Assessing the Influence of 4-H Participation on the Development of Workforce Readiness Skills

Authors

Jodi L. Smith, West Virginia University Extension ServiceFollow
Jamie Mullins, West Virginia University Extension ServiceFollow
Lisa Ingram, West Virginia University Extension ServiceFollow
Brenda Pruett, West Virginia University Extension ServiceFollow
Allison Nichols, West Virginia University Extension ServiceFollow
Carole Scheerbaum, West Virginia University Extension ServiceFollow
Lorrie Wright, West Virginia University Extension ServiceFollow
Amanda Johnson, West Virginia University Extension ServiceFollow

Volume

62

Issue

4

DOI

10.34068/joe.62.04.13

Abstract

We examined the impact of 4-H participation on workforce readiness skill development, including personal, work, communication, and problem solving/decision-making. The study examined two levels of 4-H activities: county-level and state-level. The online survey instrument contained questions about demographics, skill development and 4-H participation. Respondents indicated participation in county-level activities was positively related to the development of the four workforce skills; however, participation in state-level activities was significantly related to the development of work skills. Problem solving/decision-making skills was least associated to county or state-level participation. We recommend Extension professionals intentionally incorporate workforce readiness skills into all 4-H activities.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Smith, J. L., Mullins, J., Ingram, L., Pruett, B., Nichols, A., Scheerbaum, C., Wright, L., & Johnson, A. (2024). Assessing the Influence of 4-H Participation on the Development of Workforce Readiness Skills. The Journal of Extension, 62(4), Article 13. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.62.04.13