Assessment of National Board for Technical Education on Skill Acquisition among Technical School Leavers in Osun State

Assessment of National Board for Technical Education on Skill Acquisition among Technical School Leavers in Osun State

Adebisi, A. L.*, Oparinde, O. R. & Yusuf, M. A.

Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803323S

Received: 18 September 2024; Accepted: 25 September 2024; Published: 25 October 2024

ABSTRACT

The study examined the contributions of National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) programmes towards enhancing acquisition of skills among youth in Osun State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population for this study comprised 12 technical schools across the three Federal Constituencies in Osun State. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to group the schools. From each senatorial district, one Local Government Area (LGA) with Technical College was purposively selected. In each LGA, one Technical College was selected using simple random sampling technique. In each school, total enumeration sampling technique was used to select all top management in the chosen school to make a total of 15 top management team members. Also 150 stakeholders in Technical schools were selected using convenience sampling technique at 50 participants per senatorial district. Two self-designed research instruments titled: ‘’Technical Education and Skill Acquisition Questionnaire (TESA-Q) and Stakeholders’ Perception Questionnaire (SP-Q)”. Mean and standard deviation of descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Findings from the study revealed that NBTE had contributed towards enhancing acquisition of skills among school leavers in Osun State through the introduction, implementation and evaluation of relevant policies in technical education schools.

Keywords: Assessment, Technical Education, Skill Acquisition, Technical School, School Leaver

INTRODUCTION

Every institution produces products which are referred to as school leavers. School leaver simply defines as person who has left school after completing their studies, but has not yet entered a professional or occupation. This definition emphasises the transitionary nature of being a school leaver, as these individuals have completed their schooling but have not yet fully entered the workforce or a career (Dahiru, & Shua, 2023). It also highlights the fact that the term is not exclusive to students who have graduated from colleges, but can also apply to those who have left school before completing their studies. School leavers can be further understood as a social role, in which individuals who have left school are expected to transition to a new stage of life. According to Etti, Umana and Idongesit (2023), this social role often comes with new responsibilities, such as finding a job, managing personal finances, among others. However, school leavers pass through rigorous stages that require lots of resources before the knowledge and skills can be acquired. Resources available to use during course of study of school leavers might determine their competency. Meanwhile the school leaver competency would determine the kind of their human resource in labour market (Eze, Okoh, & Okafor, 2021).

Ijaiya (2020), Inalegwu (2016) and Morebise (2022) opined that across the world, resources are integral part of human life because, it is the natural feature or phenomenal that enhances quality of human life. There is no doubt that resources help individuals to afford basic needs such as clothing, shelter, food and water. Khatete and Chepkoech (2018) noted that in most cases, the wealth of a nation is determined by resources available if it is adequately managed by human. Therefore, the most vital resource that guarantees the utility of other resources is the human resource, making it the most significant resource in every nation. It is particularly the group of people who have undergone formal or informal training to ensure productivity in any organization, society or country. A vast array of people with varying sexes, ages, sociocultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, and educational levels make up the human resource pool. These people, according to Ogundu (2017) and Nlerum (2022), display a range of somewhat similar and occasionally dissimilar behavioural patterns and traits. At the macro level, human resource is termed skills and competencies possessed by the proportion of the working population. At the organisational level, it includes experts drawn from various backgrounds who contribute their services towards attainment of organisational goals and objectives. These seem applicable to every nation that sees human capital as major resource of special consideration for national economic and socio-political growth cum worthwhile development (Nwakanma & Uchechukwu, 2019).

Meanwhile, Nigeria is a country that is described as one of the nations that are endowed with avalanche of population, those in whom series of endowments are imbedded. Therefore, going by the record of Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, as at last quarter of 2022, according to Adeosun and Shittu (2022), Nigerian population was put at 219,670,563. Out of this, 122,049,400 fall within the bracket of labour force and only 60 million of them are skilled and gainfully employed in one way or the other (Adeosun & Shittu, 2022). These statistics attest to the need to embrace technical education in Nigeria because, it promotes any country’s quick industrialization and long-term technological advancement. It is no overstatement that technical education is an important tool that contributes immensely, promotes economic growth and productivity, which is important for national development in many countries.

