ABSTRACT
The study was carried out to determine contributions of students industrial work experience scheme to Business Education programme in Colleges of Education in South-East, Nigeria. Six research questions and six null hypotheses guided the study. The research adopted a descriptive survey design. The population for the study was 202 Business Education lecturers in the Federal, State and Private Colleges of Education in the South-East, Nigeria. There was no sampling because the population for the study was manageable. Thus, the entire population was used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The instrument was validated by three experts, two in business education and one in measurement and evaluation. The reliability of the research instrument was obtained using Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficients obtained for the six clusters were .71, .78, .76, .73, .86, and .73, respectively. The overall reliability index for the instrument was .82. A total of 195 copies of the questionnaire were retrieved and analyzed using mean with standard deviation for the research questions and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The results obtained indicated that business education lecturers in the federal, state and private colleges of education in South-East, Nigeria were of the opinion that students’ industrial work experience schemes develop basic skills in business education students, prepares students for business careers, exposes students to needed experience in handling office equipment, develops occupational competencies in students, helps students in job readiness after graduation and develops entrepreneurial skills in students. Recommendations were made based on the findings among others that ITF should present a new order of students’ placement to facilitate appropriate supervision and postings to industries of relevance to their academic training and skill development. More attention needs to be paid to SIWES during the accreditation of SIWES approved programmes in institutions to enable the scheme attains its potential in enhancing the pool of technical skills available to the economy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgments v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables ix
Abstract xii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement
of the Problem 5
1.3 Purpose
of the Study 6
1.4 Research
Questions 8
1.5 Hypotheses 8
1.6 Significance of the Study 10
1.7 Scope
of the Study 11
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE 13
2.1 Conceptual
Framework 13
2.1.1 Students
industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) 13
2.1.2 Business education 18
2.1.3 Student industrial work experience scheme and
development of students technical
skills 26
2.1.4 Students' industrial work experience scheme
as a
tool that prepare students for a business career and job
readiness after graduation 29
2.1.5 Students' industrial work experience scheme
as a
tool that exposes students to required experience in
handling equipment and machinery 34
2.1.6 Students' industrial work experience scheme
as a tool for
improvement of occupational competencies 35
2.1.7 Students industrial work experience scheme
and
development of entrepreneurial skills 39
2.2 Theoretical Framework 43
2.2.1 System theory 43
2.2.2 Instructional theory for skill development 44
2.3 Related
Empirical Studies 45
2.4 Summary
of Review of Related Literature 50
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 52
3.1 Design
of the Study 52
3.2
Area of the Study 52
3.3 Population for the Study 53
3.4 Sample and Sampling Techniques 53
3.5 Instrument for Data Collection 53
3.6 Validation of the Instrument 54
3.7 Reliability
of the Instrument 55
3.8 Method
of Data Collection 55
3.9 Method
of Data Analysis 56
CHAPTER
4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 57
4.1 Presentation
of Results 57
4.2 Discussion
of the Findings 70
4.3 Summary of the Findings 76
CHAPTER 5:
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary of the Study 78
5.2 Conclusion 79
5.3
Educational Implications 80
5.4
Recommendations 81
5.5 Limitations
of the Study 80
5.6 Suggestions of Further Studies 82
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
LIST OF TABLES
Page
1: Mean
ratings on students’ industrial work
experience scheme contributions to the development
of
technical skills in Business Education 57
2: ANOVA
results of the differences among the
opinions of business education lecturers in
federal,
state
and private colleges of education on students’
industrial work experience scheme contributions to the
development
of technical skills in Business Education 59
3: Mean ratings of
the respondents on students’
industrial work experience
scheme contributions
to the
development of Business Education students for
business careers 60
4: Summary of ANOVA
analysis of mean ratings
of business education
lecturers in federal, state and
private
colleges on on students’ industrial work
experience
scheme contributions to the development of
Business Education students
for business careers. 62
5: Mean ratings of
the respondents on students’ industrial
work experience scheme contributions to the
exposition
of Business Education students to
needed
experience in handling office equipment
that are not usually available in their
colleges 63
6: Summary of ANOVA
analysis of mean ratings
of business education
lectures in federal, state and
private
colleges on students’ industrial work
experience scheme contributions to the exposition
of
Business Education students to needed experience
in handling office equipment that are not
usually
available in their colleges. 64
7: Mean ratings of
the respondents on Students’
industrial work experience
scheme contributions to the
development
of occupational competencies in business
Education
students. 65
8: ANOVA results
of the difference among the
opinions
of business education lecturers in federal,
state
and private colleges of education on students’
industrial
work experience scheme contributions to
the
development of occupational competencies in
Business Education students 66
9: Mean rating with standard deviation of the respondents
on
students’ industrial work experience scheme contributions to the development of
