CAUSES OF OCCUPATIONAL CHANGE IN SECRETARIAL PROFESSION A CASE STUDY OF INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY IMT ENUGU

ABSTRACT

The topic of the study is causes of occupational change in secretarial profession A case study of Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu.

The objective of the study was to find out the causes of occupational changes, the efforts of occupational changes on the secretarial profession, and effects of occupational changes on secretaries in business organizations.

The researchers reviewed some related literature on the meaning of occupational changes, causes and efforts of occupational changes and finally the solutions to the reasons for occupational change in secretarial profession.

The researchers were able to find out that age, lack of training, lack of prestige and security are some reasons for occupational changes. And the occupational changes has some significant effects on career path planning of the secretary and it also has some negative efforts on the secretarial profession.

The researchers recommended that adequate training and job satisfaction should be given to secretaries. Secretarial profession should be well constituted to be more attractive.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:

Secretary refers to a person who performs routines, administrative, or personal tasks for a superior. Those in secretary occupation perform duties such as typing, computer processing, and scheduling for an executive. Secretaries are often hardworking, important members of a business. Its administrative workings better than anyone else. Since the renaissance until the late 19th Century, men had assumed the title of secretary in the 1880, with the invention of the typewriters, more women began to enter the field since World War I. however, the role of secretary has been primarily associated with women. By the 1930s, fewer men are entering the secretarial occupation.

In an effort to promote professionalism amongst secretaries, the National Secretaries Association was created in 1942. As technology continues to expand to office across the professionals was greatly evolved office automation and organizational structure had led secretaries to assume a wider range of near responsibilities. One researches for managerial and professional staff. Many secretaries now provide training are orientation for new staff, conduct research on the internet, and operate and troubleshoot new office technologies. In the midst of these, however, their responsibilities have remained much the same, although changed from manual to electronic performing and coordinating an offices administrative activities, storing, retrieving and integrating information for dissemination to staff and client.

Secretaries are responsible for a variety of administration and clerical duties necessary to run an organization and maintain paper and electronic files, manage projects, conduct research and provide information on the telephone, postal and email. They also may prepare correspondence and handle travel arrangement.

With the above unique functions played by secretaries, it is sorrowful sighted that occupation change which Ozigi 1989 defined as picking up job in another discipline or field of endeavour outside what one has been working for some years has affected the secretarial profession, at present where, some secretaries who have been properly trained vehemently take up a job in another field of specialization abandon in the secretarial jobs, this idea of leaving ones occupation or profession to another can also be observed but it is more pronounced in the secretarial profession. This work is therefore designed to find out why people trained as secretary take up jobs outside the secretarial profession.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:

It is very surprising to observe the rate at which some trained and experienced secretaries abandon secretarial jobs to other fields of specialization. Some of them after being trained as professional secretaries pick up jobs in other discrepancies. This has resulted to a case of braindrain in the profession. Despite the member of graduate secretaries being turned by our numerous tertiary institutions, the labour market is still lacking qualified and competent secretaries to perform secretarial duties this is majorly because these graduated secretaries prefer to work as managers, salesmen and women and marketers instead of secretaries. The question is why do these secretaries who are well trained in the profession prefer to work as other staff instead of as secretaries

This is the reason for this study.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

The purpose or objective of the study is therefore to find out:

aThe causes of occupational changes.

bEffects of occupational changes on secretarial profession.

cEffects of occupational change on the secretaries in business organization.