TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Statement
of the Problem
Purpose
of the Study
Research
Questions
Research
Hypotheses
Significance
of the Study
Scope
of the Study
Operational
Definition of Terms
CHAPTER
TWO
REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
The
University Education and Its Mandate
Theoretical
Framework
Human
Capital Development Theory
Concept
of Labour Market Core Skills Requirements
Determinants
of Labour Market Requirements
Manpower
Forecast Approaches
Concept
of Graduate Soft Skills Competence
Classification
of Skills
Empirical
Studies
Conceptual
Framework
Appraisal
of the Literature Reviewed
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
Research Design
Population,
Sample and Sampling Techniques
Instrumentation
Procedure
for Data Collection
Data Analysis
Techniques
Decision Rule
REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Education is a means of empowerment
to an individual and the society. Also, it is a solid tool for developing human
capacity needed for a sustainable national development. Tertiary education,
which comprises universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and mono
technics, has been recognised as a means of developing human capacity required
for sustainable national growth and development. Categorically, universities
are saddled with the responsibility of developing high-level manpower within
the setting of the requirements of the nation. As a result of the
globalisation, data innovation and revolution in the present-day learning-based
economy, so much prospect has been placed on universities in creating,
outfitting and transmitting information for sustainable development and
improved standard of living. Consequently, the university plays a critical part
in engendering the human capacities with respect to authority, administration
and technical expertise.
All
over the world, investment in the university education is a critical component
of national development eff-ort. Countries today depend to a great extent on
information, thoughts and skills which are created in universities (OECD, 1996;
World Bank, 1997). As a country’s learning industry, the university increases
the productive capacity of the labour force. In the developed countries, for
example, university’s researchers are able to monitor ecumenical technological
trends, survey their importance to national needs and help with building up the
national innovative capacity with respect to economic development.
Going
by this trend, there has been high demand for the university education in
Nigeria since independence in order to increase the supply of manpower in the
labour market. Following the recommendation of the Ashby Commission of 1959
that new universities should be established in the then three Regions and
Lagos, the then Capital Territory, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria and the University of Ibadan together with University of
Lagos, Lagos, were established as the first generation of universities in
Nigeria. It is imperative to note that since then the University network in
Nigeria has developed significantly. The quantity of universities has expanded
from five in 1962 to one hundred and twenty-eight (128) in 2013, comprising 40
Federal, 38 State and 50 private universities (Okojie, 2013) and a total number
of 151 in 2016 (National University Commission, 2016).
The
goals of the university education, as stated by the Federal Republic of Nigeria
(2014), are to:
i.
contribute to
national development through high level manpower training;
ii. provide accessible and affordable quality learning
opportunities in formal and informal education in response to the needs and
interests of all Nigerians;
iii. provide high quality career counselling and lifelong
learning programmes that prepare students with the knowledge and skills for
self-reliance and the world of work;
iv. reduce skill shortages through the production of
skilled manpower relevant to the needs of the labour market;
v. promote and encourage scholarship, entrepreneurship
and community service;
vi. forge and cement national unity and
vii. promote national and international understanding and
interaction. (p. 39).
Regardless of these noble goals,
Sofoluwe and Etejere (2011) noticed that over the years the tertiary scholastic
level has attracted underwhelming reactions, having failed to achieve the aim
of providing the kind of education that would solve the problems of the country
as a developing nation; such problems as abject poverty, corruption,
unemployment and mismanagement of resources. This is traceable to the
difficulties confronting the university education in Nigeria which are poor
infrastructure, political influence, incessant industrial actions and
under-funding. The issue of
underfunding of education is so endemic that it has now encompassed series of
other problems which include shortage of human and material assets (Durosaro,
2000). Other
challenges are cultism, examination malpractices and poor quality of graduates.
Judging
by this, it is evident that universities in Nigeria are yet to be well-equipped
to carry out these responsibilities efficaciously due to human capacity
deficiencies. Okojie (2013) lamented that the Nigerian university system keeps
on falling appallingly behind required standards in the contemporary world.