Business Education students
in job readiness after graduation 67
10: ANOVA
results of the differences among the
opinions
of business education lecturers in federal,
state
and private colleges of education on students’
industrial work experience scheme contributions to the
development
of Business Education students in job
readiness
after graduation. 68
11: Mean ratings with
standard deviation of the
respondents
on students’ industrial work experience
scheme contributions to the development of
entrepreneurial
skills in Business Education students 69
12: ANOVA
analysis of difference among the
opinions
of business education lectures in federal,
state
and private colleges of education on students’
industrial
work experience scheme contributions
to the
development of entrepreneurial skills in
Business
Education students. 70
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
The Federal Government of Nigeria introduced the
students work experience scheme (SIWES) in tertiary organizations in 1974 to
guarantee the acquisition of field practical knowledge and skills by students
before graduation. SIWES was built up by Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to take
care of the issue of absence of satisfactory practical skills in anticipation
of work in industries by Nigerian graduates of tertiary institutions. As
indicated by Akerejola (2008), obtaining practical skills is an antidote to a
meaningful development in any society. The plan opens students to
industry-based abilities that are vital for smooth progress from the classroom
to the universe of work and it gives the students the chance to be part of real
work situations outside the lecture room. Merril (2001) stated the objectives
of Business Education as contained in the NCCE minimum standards for Nigeria
Certificate in Education as follows: To create very much qualified and capable
NCE graduates in business subjects will's identity ready to train business subjects
in our optional schools and other related instructive organizations. To create
NCE business educators will's identity ready to teach the professional parts of
Business Education into the general public. To deliver NCE Business instructors
will's identity engaged with the much-wanted upheaval of professional
improvement directly from the essential and auxiliary schools. To equip
students with necessary competencies so as to qualify them for a post-NCE
degree program in Business Education. To furnish graduates with the correct
abilities that will empower them to take part in an actual existence of work in
the workplace just as for self-employment.
Business education according to American Vocational
Association (AVA) in Osuala (2009) is a program of instruction which consists
of two parts, namely: Office education and and general business education. Office
education is a professional training program for office vocation through
introductory, boost and redesigning instruction prompting employability and
progression in office occupation hile business education is a program to give
students data and skills which are required by all in overseeing private issue
issues and in utilizing the administrations of the business world. It is a
class of education for, and about business, that trains the child to use his
head, heart and hand to earn a living either as a paid employee or in
self-employment. Osuala (2004) posited
Business education since its introduction in Nigerian post-primary
school had been an elective subject. It is non-existent at all in the primary
and pre-primary level, even when the typical Nigerian student lives and thrives
from the proceeds of business and the farm.
This background information is necessary as a prelude
to traces on why the supportive program such as SIWES was unable to achieve its
objectives since 1974. Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES)
according to Oyeniyi (2011) is a program designed to expose and prepare students of institutions of
higher learning which Colleges of education is part of it for industrial work
situation which they are likely to meet after graduation. SIWES
is also an effort to bridge the existing gap between theory and practice and
expose students to necessary skills for smooth transition from the classroom to
the world of work. It enables students to acquire technical skills and
experience for professional development in their study. Industrial Training Fund ITF (2002) outlined
the following as the specific objectives of SIWES:
To give a road to students in establishments of higher
figuring out how to gain mechanical aptitudes and involvement in their course
of study, which is confined to designing and innovation, including ecological
examinations and different courses that might be endorsed, to open understudies
to essential strategies and procedures in taking care of hardware and apparatus
that may not be accessible in their learning organizations, to make progress
from school to the universe of work simpler, and improve understudies contacts
for late occupation position; and to
fortify businesses contribution in the whole instructive procedure and plan
understudies for work in industry and trade.
Orikpe (2013) affirmed that the inability of SIWES to
meet the objective of its introduction was because only a little attention is
paid to the training value of the scheme. The students do not take the scheme
seriously and only a few employers are interested in employing the students not
even as 'learning workers' but as 'producing workers'. Okolocha and Ibik (2014)
opined that the major problems of SIWES in Nigeria are lack of proper
implementation and lack of commitment by colleges, industries, government, and
coordinating agencies. In all, SIWES has failed in meeting the practical
production skills, attitudes, abilities, and competencies required to make
Nigerian technological, engineering, environmental sciences, education, medical
sciences, human resource management, library and information science,
agriculture business and other vocational education graduates readily
employable or to be self-reliant. The ripple effect of this failure is the
persistent increase in the unemployment rate of graduates rolled out of school
without the requisite job competencies required in the world of work.
