A Determination of Instructional Commonalities in Agricultural Occupations in the Fargo, West Fargo, North Dakota, Metropolitan Area. Report of the Research Study.

Conducted in the Fargo and West Fargo metropolitan area, this study had as its objectives to determine: (1) opportunities for using local businesses as centers for student-learner employment, (2) the willingness of employers to take part in other types of teaching involvement, and (3) the relevance of 44 selected agricultural competency clusters necessary or useful for job entry. Questionnaires distributed to 164 agribusinesses in the area supplied the data. Conclusive findings included: (1) Generally, management representatives surveyed were willing to assist the school in providing centers for field trips, but not many were enthusiastic about providing opportunities for supervised experience programs, (2) Employment in firms that hired large numbers of part-time employees tended to be seasonal, (3) Agribusiness management and marketing clusters were considered most important for job entry of the 44 competency clusters surveyed, (4) Except for some agribusiness management and marketing clusters, the competency clusters were not commonly accepted as relevant to all types of employment, and (5) Skill type clusters were considered least important for obtaining employment. (Author/SN)