Influence of Industrial Training Scheme on Skills Acquisition of Office Technology and Management Education Students in Colleges of Education in Delta State

Influence of Industrial Training Scheme on Skills Acquisition of Office Technology and Management Education Students in Colleges of Education in Delta State

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to ascertain influence of industrial training scheme on skills acquisition of Office Technology and Management students in Colleges of Education in Delta State. Three (3) research questions guided the study. A review of related literature was done based on the research questions raised and variables in the study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The total population of the study was fifty-one (44) Business Educators from the three Colleges of Education in Delta State, namely: Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba (23); College of Education, Warri (16) and College of Education, Mosogar (5). Due to the manageable size of the population, all the 44 Business Educators from the 3 Colleges of Education in Delta State were used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire, tiled: Influence of Industrial Training Scheme on Skills Acquisition of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State. The instrument was validated by two lecturers; one in School of Secondary Education (Business) and the other in Educational Measurement and Evaluation, Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba. Forty (44) copies of the validated questionnaire were administered on the respondents personally by the researcher with the help of two research assistants and 42 were retrieved and used for the analysis. The data collected was analyzed using weighted mean. The decision rule is such that any mean score of 2.50 and above were regarded as agreed and mean scores less than 2.50 were deemed as disagreed. Findings of the study revealed that industrial training scheme has enhanced the acquisition of human relation skills, word processing skills and communication skills of office technology and management education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that government should invest more funds into industrial training scheme to enhanced the acquisition of human relation of office technology and management education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study.

Education is the best legacy every nation can pass to her citizenry. This is because national development, innovation and technological advancement is all dependent on the quality of education. The quality of education enables the citizens to acquire skills that will help them to change things for better. Thus, industrial training scheme plays a very important role towards making students to become self-reliant.

Industrial Training refers to the placement of students in an organization to conduct supervised practical training in the industrial sector within the stipulated time before they are awarded a bachelor’s degree. The training conducted is based on the concept of learning through the practice of practicing theories and academic concepts that have been learned in real work situations. Industrial Training also refers to work experience that is relevant to professional development prior to graduation. One of the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Engineering is that students must complete at least 12 weeks of Industrial Training. It is a placement of students in an organization to conduct supervised practical training in the industry sector within the stipulated time before they are awarded a bachelor’s degree. Industrial training provides students with significant skills and practical knowledge and motivates them to become a professional and successful engineer.

During the training period, students will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge. It is an essential component in the development of the practical and professional skills required of an Engineer and an aid to prospective employment. Many employers regard this period as a chance to vet new employees for future employment. All students should make considerable effort and give sufficient thought into obtaining the most relevant and effective Industrial Training. The Industrial Training Scheme is a program that provides students with practical work experience related to their field of study (Austin, 2020). It is designed to help students develop the skills and knowledge required for employment after graduation. The scheme typically involves a period of training in an industry or organization, where students can apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world situations. Different kinds of skills are acquired on industrial training attachment.

Skill acquisition can be defined as the form of training by individuals or group of individuals that can lead to acquisition of knowledge for self sustenance. It involves the training of people in different fields of trade under a legal agreement between the trainers and the trainees for certain duration and under certain conditions. Ochiagha (2018) defined skill acquisition as the process of demonstrating the habit of active thinking or behaviour in a specific activity. He further stated that skill acquisition is the ability to do or perform an activity that is related to some meaningful exercise, work or job. He maintains that for skill to be acquired, appropriate knowledge, attitudes, habits of thought and qualities of character are learnt to enable the acquirer develop intellectual, emotional and moral character which prepares him or her for a brighter future. Similarly, Donli (2016) is of the view that skill acquisition is the manifestation of idea and knowledge through training which is geared towards instilling in individuals, the spirit of entrepreneurship needed for meaningful development. He stressed that if individuals are given the opportunity to acquire relevant skills needed for self sustenance in the economy, it will promote their charisma in any work environment. He further maintains that skill acquisition increases competition and cooperation among people. Accordingly, Magbagbeola (2017) posited that skills acquisition requires the accumulation of different skills that enhances task performance through the integration of both theoretical and practical forms of knowledge. From the above scenario, it can be stated that skill acquisition requires a holistic approach in the realization of creative ideas. It helps in the transformation of knowledge and skills into creative venture. Skills acquisition gives students, especially Office Technology and Management Education students the opportunity to acquire sustainable skills.

Office technology and management (OTM) programme is a fundamental part of vocational education in the Department of Business Education in Colleges of Education. This programme offered knowledge, skills, in-depth administrative office preparation to meet the demands and challenges in the business environment (Okagbare & Fredrick, 2019). Office Technology and Management, according to Yakubu (2019), is a programme from which students can obtain office administrative skills applicable to various careers, industries as well as cognitive skills transferable to other employment situations and life experience. Some of the objectives of teaching OTM, according to the National Commission for Colleges of Education (2017), include equipping graduates with the right skills that will enable them engage in a life of work in the office as well as for self-employment and to produce Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) business teachers who will be involved in the much-desired revolution of vocational development right from the primary to tertiary institutions. Skills such as human relation skills, word processing skills and communication skills are acquired by students on industrial training attachment.

