Abstract

The study focused on the effectiveness of skill acquisition programmes among technical education students in university in Rivers State using River state university as case study. The study is was specifically focused on investigating the level of resource availability for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State, determining the resource adequacy for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State, ascertaining the frequency of resource utilization for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State and examining the curriculum contents’ adequacy for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State. The study considered three relevant theories; Human Capital Development theory, Signaling Theory and Systems theory; however, the study was anchored on Systems theory.

The study adopted the survey research design and randomly enrolled participants in the study. A total of 596 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent are staff and students of technical education in River state university in Rivers State. According to the study’s findings, there were plenty of resources available for instructional materials, lecture halls, workshops, and libraries but little for machinery, equipment, power, and gas. To improve the development of technical skills in the classroom, more scarce resources should be made available.

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Education, as an active agent of change, equips its students for the workforce. This can only be accomplished with the supply of sufficient educational resources and qualified instructors who can teach the graduates the necessary skills. Technical education is the area of education that promotes the development of fundamental scientific information as well as practical and applied skills. It is that education—which is comparable to the trainings that lead to the development of practical experience in the workplace in a work-oriented society—that is intended to prepare people for gainful employment (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013). Technical education is a word that has recently been used to refer to retraining in educational processes that involve the study of technologies and associated disciplines as well as the acquisition of skills in a variety of economic and social areas.

Higher education is described as the education offered by establishments like universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, and monotechnics, as well as establishments that provide correspondence courses, once secondary school is completed. The National Policy on Education (1998) is where the definition is found. The policy’s stated goals for tertiary education in Nigeria are as follows: to contribute to national development through high-level relevant manpower training; to cultivate proper values necessary for individual and societal survival; to develop people’s intellectual capacity to comprehend and appreciate their local and external environments; and to acquire both physical and intellectual skills that will enable people to be independent and use technology.

Universities are postsecondary schools that put a strong emphasis on teaching graduates technical skills that will help them find jobs or become self-sufficient in the workforce. According to the Federal Polytechnic Acts (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2006), a minimum of 70% of a student’s study must be in the sciences and technical fields in order to generate technicians and technologists for technological advancement. The aims and objectives are to create graduates who utilize their brains, hearts, and hands to study at both the bachelor’s degree level and higher levels. The Program aims to produce technologists and technicians who are instantly marketable on the job market.

Every human being’s life depends heavily on skill. Many technicians make more money than certain university graduates since they learn more practical skills than theoretical ones, as opposed to graduates who were only exposed to academic knowledge throughout their time in school. It has the ability to lead you to unexpected locations. The capacity to learn a certain activity or function and become an expert at it is known as skill acquisition. The high percentage of unemployment in many areas of the globe today, notably in Nigeria, is truly regrettable. It is one of the factors contributing to the world’s fast rise in crime. Many grads in the nation today are still looking for work. This is a product of our extensive educational system, which emphasizes theory more than actual learning.  It is clear that the rate of young people without jobs is higher on the African continent. The main reason why these young, energetic people in our society are unemployed is because they lack the skills to support what they have learned at their educational institutions. All of these grads did not learn even one skill during their time in school, such as graphic design, hair styling, construction, electrical maintenance, etc. If they acquired any new skills, their unemployment rate will go down.

On the other hand, according to Schumpeter (1994), entrepreneurship is the capacity to recognize and seize economic possibilities while also making the most use of one’s limited resources. A phrase used to describe this is “maximizing one’s use of scarce resources.” In its most basic sense, entrepreneurship refers to the mindset and set of abilities required to discover new opportunities for financial investment and to manage a successful firm. Entrepreneurship is more important than money when taken in this more contemporary meaning. Due to the fact that entrepreneurial activity leads to the creation of capital, it is also more basic than capital (Tawari, 2002). As a direct result of this, company owners are regarded as among the most significant drivers of economic growth. They contribute through labor-related activities, the transfer of capital goods, the conversion of raw materials into completed commodities, and finally, the effectively distributing the items to final customers.

Consequently, entrepreneurs are those who look for and seize business opportunities, amass the cash and other resources required to develop them, evaluate the environment’s options and direct resources toward the most lucrative ones, and ultimately assume responsibility for the management and/or effective execution of opportunities. An entrepreneur is someone who is at ease taking and executing risks that are motivated by the need to accomplish a certain goal. He or she is constantly ready to adapt to changes in the corporate environment and knows where to go for assistance when it is required. He or she also knows how to get help when needed and where to go to do so (Schumpeter, 1994).

This will inevitably lead to Nigeria’s higher education institutions beginning to train high-level professionals who are frequently obsessive, focused, eloquent, and resourceful. As a result, graduates are more likely to be charismatic leaders who approach the creation of jobs, the growth of wealth, and the innovative use of talent with introspection.

A planned macroeconomic framework must also include chances for young people in Nigeria to contribute to the growth of wealth, the development of jobs, the eradication of poverty, and the reorientation of values (NEEDS, 2005). This is also demonstrated by the recent increase in interest in entrepreneurial education programs provided by academic institutions, parastatals, and non-governmental groups dispersed around the country. If completely implemented, this new vision and principles will throw light on Nigeria’s small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, increasing access to higher education while placing a focus on fostering entrepreneurial abilities will provide the ideal atmosphere for economic growth. Therefore, it is the duty of higher education institutions to offer young people the proper training so that they have the abilities needed to start and run successful firms with a lower chance of failure. Higher education helps to improve human resources in a variety of ways by involvement in various activities like these. Investments in higher education will therefore continue to contribute to the growth of the national economy (NEEDS, 2005).

Nigeria’s higher education institutions are tasked with educating both students and professionals, such as managers, scientists, engineers, and technicians, who can support innovation development, adaptation, and dissemination within the nation. According to Tawari (2002), the pace of economic growth is negatively related to the rate at which higher education is developing in a country.