Engineering workshops, which are betokened to train 21st Century engineers, are
provided with equipment and gadgets that were introduced in the 1960s. Library books and journals dated not later
than the 1980s. Okojie further noted that hostel rooms meant for four students
in the 1970s, were in 2012, occupied by 12 students each having a “cooker corner”
and using kerosene stove; with the horrifying low level of research facilities
in the universities, the future is apparently bleak for Nigerian education.
This
circumstance pervades mostly developing nations of the world, particularly
African nations. Pauw, Ooshizen and Westhuizen (2007) discovered in South
Africa that many graduates lack soft skills, workplace readiness and
experience. Boateng and Ofori-Sarpong (2002) also noted that in Ghana employers
of labour referred to recent graduates as those who lack basic skills to
complete simple routine assignments and this gave the impression that
certification is a mere formality rather than an indication of achievement. The
situation is not different in Nigeria as employers of labour believed that
graduates are poorly trained and unproductive on the job. Nigerian graduates
have been described variously as half-baked, ill-equipped, ill-trained, of poor
quality, of a low standard and unemployable (Obayan, 2002). This clarified why
the university education in Nigeria has not been able to consummate its mandate
of endangering the high-level manpower needed for the national development in
the required quality that can fit and compete favourably both at national and
international labour markets.
Be
as it may, the present believe is that the university education should develop
in the beneficiary a certain number of employability skills to a caliber that
will ascertain the perpetuated ingenious productivity of the individual. These
skills, according to Obayan (2002), include:
i.
analytical power; this
comprises an advanced capacity for logical reasoning, employing appropriate
verbal, quantitative, graphic, documentary, audio-visual, sensory perceptions
and a wide variety of tools.
ii.
communication; this
includes oral and written as well as (in other possible forms) using the
appropriate language and non-verbal forms in specific situations to achieve
specific objectives.
iii.
problem-solving; this
is the ability to task one’s analytical power to the maximum in developing
possible solution paths to the problem in a variety of situations.
iv.
team spirit; is the
ability to contribute meaningfully to group activities in a wide variety of
forms to relate with others to get out of one’s shell while remaining oneself.
v.
creativity; refers to
the ability to go beyond the well-trodden path in thinking as well as in
action.
vi.
life-long learning
skills; which include perseverance, risk taking, a spirit of enquiry, reading
as a habit, self-directed learning efforts, the activity to face challenges and
so on (p. 4).
In
today’s labour market, employers of labour append much significance to graduate
employability which refers to work preparation, that is, ownership of the
skills, knowledge, attitudes and commercial understanding that will empower
incipient graduates to make productive commitments to organisational objectives
soon after commencing work (Mason, 2001). The Federal Government of Nigeria, in
conjunction with some agencies, at one time or another, have introduced some
palliative measures to address the state of joblessness. The government
organised different programmes such as National Directorate of Employment (NDE)
that was launched in 1986 with the mandate of designing programmes that will
promote attitudinal change, employment generation, poverty reduction and wealth
creation. National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) was also launched in
2001 to address poverty and related issues.
Other
programmes including You Win were launched in 2011 specifically to generate
jobs by empowering and supporting yearning entrepreneurial youth in Nigeria to
create and execute business ideas that would lead to job creation. The National
University Commission (NUC) introduced Entrepreneurial Studies as a compulsory
course called “Graduates Self-Employment” (GSE 301) into universities curriculum
in 2004 to enable university graduates to become self-employed. Yet, there is
still the high rate of unemployment, especially among the Nigerian university
graduates. Despite the programmes, the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2008
still acknowledged that about 80 percent of Nigeria’s youth are unemployed and
10 percent underemployed (Daily Trust, 2008).
Oyesiku
(2010) reported that available statistics show that the nation’s job creation
capacity is growing at an annual rate of five percent and seven percent over
the last seven years. In the interim, about 213 Universities, Polytechnics and
Colleges of Education in the country then produced over 300,000 graduates
annually; a number that should usually meet the nation’s human capital resource
assets, however employers willing to pay well to attract skilled workers are
increasingly finding it difficult to fill the job vacancies. Federal Office of
Statistic (2012) also reported that with the current unemployment rate at 23.9
percent and unemployed youth population put at 20.3 million, Nigeria produced
about 4.5 million new entrants into the labour market every year.
