Institutional/Industry Linkages in Business Education as a Panacea for Reduction of Unemployment in Delta State

Institutional/Industry Linkages in Business Education as a Panacea for Reduction of Unemployment in Delta State

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the Institutional/industry linkages in Business Education as a panacea for reduction of unemployment in Delta State. Three research questions guided the study.  A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The total population of the study was seventy-three (73) Business Educators in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba. Due to the manageable size of the population, all the 73 Business Educators in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba were used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire, tiled: Institutional/industry linkages in Business Education as a panacea for reduction of unemployment 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. The corrections and suggestions made by the experts resulted in the final copies of the instrument by the approval of the project supervisor.  The validated questionnaire was subjected to reliability test. Ten copies of the validated questionnaire will be administered on ten (10) Business Educators in Federal College of Education Umunze, Anambra State, using split-half method. Data collected were analyze using Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient to ascertain the level of correlation. Seventy-three (73) copies of the validated questionnaire were administered on the respondents personally by the researcher with the help of two research assistants and 69 were retrieved and analyzed using frequency count and mean statistics. The decision rule is such that any mean score of 2.50 and above were regarded as agree and mean scores less than 2.50 were deemed as disagree. Findings of the study showed that there are Areas of institutional/industrial linkages in Business Education and there are various job opportunities associated with institutional/industry linkages in Business Education. It was recommended among others that institutions and industries should ensure that more areas that will strengthen institutional/industry linkages in Business Education are created to reduce the rate of unemployment in the Delta State.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Growth and development of every nation is measurable by the rate of employment generated by both the government are industries through a good working relationship. Educational institutions produce graduates on yearly basis with little jobs available. But the only way to bridge such a gap is through institutional/industry linkage.

Industry Linkage’ expresses the relationship between manufacturing / service industry and higher educational institutions. There are expectations of industry regarding the right employee for the right job, to be fulfilled by educational institutions. Teaching and training are two sides of the education ‘coin’, as proposed in the helix model of actors, organizational structures, rules and regulations (Tolbert, 2019). In this model the actors are Educational Institutions, Industry and government. Educational Institutions make teaching space available. Industrial units facilitate on-the-job training. Strategic relations with industrial units create advanced modes of values creation in the academic arena. Student visits to the organisations / institutions with linkages, as a part of curriculum for internship and project work, provide access to advanced technologies and this helps them in improving their knowledge and skills (Moller et al., 2017). Internships enable students to acquire skills which cannot be learned in the classroom environment, while employers obtain access to low-cost labour and reduced recruitment costs (Galloway, 2018; Holyoak, 2020; Maertz, 2018). Interns develop interpersonal skills, team-working skills, professionalism and customer management experience. Students also improve their communication, confidence and self-efficacy. Those with internship experience are more likely to find jobs and earn more (Saniter, 2018). In the information technology (IT) sector, internships provide valuable on-the-job training that helps develop entrepreneurial skills and prepares students for self-employment in this sector (Donnellon, 2018). Moreover, internships provide students with the opportunity to apply the skills that they learn in classroom settings in the world of work (Green et al., 2011). Industrial training / internship / summer placement training / apprenticeship students obtain opportunities to communicate and convince a large number of people. Institutional and industry linkages refer to the relationships and connections between various institutions (such as universities, research organizations, government bodies) and industries (businesses and corporations). These linkages are essential for fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and mutual benefits. They play a crucial role in economic development, innovation, and addressing societal challenges