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) was founded by the Nigerian government on July 11, 1977. according to the stipulations of the Constitution of Nigeria, realising the value of technical skills and knowledge in people’s lives. According to Odo, Okafor, Odo, Ejikeugwu, and Ugwuoke (2017), the organisation’s goals were to provide standardised minimum guide curriculums for technical and vocational education and to train people to acquire valuable skills and knowledge. Consequently, Okoro (2015) and Sigh (2016) submitted that technical education has been conceptualized as knowledge and skills acquired that prepare and help individuals to be fit into the demands of knowledge-based economy, particularly in the arts, crafts, technical fields, or in a career requiring technical expertise, such as engineering, accounting, nursing, medicine, architecture, pharmacy, law, or other professions. Often non-academic and concentrated on a single profession, trade, or vocation, craft careers are typically manual or practical in nature. In most cases, technical education could be considered as vocational education that required trainees to develop expertise directly in a particular group (Shinga, Ahmed & Sani, 2021).

In this contemporary society, it is well known that a country’s capacity to expand and develop depends largely on its level of education, particularly its technical and vocational education. It is no doubt that this type of education highly contributes to social and economic growth of any country. Therefore, attention needs to be shifted to this kind of education since it is considered as a major role player in promoting community and national development at all time (Oguntuyi, 2013). Thus, vocational and technical education helps individuals to acquire worthy skills especially the applied and basic scientific knowledge that the knowledge-based economy requires. According to Ozoemena (2013), technical education is a series of learning experiences that start with career exploration, assist fundamental academic and life skills, and facilitate the attainment of advanced academic standards, industrial preparation, leadership, and programmes for continuing education.

Technical schools, according to Omidiji and Ogwu (2019) plays a crucial role in the community by providing specialized education and training in various technical fields. These schools help to bridge the gap between the skills needed by employers and the skills possessed by community members, ultimately contributing to the economic development and growth of the community (Ogundele, Feyisetan & Shaaba, 2014).

Technical schools often collaborate with local businesses and industries to develop curriculum that is relevant to the needs of the community. This partnership helps to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in the workforce. According to Ekong and Ekong (2016), technical schools often offer programs and services that benefit the community as a whole. For example, they may provide continuing education courses for adults, workforce development programs for individuals looking to re-enter the workforce, or apprenticeship programs for high school students. Technical schools play a vital role in the community by providing education and training that is tailored to the needs of local businesses and industries, ultimately helping to strengthen the community’s economy and workforce.

It is no overstatement that technical education is an engine room that invigorates economic developments at all levels across the countries of the world. This assertion gives credence to a statement that no nation is capable of fighting war without the well-trained army with sophisticated weapons. Therefore, it will be difficult for Nigeria as a nation to develop without well-equipped technical and vocational institutions. Regrettably, Nigeria as a country no long seems to give a prominent attention to technical and vocational education. This only indicates that since the mid-1990s, technical and vocational education has been perceived as a “gap” in Nigeria’s development programme (Dike, 2005). Thus, Nigeria has been experiencing low productivity across the board in terms of technological and economic endeavours because of poor training and ineffective technical education in the country. As a result, the stagnant state of technical and vocational education in the nation seems to be contributing to the rising rates of poverty, crime, and unemployment.

The situation got worse as Nigerian society see technical and vocational education as an institution for the failures because they are of the believe that standard education could only be gotten from university not knowing that there are many mismatches in university education. This is because many youths who graduated from Nigerian universities are not equipped with adequate are required knowledge and Skills abilities that will allow people to take use of the abundance of natural resources in the nation (UNESCO, 2004). This suggests that the moribund situation of Nigerian technical education leads overconcentration on university education that produces graduates without technical skills needed in the labour market. Therefore, contributes to high unemployment rate which may likely results in frustration and disillusionment. Also, it not a gain saying that if able bodied men are left unemployed, the resultant effects are crimes of different kinds, taking part in anti-social and anti-legal acts in an effort to avoid the stigma and insults connected to lack and poverty (Okorie, 2001).