The
Nigeria’s vigorous economic performance over the last decade has not translated
to jobs and real-life opportunities for its youth. Akanmu (2011) asserted that
three out of ten graduates of tertiary institutions cannot find jobs, and being
highly educated does not increase the chance of finding a jobs. Those who find
jobs are not usually gainfully employed; some are forced to accept marginal
jobs that do not use their qualifications in sales, agriculture and manual
labour while employers are often probing for skills that transcend
qualifications and experience. Apart from the sluggish growth rate of the
Nigerian economy, it lacks the structural and transformational capacity that is
sufficient to expand employment for the long bloated labour market. In other
words, whatever growth that takes place in Nigeria is not labour intensive and
as such cannot engender a commensurate proportion of jobs for the unemployed
graduates.
Therefore, the Nigerian society today is facing
challenges of getting the education that will deliver to the students the right
set of skills and knowledge demanded by the labour market. The reality on the
ground is that the university education should turn out students who are ready
to fill available jobs in the marketplace. The National Universities Commission
(2004) affirmed that massive unemployment of Nigerian university graduates in
the country is traceable to the disequilibrium between labour market
requirements and essential employable skills by the graduates. However,
contention subsists regarding what exactly constitutes what employers are
requiring from graduates in the labour market. It was against this background
that the researcher is interested in investigating the relationship between
labour market core skills requirements and university graduate soft skills
competence in North-west, Nigeria.
Statement
of the Problem
The
trend of graduate unemployability has become a worrisome issue in the Nigeria
labour market, especially for stakeholders like employers of labour, training
institutions, parents and graduates. The Nigerian Employers Consultative
Association (NECA) (2005) expressed that companies were not recruiting but
adopting employment protection strategies due to the poor quality graduates who
do not meet demands of industries. Therefore, Chiacha and Amaechi (2013)
carried out a study on entrepreneurship education and graduate employability in
Nigeria. They found out that the entrepreneurial education currently offered in
schools did not lead to high employability index of graduates. Also, Pitan and
Adedeji (2012) examined the problem of skills mismatch and its prevalence in
the Nigeria labour market. The study discovered that university graduates were
not adequately prepared for work with respect to the skill demand of the labour
market.
In
spite of these findings, the challenge of graduate employability still persists
in Nigeria. The National Bureau of Statistics (2011) reported that the rate of
unemployment in Nigeria was high. The report revealed that the North-west
recorded highest rate of unemployment with 25.40%, followed by South-west with
21.56%, North-east with 16.47%, South-south was 12.03%, while North-central had
the lowest with 11.60%. This situation became more alarming in the third
quarter of 2014 where North-west recorded 30.0%, North-east 23.9%,
North-central 15.1%, South-east 8.9%, South-west 8.9% and South-south 18.7%
(Ajaikaye, 2016).
The
issue of unemployment is traceable to mismatch between labour market core
skills requirements and soft skills competence of graduates. This gap, Kayode
(2009) expressed, is responsible for a high percentage of young graduate
unemployment. Other
researchers such as Dabalen, Oni and Adekola (2000), Mora (2008), Ajayi,
Adeniji and Adu (2008), Pitan and Adedeji (2012) and Philips Consulting (2014).
have carried out some researches on graduates’ employability skills,
unemployment, entrepreneurial human capital development, economic future of
Nigerian graduates and labour market prospects of university graduates in
Nigeria but the gap identified by the researcher was that none of these
mentioned researchers among others focused on labour market core skills requirements
and university graduate soft skills competence for a relationship test in
North-west geo-political zone of Nigeria. The researcher, therefore, considered
it highly essential to carry out a study on labour market core skills
requirements and university graduate soft skills competence in North-west,
Nigeria.