Similarly, the rate of educated, unemployed youths is also increasing day-by-day. In educational institutions academicians teach and publish. Industrialists focus on production, productivity and profit. Their works are isolated and unrelated to each other. It must now be related and linked. Linkage between educational institutions and industry will solve this isolation. The academic curriculum of educational institutions plays a vital role in linking higher educational institutions and industry. Industry should come forward to utilise the laboratory and human resources available in educational institutions. Industry should sponsor research in educational institutions, and in turn their findings will help industry enhance productivity, reduce costs, and increase workforce efficiency. Industrial units are expected to establish their own units in the educational institutions, and provide such internship to students. This linkage will help both educational institutions and industry. Students will be trained in a particular industrial unit and acquire skills needed for their employment, and industry can get the right employees for their activities. If research students work in industrial units, it will help industry innovate the manufacturing and the distribution of goods and services. To understand student learning in an entrepreneurial internship programme, the cognitive apprenticeship model is proposed (Donnellon et al., 2018). Cognitive apprenticeship (CA) is a model or conceptual framework that explains how experts transfer knowledge to students, as well as how students acquire knowledge through practising authentic activities in a particular profession (Donnellon et al., 2019).

In the same vein, industry should communicate its manpower / skill shortage to educational institutions. Educational institutions should take immediate steps to fulfil the requirements or demands of industrial units related to manpower requirements. Grooming of students for employment should match industrial demands. The educational institutions and industrial units are not mutually exclusive, but supplement each other. This behaviour will enhance entrepreneurship and proceed there by economic development. Another important part of industrial linkage is that the teachers should work for a period of three months in industrial units, and industrial experts should work for a similar period in educational institutions. It must be an Institution-Industry knowledge transfer. The research of educational institutions should be application-oriented, that is applied research to solve the problems of industrial units and enhance the efficiency of such units.

Additionally, Industrial Linkage can play a vital role in developing the following skills that are essential for students to enter into and survive in entrepreneurship and succeed in business. These skills include Communication, Teamwork, Analytical & problem-solving skill, Personal Management skill, Interpersonal skill, Computer Literacy, Leadership skill, Learning skill, Ethics and work values. In this process students can learn the intricacies or nuances of communication and convincing others. They have to work with a team. Such abilities enable them to move with a team, learn compromises, adjustability and achievement. Material, manpower, money, machines, management, are basic ingredients of business. If a problem arises in one ingredient, that will affect other ingredients. Sometimes trainees may create operational problems due to their lack of learning. During internship, students can learn causes for problems and analyse ways and means to solve such problems. Knowledge is medicine for all illness of business, and such knowledge can be acquired only through experience in business. Experience is knowledge. Personnel management and interpersonal skills are needed for entrepreneurs. Acceptance by others is an essential quality needed to enter business. Acceptance by others can be evolved through interpersonal relationships. Learning by doing, doing by learning are each needed for acquiring computing skill. Internship training creates opportunities for learning by doing and doing by learning, and students can acquire learning skill and computing skill. Advanced development in technologically oriented products and their applications can be learned only in business        enterprises. Classroom environments will not provide this advancement. Leadership skill is needed to guide the business. Industrial linkage builds leadership skill among students. This is achievable through the institutional/industry linkages in Business Education.

Business Education in the other hand is a programme that is by policy introduced at junior secondary school level. It is, however not continued at the senior secondary but continue at tertiary level of education. Ahmadu and Idoko (2021) stated that business education is education for business or training in business skills, which are required for use in business offices and clerical occupation and business policy analysis; it is a deliberate intent of teachers to students about economics and business concepts and skills that might be used in later life. In the view of Udoh (2020), business education encompasses knowledge, attitude and skills needed by all citizens in order to effectively manage their personal materials and participate effectively in the economic world. Onu (2019) opines that Business Education is the field of training in business practices and in specifics skills such as accounting, information processing, keyboarding/typewriting and shorthand.  Udoh (2020) asserts that Business Education covers a wide range of spectrum of economic activities in any society. It also refers to the desirable competencies necessary for self-employment, which is particularly important in the present depressed global economic situation by equipping individuals with life –like skills for self-employment. On his own part, Otamiri (2018) viewed business education as a fusion of pedagogical and entrepreneurial skills, knowledge and attitude.  He maintained that business education therefore involves the study of technologies and related sciences and the acquisition of practical skills (including teaching skills), attitudes, understanding and knowledge related to occupation in various sectors of the economy and social life. Based on the foregoing, one can deduce that business education is focused at training and preparing students for formal employment as well as having skills which permit self-employment, it also trains teachers who are to pass appropriate knowledge to the oncoming generation. In the same vein,  Esene (2019) asserted that Business education is that area of professional preparation for a career in business education, teaching business subjects and also with business information important for every citizens and consumer in  order that he/she may better understand his/her business and economic surroundings. One of the primary functions of Business Education is to provide instruction for and about business courses such as accounting, data processing, economics, shorthand, typing, business law, business math, office procedures and business communication, all these are taught as a part of the business education curriculum.