According to Okorie (2001), the issue of unemployment has gotten so bad that millions of bright, quick school dropouts and university graduates are not earning a living. The reason for this is that they don’t have the requisite abilities to operate as independent contractors and successfully navigate the modern workforce. He also emphasised the significance of technical and vocational education, which is a phrase used to refer to all components of the educational process that evolve the gathering of information, perspectives, and useful abilities related to a variety of jobs in the social and economic spheres. If technical and vocational education is given the required attentions needed. Because it has so many advantages, it has the potential to make the country one of the pioneers of economic development and ICT.

As claimed by Ogundu (2011), the elimination of extreme poverty and hunger in impoverished country like Nigeria can only be achieved through the acquisition of skills and this is evident in one of the key Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that Nigeria was aiming to accomplish in 2015. In that goal, it was claimed that acquiring skills is the key to ending extreme poverty and hunger because it opens doors for employment, which leads to the establishment of jobs and wealth while fostering independence and reliance. The goal of MDGsis in line with the position of Gumbari, a member of the House of Representatives asserted that raising youth involvement levels in order to reduce crime, eradicate unemployment, and end hunger and poverty are all dependent on their ability to acquire new skills.

As submitted by Onoselease and Ejodamen (2018), the term “skill acquisition” refers to the capacity to pick up a talent, be it a physical one like learning to build or manufacture something, or an intellectual one like speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Many individuals think that improving one’s talents would lead to more options for work and wealth accumulation while also helping to eradicate severe poverty and hunger. The ability to perform something successfully is learned via experience gained by developing new skills. In light of this, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the National Board for Technical Education on Osun State technical school dropouts’ ability to acquire new skills.

The Problem

Around the world, technical education is seen as a tool that supports a country’s rapid industrialization and long-term technological advancement. It also helps individuals to acquire skills especially the applied and basic scientific knowledge that the knowledge-based economy requires. It is believed that acquiring skills is the key to ending extreme poverty and hunger because it opens doors for employment which leads to wealth creation thus fostering independence and self-reliance. However, Nigeria appears to be a nation that does not prioritise technical and vocational education. As a result, one of the factors contributing to the nation’s rising unemployment and poverty rates appears to be the stagnant state of technical and vocational education. In addition, it has resulted in low productivity across the board for technological and commercial endeavours. This only indicates that, since the mid-1990s, there has been every sign that technical and vocational education is the “missing link” in Nigeria’s development programme (Dike, 2005). Due to this, many students graduate from technical education colleges without the necessary skills and knowledge to find gainful employment. This could be traced as a result of outdated curriculum, inadequate of infrastructure, lack of industrial collaboration, limited access to technology, insufficient trained instructors, and insufficient fund. This study therefore sought to assess the National Board of Technical Education on skill acquisition among technical school leavers in Osun State.

Research Questions

The following research questions were raised to guide the study;

1. What are the contributions of NBTE towards enhancing acquisition of skills among youth in Osun State?
2. What are the roles of NBTE in development and implementation of Technical policies toward the actualization of technical education goals?
3. What is the perception of youth towards acquisition of skills in technical schools?
4. What are the roles of NBTE in maintaining the relationship of Technical Education schools and Community?

METHODOLOGY

The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A descriptive survey research design is a valuable method for collecting data and gaining insights into a population’s characteristics, behaviours, opinions, or experiences. The design enabled the researcher to gather comprehensive, reliable, and generalizable data about the population, while also being mindful of cost and time constraints. It is a powerful tool for understanding complex social phenomena and informing policy, practice, and further research.

 The population for this study comprised members of top management team, all teachers, non-teaching staff and students (hereby referred to as stakeholders) in the 12 technical schools across the three Federal Constituencies in Osun State. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to group the schools in the three senatorial districts in Osun State. From each senatorial districts in the state, one Local Government Area (LGA) with Technical College was purposively selected for the study. In each LGA, one Technical College was selected for the study using simple random sampling technique. In each school, total enumeration sampling technique was used to select all top management in the chosen College to make a total of 15 top management team members at five members per school. Also 150 stakeholders in Technical schools were selected using convenience sampling technique at 50 participants per senatorial district.

Two self-designed research instruments were used for the study, titled: ‘’Technical Education and Skill Acquisition Questionnaire (TESA-Q) and Stakeholders’ Perception Questionnaire (SP-Q)”. Mean and standard deviation of descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.

