Vocational preferences and skills in Environmental Engineering, Forestry and Occupational Safety and Environmental Hygiene Preferencias y habilidades vocacionales de las Ingenierías Ambiental, Forestal y Seguridad Laboral e Higiene Ambiental

Abstract

This study was developed with the aim to define the vocational profile of Occupational Safety and Environmental Hygiene Engineering, Forestry Engineering and Environmental Engineering, to build and apply a vocational preferences test, and also, identify differences according to career, sex and vocational satisfaction. In the sample participated 10 teachers and 373 students (average age 21.27 years, 67.51{\%} women). A mixed methodology was implemented. In the qualitative phase, the vocational profile was elaborated. For this purposethe "Instrumento de recolección de información sobre tareas, intereses y habilidades según carrera" (Alfaro-Barquero and Chinchilla-Brenes, 2017) was appilied. Then the information about vocational profile was validated with focus groups. In the quantitative phase, the "Evaluación de la SatisfacciónVocacional" scale and the skills scale taken of the "Instrumento de Tareas, intereses y habilidades" (Alfaro-Barquero and Chinchilla-Brenes, 2016, 2017), two scales of SDS (Holland, 1994) were applied, and also new scales for these professions were built and applied. The psychometric qualities of all instruments were evaluated with descriptive statistics and factor analysis, obtaining adequate psychometric indicators in the majority of cases The analysis of variance showed that students with higher vocational satisfaction obtain better scores in interests, tasks and abilities. Likewise, significant differences were found according to sex, career and weighted average.