Business success depends on work ethics and work values. Industrial linkages experience gives the opportunity to learn business work values. Work values will secure consumers’ confidence. Students can learn resilience in industrial training, which is essential for sustainability in all walks of life.

Hence the need to examine institutional/industry linkages in Business Education as a panacea for reduction of unemployment in Delta State.

Statement of the Problem

The incidence of unemployment among youth is attributed to the educational system which placed premium on liberal education rather than acquisition of vocational skills which prepares school leavers and graduates with vocational skills for better employment opportunities. It was clear from observation, job creation or employment opportunity in an economy can be traceable to entrepreneurship training and development. There is a high rate of youth unemployment in the country. Lack of skills is no doubt a major contributing factor to the problem of unemployment in Nigeria (Adebisi & Oni, 2018).

Youths in Delta state get involved in   social vices such as robbery, kidnapping, prostitution, human trafficking, internet fraud, money ritual to earn a living. This is because they do not have necessary skills that can help them to cope with their financial needs. Entrepreneurial skills have been recognized as an important aspect of organization and economics. It contributes in some immeasurable ways toward creating new job, wealth creation, poverty reduction, and income generating for the state government, individuals, and youths in particular.

It is against this background that this study is carried out to examine institutional/industry linkages in Business Education as a panacea for reduction of unemployment in Delta State.

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study is to examine institutional/industry linkages in Business Education as a panacea for reduction of unemployment in Delta State. Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. Identify the areas of institutional/industrial linkages in Business Education.
2. Examine the jobs opportunities associated with institutional/industry linkages in Business Education.
3. Determine the role of institutional/industry linkages in Business Education on entrepreneurial skills acquisition.

Research Questions

The following questions guided the study:

1. What are the areas of institutional/industrial linkages in Business Education?
2. What are the jobs opportunities associated with institutional/industry linkages in Business Education?
3. What is the role of institutional/industry linkages in Business Education on entrepreneurial skills acquisition?

Significance of the Study

This study would be beneficial to students, Business Educators, Industries, State Government and Researchers.

The study will be of benefit to students because it will help to identify the areas of institutional/industry linkages that will bring about job creation and unemployment in the state. This will enable them to take any opportunity provided by business education in terms of industrial attachment to acquire necessary skills that will create employment for them and make them self-reliant.

Business Educators will find tis study useful because it will help to point out the key areas of institutional/industry linkages in Business Education that can solve the problem of unemployment in the state. This will enable them build strong relationship with industries for the purpose of inculcating the required skills in the students and creation employment for them. The relationship will also help them to identify areas that industries need workers and train their students with the required skills to fit into the positions.

Findings of the study will enable industries to see the need for strong relationship with institution of higher learning in terms of job creation and unemployment reduction by absorbing students on graduation on the basis of the skills acquired. It will help to strengthen the relationship between higher institutions and industries which will bring about job creation and employment generation.

          Delta state government through the findings of the study will identify industrial linkages in Business Education which will help them invest more on Business Education and encourage strong relationship between institutions of higher learning in the state that will about job creation thereby reducing the rate of unemployment in the oil producing state.

Scope of the Study

This study focused on institutional/industry linkages in Business Education as a panacea for reduction of unemployment in Delta State. With areas of institutional/industrial linkages in Business Education, jobs opportunities associated with institutional/industrial linkages in Business Education and role of institutional/industry linkages in Business Education on entrepreneurial skills acquisition as variables of interest. The respondents of the study are Business Educators in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba.

Pages:  62

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF               

Chapters: 1-5                                          

Source: Imsuinfo                            

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.