The research instruments were validated through both face and content validity. This was ensured by the researcher’s colleagues. Content validity involves a thorough and comprehensive examination of the test of items to ensure that they represent the entire content domain that the test aims to measure. A test re -test method through a pilot study was conducted to ascertain the reliability of the questionnaire. Pilot study was carried out within the population but outside of the sample area for the study within an interval of two weeks. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Statistics was used for the consistency of the study and co-efficient of TESA-Q was 0.83 while SP-Q was 0.78. This indicated that the questionnaires used were reliable and consistent.

Data were collected personally from the respondents from all the sampled technical schools in Osun State. The researcher made use of descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer the four research questions raised in the study.

RESULTS

Research Question 1: What are the contributions of NBTE towards enhancing acquisition of skills among youth in Osun State?

To answer research question one, 16 items questionnaire was used to elicit responses from the participants on the contributions of NBTE towards enhancing acquisition of skills among youth in Osun State. The cut-off value of 2.50 was used to interpret the mean scores; 4+3+2+1 = 10/4 = 2.50 was the result of summing these factors. In the study, “agree” was defined as any mean score exceeding 2.50, and “disagree” was defined as any mean score falling below 2.50. The result was presented below.

Table 1: Responses on contributions of NBTE towards enhancing acquisition of skills among youth in Osun State

Sources: Field work

Table 1 depicts that the NBTE had contributed toward the enhancement of skills among school leavers in Osun State through their implementation of national Technical education policies, 3.87 and introduction of policy that increasable supported private sector to participate in Technical education, 2.87. It was also noted that NBTE constantly monitored and periodically evaluated the performance of the system, 2.87 and applied corrective measures where needed, 2.87 and provided training within national policy framework, 2.87. It was equally showed from the table 4.1 that NBTE introduced ICT to facilitate training, 2.87, encouraged community participation in the training of the students, 3.13 and enhanced healthy relationship between people in the surrounding, communities and the schools, 2.87. Other contributions of NBTE as stated in the Table 4.1 included two unique opportunities for students to practice various responsibilities needed in a work environment: 2.87 and 3.33, which dealt with effective management of both people and material resources. The average mean of 2.66 supports the study. This implies that NBTE had contributed introduction and implementations of policies towards enhancing acquisition of skills among school leavers in Osun State, though, there were other aspects that their contributions were still needed and relevant.

Research Question 2: What are the roles of NBTE in development and implementation of technical policies toward the actualization of technical education goals?

Table 2: Roles of NBTE in development and implementation of technical policies toward the actualization of technical education goals.

Sources: Field work

From Table 2, respondents agreed with all the items listed as the major roles played by the NBTE. These include provision of education for employment and occupation of adult, promoting art, craft and trade in nation and hence helps in nation’s development, helping people to acquire skills for earnings, promoting sustainable development and entrepreneurship, providing necessary scientific knowledge to the persons for improvement and solutions of environmental problems, providing and training a people who can understand complex technologies and enhancing economic growth of nation through trained human resources.

Research Question 3: What is perception of youth towards acquisition of skills in technical schools?

A 17-item questionnaire was utilised to gather information from participants regarding how young people view skill acquisition in technical schools in order to address research question four. The cut-off value of 2.50 was used to interpret the mean scores; 4+3+2+1 = 10/4 = 2.50 was the result of summing these factors. In the study, “agree” was defined as any mean score exceeding 2.50, and “disagree” was defined as any mean score falling below 2.50. The result was presented below.

Table 3: Responses on perception of youth towards acquisition of skills in technical schools

Sources: Field work

Table 3 depicts the perception of youth towards acquisition of skills in technical schools. According to table 3, technical education programs provided the needs of all students, 2.89, and the main purpose of technical education programs are to prepare students for a job, 2.89, brings self-reliance, 3.73 and self-employment, 3.73. It was further revealed on the Table 4.4 that technical educations in Osun State offered good career opportunities, 2.89, provided jobs which are well paid, 2.89 and helped to equip students with managerial skills, 2.89, sufficient knowledge and skills needed, 3.73. As stated on the Table 4.4, the respondents opposed the opinions that technical education training is for men only, 1.22, unintelligent students, 1.22, and people with low cognitive ability, 2.06. The average mean of 2.55 agreed and concluded that the perceptions of the youth toward technical education were favorable. This implies technical education programs provided the needs of the technical students, and the main purpose of technical education programs are to prepare students for a job, brings self-reliance, and self-employment

Research Question 4: What are the roles of NBTE in maintaining the relationship of Technical Education schools and Community?

