Application of the accident theory on career choice to workers in the Cape Coast municipality

Abstract

Every counsellor requires theoretical backing in carrying out counselling interventions. Thus, the study is initiated to apply the Accident Theory of career choice to workers in the Cape Coast Municipality. Four hundred and fifty respondents were sampled for the study, using the stratified random sampling method. A questionnaire was employed to collect data. The Cronbach alpha method was used to establish a reliability coefficient of 0.76 for the questionnaire. Frequencies, percentages, and chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that the accident theory as applied to workers in the Cape Coast Municipality was not extensively applicable and that, factors such as socioeconomic status, place of residence, disability and misfortunes that act as accident or chance factors in determining the career choice of an individual were also not to a large extent applicable. It is only the educational attainment factor that affected the career choice by chance. The findings therefore led to the following recommendations. The theory should not be directly applied. Employment institutions and agencies should provide counselling services for their employees in order for them to plan and improve upon their career aspirations. Individual workers ready for the job market should seek information from career counsellors to gain insight into the many factors responsible for choosing a particular type of career. Finally, employers should open up opportunities to workers with low educational qualification to upgrade themselves.