Human relation skills refer to the ability to interact and communicate effectively with others. These skills are essential in the workplace as they enable individuals to build positive relationships, resolve conflicts, and work collaboratively with colleagues and clients. Human relation refers to the ability to interact in a healthy manner with others and build strong relationships. From the perspective of managers in a company, it involves the process of creating systems and communication channels to enable group employee relationships as well as strong one-on-one relationships (Robertson, 2019). In addition, it includes the process of training people for specific roles, addressing their needs, resolving conflicts between employees or between management and employees and creating a positive workplace culture. This gives them upper hand the working with word processer in any organization via the knowledge of word processing.

Word processing is the process of creating and editing documents on a computer. It allows a user to create documents that mimic the format and style of a typical typewriter (Dickson, 2021). It requires a computer and word processing software. A printer may also be used to create a physical copy of the document. Word processing skills help an individual create and organize word documents that are attractive and readable. Skills include aligning text in the document and using various fonts to create a presentable document. It is also important to learn how to set the correct line spacing and margins to produce presentable word documents. In addition, the use of the thesaurus tool built into many words processing software helps create professional documents (Roy, 2018).  Microsoft Word skills are the skills that allow you to use the Microsoft Word application effectively.

Microsoft Word is a computer program that allows you to create documents for various purposes. For instance, you can use it to draft memos, letters, and reports. It’s also useful when creating your application documents, such as a resume and cover letter (Roy, 2018). Microsoft Word can assure the hiring manager that you can handle all Word processing duties relevant to the role you’re pursuing. Another word processing skill is the use of headers and footers. This skill includes important details that need to appear in the document such as dates and page numbers. Creating and formatting tables is an important skill, especially when dealing with research data. In addition, one needs to know how to set tabs appropriately (Roy, 2018). Learning to use page breaks appropriately is very useful, especially when creating large documents. Word processing skill, coupled with communication skills goes a long way in helping students become self-reliant after graduation.

However, with the high rate of unemployment in Delta state and particularly graduates of Office Technology and Management Education, it is still questionable if industrial training is doing enough in the acquisition of skill by students. Hence the need to ascertain influence of industrial training scheme on skills acquisition of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State.

Statement of the Problem

Industrial Training is meant to equip students with the necessary skills and innovative ideas that are required from job performance and service delivery, that will help become employers of labour. The aim is to help students to achieve their set goals and become specialists in their various fields of studies. There is no doubt that Industrial Training Scheme is a commendable skills’ development  programme, geared towards bridging the gap between theories learnt in the class and the actual practical skill.

However, this is not the case as Koh (2010), observed that there is lack of practical skills among graduates of institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. This situation has given rise to complaints among parents and industries, that graduates of tertiary institutions in Nigeria lack manipulative skills and not employable. The situation also gave rise to the question as to whether Industrial Training Scheme is an effective platform for equipping Office Technology and Management Education (OTME) students with the competencies and skills they so much need.  It is therefore, on this light that the study tries to ascertain the influence of industrial training scheme on skills acquisition of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to determine the influence of industrial training scheme on skills acquisition of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State. Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Ascertain the influence of industrial training scheme on the acquisition of human relation skills of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State.
2. Determine the influence of industrial training scheme on the acquisition of word processing skills of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State.
3. Determine the influence of industrial training scheme on the acquisition of communication skills of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State.

Research Questions

The following questions were formaulated to guide the study:

1. How does industrial training scheme influence acquisition of communication skills of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State?
2. What extent industrial training scheme influences the acquisition of communication skills of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State?
3. What are the benefits of industrial training scheme on the acquisition of word processing skills of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State?

Significance of the Study

The study would be beneficial to students, school administrators, industries, and future Researchers.

The findings of this study would enable the students to identify the kinds of skills available during industrial training which will motivate them to participate actively in it. This will help them to add value to the society by becoming job creator instead of job seekers.

The study would also be beneficial to school administrators and as well serves as a wakeup call to them on the need to take industrial training serious by regularly visiting and supervising students on industrial training.

The study would also contribute to the body of knowledge by adding to the literatures in the field of business education which could serve as reference material to researchers who may wish to carry out related studies.

Scope of the Study

This study focused on influence of industrial training scheme on skills acquisition of Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State. The area covered is limited to Office Technology and Management Education students in Colleges of Education in Delta State.

Pages:  65

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF               

Chapters: 1-5                                          

Source: Imsuinfo

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.