The importance of skill acquisition in the education sector cannot be overstated given its indispensable role in the growth of the country’s human capital and employment. A guy with education is therefore expected to generate a talent that will be advantageous to everyone in society. Additionally, this will support his personal growth and raise his social self-esteem. Any country’s ability to realize the potential of its workforce is the one factor that determines its ability to be productive. Education theories and practices enable the growth of ideas, as well as advances in science, technology, economic development, political stability, and other fields. The growth of the person and the country in particular will be aided by the skill, competence, knowledge, and understanding one gains. The development of mental, physical, and social talents and competences as a person’s instrument to live and contribute to the advancement of his community is one of education’s main objectives. Today, Nigeria needs qualified workers who will also be entrepreneurial and independent. Additionally, there is a demand for knowledgeable individuals who can comprehend changes in the increasingly complicated nature of technology and adapt to them. People who can employ scientific knowledge to address environmental issues and enhance them for human use and convenience are also required.

Employers of labor frequently voice their concerns regarding the employability of graduates from higher education institutions after observing that some of the graduates lack the necessary skills, which might lower their level of productivity if hired. Graduates from these universities are expected to be able to generate jobs in addition to obtaining paid work. Any nation’s economic progress depends on the acquisition of sufficient talents. The suitability of the acquired skills to the demands of the economy determines whether or not graduates of technical and vocational education institutes are employable. Universities in particular, and technical skill acquisition institutions in general, must make sure that the skills taught and acquired in schools satisfy the demands of employers.

The main issue Nigeria is now facing Today is that youth are unemployed. These young people make up a larger portion of Nigeria’s population who are engaged in economic activity. According to Awogbenle and Iwuamadi (2010), data from the Federal Bureau of Statistics revealed that 80 million Nigerians, or 60% of the country’s total population, are under the age of 24. In addition, 1.6 million of them are underemployed, making up 64 million of them. This suggests that a lot of resources that might be employed to increase income and strengthen the economy are being squandered. Young people, like other segments of the population, have needs that must be met (Nnabuife, 2009), but since the 1980s, their crucial responsibilities have been hampered by their inability to engage in meaningful labor (Davies, 2006). As a result, anger is expressed through a variety of vices that contribute to national instability.

The need for this study was to show different skills acquisitions by the youth can save them unemployment that they found themselves with of government intervention through making loan accessible to them. This study, therefore, sought to provide answers to some of the issues raised and proffer recommendations.

The main objective of the study is to examine the Effectiveness of skill acquisition programmes among technical education students in university in Rivers State.specifically, the study aims to;

1. investigate the level of resource availability for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State.
2. determine the resource adequacy for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State.
3. ascertain the frequency of resource utilization for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State.
4. examine the curriculum contents’ adequacy for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions were raised to guide the study:

1. What is the level of resource availability for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State?
2. To what extent are the resources adequate for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State?
3. How frequent are the resources utilized for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State?
4. How adequate are the curriculum contents for technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:

H₀₁: There is no significant relationship between the level of resource availability and

technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State.

H₀₂: The resource adequacy is not significantly related to technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State.

H₀₃: The frequency of resource utilization has no significant relationship with technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State.

H₀₄: There is no significant relationship between curriculum contents’ adequacy and technical skills acquisition among technical education students in university in Rivers State.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research is crucial because it offers important information on how to improve higher education and better prepare undergraduates for the workforce. It will also act as a document for students and anybody else who reads it to become more aware of the fundamental importance of enrolling in entrepreneurial skills development education programs in order to acquire the crucial abilities required to flourish in a down economy. The study’s conclusions are also meant to increase the need for technical education among aspiring graduates.

The study is also essential for outlining the requirement for education planners and the administrations of Nigerian university institutions (both private and public) to concentrate their efforts on incorporating entrepreneurial development courses within tertiary institutions’ curricula and programs. Finally, because it will be used as a resource for future research and references, this study will be helpful to academics and researchers.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will be focused on examining the Effectiveness of skill acquisition programmes among technical education students in university in Rivers State. Specifically, this study will focus on identifying the purpose of technical education in Nigeria Universities, determining whether technical skill acquisition empowers the youths economically, ascertaining whether technical skill helps undergraduates to  undertake the risk of venturing into applying the knowledge and skills gotten from school for self employment, and determining if skill acquisition provide undergraduates with enough training to enable creativity and innovation so as to encourage self-employment and self-reliant. The study will be conducted in River State University.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study will be limited to examining entrepreneurship skills acquisition and the benefits in undergraduate student in Lagos. Specifically, this study will be limited to examining the extent to which higher education influences students desire for entrepreneurship, establishing if higher education promotes the development of students’ skill for entrepreneurship and ascertain ways by which students entrepreneurship skill can be developed during higher education.

Students of River State University will form the population of this study, thus the sample size was limited because only a few respondents were chosen to answer the research instrument, therefore the results cannot be generalized to other schools outside the state.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Youths: Youth is the time of life when one is young, and often means the time between childhood and adulthood. It is also defined as “the appearance, freshness, vigor, spirit, etc., characteristic of one who is young”.

Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values than simply economic ones.

Employability: It means the degree of ease at which polytechnic graduates secure paid employment or are self-employed based on the skills they possess.

Technical Skills: These are the skills possessed by polytechnic graduates that require the ability to identify and use certain equipment and machines to do certain work or perform certain operations.

Technical Skills Acquisition: It is the process of acquiring technical skills that will enable the polytechnic graduates to be employable or be self-reliant.

1.10 Organization of the Study

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the  review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study,  sample size determination,  sample size, abnd selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

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