Purpose
of the Study
The
main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between labour
market core skills requirements and university graduate soft skills competence
in North-west, Nigeria. However, the specific purposes of the study are to:
1. examine categories of classes of degrees required
by employers of labour from university graduates in North-west, Nigeria;
2. assess areas of specialisations required by
employers of labour from university graduates in North-west, Nigeria;
3. identify work-related experiences required by
employers of labour from university graduates in North-west, Nigeria;
4. examine the ages required by employers of labour
from university graduates in North-west, Nigeria.
5. assess the competence level of university
graduate communication skills in North-west, Nigeria;
6. examine the competence level of university
graduate basic computer skills in North-west, Nigeria;
7. determine the competence level of university
graduate analytical skills in North-west, Nigeria;
8. examine the competence level of university
graduate entrepreneurial skills in North-west, Nigeria and
9. examine the competence level of university
graduate interpersonal skills in North-west, Nigeria.
10. examine the relationship between labour market
core skills requirements and university graduate soft skills competence in
North-west, Nigeria.
Research
Questions
The following research questions are raised to guide
the study:
1. what are the classes of degrees required by
employers of labour from university graduates in North-west, Nigeria?
2. what are the areas of specialisations required by
employers of labour from university graduates in North-west, Nigeria?
3. what are the work-related experiences required by
employers of labour from university graduates in North-west, Nigeria?
4. what are the ages required by employers of labour
from university graduates in North-west, Nigeria?
5.
what is the competence level of university graduate communication skills in
North-west, Nigeria?
6.
what is the competence level of university graduate basic computer skills in
North-west, Nigeria?
7.
what is the competence level of university graduate analytical skills in
North-west, Nigeria?
8.
what is the competence level of university graduate entrepreneurial skills in
North-west, Nigeria?
9.
what is the competence level of university graduate interpersonal skills in
North-west, Nigeria?
10.
what is the relationship between labour market core skills requirements and
university graduate soft skills competence in North-west, Nigeria.
Research
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses are raised to guide the
study:
Main Hypothesis (Ho)
Ho: There is no significant relationship between
labour market core skills requirements and university graduate soft skills
competence in North-west, Nigeria.
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between
classes of degrees and university graduate soft skills competence in
North-west, Nigeria.
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between
areas of specialisations and university graduate soft skills competence in
North-west, Nigeria.
Ho3: There is no significant relationship between
years of work-related experiences and university graduate soft skills
competence in North-west, Nigeria.
Ho4: There is no significant relationship between
age demand and university graduate soft skills competence in North-west,
Nigeria.
Significance
of the Study
The
outcome of this research would provide useful information to educational
managers, employers of labour, policy makers and analysts, curriculum planners,
students and academic researchers in identifying the critical factors affecting
the employability of Nigerian University graduates and the nature of such
effect.
The outcome of the study would help
educational managers to look inward and devise series of means and strategies
to produce students that would meet the required skills and knowledge of modern
labour market. It would also enlighten
government on how to plan for graduates in the country and to equally put the
necessary machinery in place geared at repositioning the educational system to
be more responsive to the needs of the society. The outcome of the study would
help in identifying and adopting strategies to overcome skills shortages which
will make university administrators be more responsive providers of quality
education.
The finding of the study would provide an
opportunity to employers of labour to know the areas of weaknesses of graduates
and how to organise training programmes to address these weaknesses. The
findings of the study would provide the need to develop closer synergy between
employers of labour and universities administrators that would help in the
production of more quality graduates and the creation of employment
opportunities.
The findings of the study would help
policy makers and analysts to be more concerned with the understanding of
graduate employability and offer a realistic description of the factors
affecting individuals’ journeys in the labour market. The outcome of the study
would also assist analysts and policy makers to move towards more sustainable
long-term labour market strategies by helping to identify the range of labour
market factors that hinder young graduates from moving into suitable work as
well as the necessary interventions and their interconnections.
The result of the study would enable
curriculum planners, university senates, directorates of academic planning in
Nigerian universities to revisit academic curricula of their institutions for
the purposes of including those labour demand that could possibly enhance the
marketability of the university graduates in a more proactive way. It is hoped
that the findings of this study would charge all the Nigerian universities to
reflect on the need to equip graduates with ‘deep’ intellectual capabilities
and a battery of applied practical skills which would make them more
‘work-ready’.