Table 4: Roles of NBTE in maintaining the relationship of Technical Education Schools and Community

Sources: Field work

All the 12-item listed above indicated agreement to the fact that technical schools play crucial roles in the community. Technical schools play a vital role in the community by providing education and training that is tailored to the needs of local businesses and industries, ultimately helping to strengthen the community’s economy and workforce.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The study indicated that NBTE implemented the national Technical education policies and introduced the policy that had increased the support of private sector to participate more in Technical education. The NBTE conducted ongoing monitoring, routinely assessed the system’s performance, and, where necessary, implemented remedial actions with the necessary training inside the confines of the country’s legislative framework. Also, the NBTE encouraged community participation in the training of the students, and enhanced healthy relationship between people in the surrounding, communities and the schools. The NBTE provided effective management of human and material resources that resulted to unique opportunities for students to experience varieties of roles required in a work environment. The findings aligned with the research conducted by Ojimba (2013), who argued that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) should assume responsibility for advocating for increased funding and essential facilities for vocational education, as well as improving its reputation in society. The study contrast the opinion of Dike (2005) who stated that technical and vocational education has been seen as the “missing link” in Nigeria development policy since mid-90s.

The study also found that technical schools play a vital role in the community by providing education and training that is tailored to the needs of local businesses and industries, ultimately helping to strengthen the community’s economy and workforce. This is in line with the position of Ogundele, Feyisetan and Shaaba, (2014) and Ekong and Ekong (2016) who submitted that Technical schools play a vital role in the community by providing education and training that is tailored to the needs of local businesses and industries, ultimately helping to strengthen the community’s economy and workforce. The relationship between the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and technical school leavers is multifaceted and plays a crucial role in shaping the landscape of technical education and skills acquisition in a country. By focusing on quality education, relevant skill development, and strong industry connections, the NBTE can significantly enhance the employability and success of technical school leavers. Continuous assessment and adaptation of policies and programs are essential to meet the evolving needs of the labor market and to support the economic development of the country.

CONCLUSION

The study of the National Board for Technical Education on skill acquisition among technical school leavers in Osun State reveals both strengths and areas for improvement. While the board has made significant efforts to promote skill acquisition through technical education, there are still challenges that need to be addressed in order to fully equip technical school leavers with the necessary skills for the workforce. NBTE had contributed towards enhancing acquisition of skills among school leavers in Osun State through the introduction, implementation and evaluation of relevant policies in technical education schools. Also, the NBTE encouraged community participation in the training of the students, and enhanced healthy relationship between people in the surrounding, communities and the schools. It was equally noted in the study that technical education programs expectably to provide the needs of all students with good career opportunities, equipped the students with managerial skills and preparing the students for a job that resulted to self-reliance and self-employment.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Arising from the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made:

1. The NBTE had contributed introduction and implementations of policies towards enhancing acquisition of skills among school leavers in Osun State, though, there were other aspects that their contributions were still needed and relevant because Industry-Technical College partnerships are required to support curriculum development processes, facility provision, and any other programme that will facilitate skill acquisition in order to foster development and prevent market failure, which is defined as the mismatch between skills and training provision and underinvestment in training.
2. For NBTE to effectively perform her roles of development and implementation of technical policies toward the actualization of technical education goals, a distinct Technical Schools Board must be established, distinct from the General Schools Board. Qualified technical personnel will oversee this Technical Schools Board to ensure efficient management and coordination of Technical Education in Osun State.
3. The perception of the youths must be geared towards seeing technical education as a vital tool for advancing national development and not for low performing students. This could be achieved by encouraging an increasing number of students to enroll in technical schools.
4. The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) can maintain and enhance the relationship between technical education schools and the community through several community engagement programs, partnerships with local industries, curriculum development, promoting success stories and community service projects among others. Through this, the NBTE can strengthen the ties between technical education institutions and the communities they serve, ultimately leading to better educational outcomes and community development.

By implementing these recommendations, the National Board for Technical Education in Osun State can better prepare technical school leavers for successful careers in the workforce and contribute to the overall economic development of the state.

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