed word processing competence to be essential, therefore, this omission from NVQs differed from the traditional view of lecturers and the experience of secretaries. Moreover, this was extended in that 51.85% of employers did not agree that “proof-reading and checking are important for a secretary”, which suggests that employers tolerated excessive drafting and editing. With regard to timing there was a further discrepancy in that NVQs were not time-constrained, but within secretarial work time is often limited and the need to meet deadlines is frequently essential for successful outcomes for a company. In teamwork, lecturers differed from the other groups as they believed that secretaries should not help others, which points to a lack of familiarity with the trend towards working for more than one boss. Neither was initiative valued by employers whereas secretaries and students believed these important, possibly as a way out of secretarial work (see Table I for summary).