Students
may also find this study very useful as they prepare for the world of work. The
findings of the study would enlighten students on the skills they are supposed
to possess. A basis for further research in this area shall be created as the
findings of this study might filled part of the gap in the empirical research
literature for the benefit of educational researchers and reviewers.
Scope
of the Study
The geographical scope of the study is
North-west Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria. The zone comprises seven States
namely; Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa and Zamfara. The North-west
is selected for this study because it recorded the highest rate of unemployment
of 30.0% (Ajaikaye, 2015). However, four States will be selected for the study,
these are Zamfara, Jigawa, Kaduna and Katsina States. These States are selected
for the study in the North-west zone because they recorded the highest rates of
unemployment (Zamfara, 42.6%, Jigawa, 35.9%, Kaduna, 30.3% and Katsina, 28.1%)
in the zone (Ajaikaye, 2015).
Labour market core skills requirements are
identified as the independent variable of the study while university graduate
soft skills competence is the dependent variable. The study will focus on the
labour market core skills requirements and the university graduate soft skills
competence with specific emphasis on classes of degrees, areas of specialisation,
work-related experience and age. University graduate soft skills competence
were measured through communication skill, basic computer skill, analytical
skill, entrepreneurial skill and interpersonal skill. These are referred to as
soft skills. Soft skills are those basic skills acquired by an individual
within or outside the school system which the National University Commission
(2004) described as non-academic skill. These skills are selected for the study
because they are basic and transferable skills. They are generic in nature and
could be acquired by all graduates regardless of their disciplines or field of
study (Hager, Holland & Beckett, 2002).
The target population of the study will
comprise the top management staff in educational institutions, banking sector,
commerce and manufacturing industries as well as science and technology
industries with the total number of 1,212. The sample scope of the study is
selected by using the Research Advisors (2006) at 95% confidence level of 5.0%
margin of error to determine the sample size of 306. However, the sample for
the study will be 306 top management staff (which include 16 top management
staff from SUBEB and 20 from TESCOM, 20 directors and 25 supervisors from the States
Ministry of Education, 24 registrars from the 24 tertiary institutions in the
selected states, 84 bank management staff across all the selected banks in the
selected states, 64 top management staff from commerce and industry and 64 from
different organisations in science and technology industry). The selection of
these management staff is based on the reason that, as operational managers,
university graduates work directly under them; also these management staff are
charged with the responsibility of evaluating and assessing the university
graduates under them.
The instrument
for the study will be a researcher-designed questionnaire titled: “Labour
Market Core Skills Requirements and University Graduate Soft Skills Competence
Questionnaire (LMCSRUGSSCQ)”. This will comprise two sections “A and B”.
Section “A” will comprise personal information of participants such as the name
of organisation, types of organisation, locations and positions held. Section
“B” will consist of thirty (30) items to be drawn from the research questions
raised for the study.
Operational
Definition of Terms
The
following terms are operationally defined in the study.
Labour
Market Core Skills Requirements: refer to the factors
considered by employers of labour for university graduate employability. These
are classes of degrees,
areas of specialisations, work-related experience and age.
Core
Skills: refer to
those skills acquired in educational institutions which are classes of degrees,
areas of specialisations and work-related experiences.
Classes
of Degrees: refers categorisation of the university graduates based on academic
performance in determining employability. These are 1st class, 2nd class upper,
2nd class lower, 3rd class and pass.
Areas
of Specialisations: refer to Arts,
Education, Social Sciences and Science and Technology.
Experience:
refers to relevant years of work considered for the university graduates before
entering the labour market.
Age
Demand: refers to the age group of the
university graduates considered for recruitment by employers of labour at the
point of entering the labour market.
Soft
Skills: are soft skills which are not specific
to any academic programme but to all complex endeavours. These are
communication, basic computer, analytical, entrepreneurial and interpersonal
skills.
University
Graduates: are those who passed through the
university system and certificated as being competent in a particular field of
study at first-degree level.
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