SIWES was
basically introduced to equip the participating students with needed skills and
competencies for employment and employment generation. The scheme is aimed at
equipping the students with such experiences that will aid their job creation
ability as well as aid them to fit into the job vacancies in the offices and
industries. Industrial Trianing Fund (2002) stated that the major objective of
SIWES is the reduction of the worrisome unemployment rate among Nigerian
graduates that studied specialized courses. However, despite the continued implementation
of SIWES, studies has shown that Business Education graduates still roam the
street in search for job, thereby compounding the unemployment predicament of
Nigerian nation and not achieving of business education objectives.
Agboh and Ugwu (2012) observed that in spite of the
job-creating qualities attributable to business education as a program of study,
beneficiaries still form part of the bulk of Nigerian unemployed graduates that
roam the street in search of jobs. The implication is that something is wrong
somewhere, thus a change is desired. The dynamism in the competitive business
environment has proved that the only constant factor in life is change. Any
programme, policy or practice that has reached the zenith and yet has not
yielded the desired objectives ought to be changed. SIWES as a program has been
in existence in Nigeria since 1974, more than 44 years, yet it may be presumed
not to have achieved the desired objectives. This study therefore aimed at
determining the contributions of students' industrial work experience scheme to
business education programme in Colleges of Education in South East.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme
(SIWES) as is undertaken by Business Education graduates is supposed to expose
them to a variety of on-the-job productive skills. That is, promoting the
acquisition of practical work skills and competencies desirable of business
education graduates to fit in the world of work without hindrances. SIWES is
purposed at ensuring that its participants did not only acquire the needed
industrial work situation skills but are also equipped with the opportunities
to develop their self potentials to face the societal future developmental and
survival challenges. Alagbe (2007) stated that SIWES emerged as a stimulating
factor in making students’ practical experience real and their education
meaningful. The aim of the scheme was to enable the participants acquire entrepreneurial training and skills
development which would not only lead to their transition from the classroom to
office as employees but also to create a job, thus reducing the level of
unemployment in Nigeria. To some extent, SIWES has been able to equip
participants with these employable and transitory competencies.
Despite the inclusion of SIWES in the
business education programme, lack of commitment by students, colleges,
industries, government, and the coordinating agencies have affected the
implementation of SIWES in Colleges of Education. This has lead to failure in
meeting the practical production skills, attitudes, abilities, and competencies
required to make Nigerian technological, engineering, business and other
vocational education graduates readily employable or to be self-reliant.
Okorocha and Ibik (2007) stated that business education graduates were still
being rejected by employers of labour due to the nonexistence of school to
industry linkages to ensure facilitation of economic boom through graduate
quality.
The need for this study would be that
students’ industrial work experience scheme should help to develop students’
basic skills and prepare students for a business career by merging their
analytical power with self-reliance which is needed to achieve business
education objectives. Also exposes students to needed experience in handling
office equipment, development of occupational competencies and entrepreneurial
scheme. This study
therefore aimed at determining the contributions of students' industrial work
experience scheme to business education programme in Colleges of Education in
South East.
1.3
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The
purpose of the study was to determine the contributes of students’ industrial work experience scheme to
business education programme in colleges of education in the South East,
Nigeria. Specifically, the objectives of the study
were:
1) to
determine
the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the development of technical
skills in business education students.
2) to
determine
the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of business education students for business careers.
3) to
determine
the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the exposition
of business education students to needed experience in handling office
equipment that are not usually available in their colleges.
4) to
determine
the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of occupational competencies in business education students.
5) to
determine
the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of business education students in job readiness after graduation; and
6) to
determine
the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of entrepreneurial skills in business education students.
1.4
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The
following research questions were answered:
1) What
are the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of technical skills in business education?
2) What
are the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of business education students for business careers?
3) What
are the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the exposition
of business education students to needed experience in handling office
equipment that are not usually available in their colleges?
4) What
are the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of occupational competencies in business education students?
5) What
are the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the development of business
education students in job readiness after graduation?
6) What
are the contributions
of students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of entrepreneurial skills in business education students?
1.5
NULL
HYPOTHESES
The
following null hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance:
Ho1: There is no significant difference in the
mean ratings of lecturers in Federal, State and private Colleges of Education on the contributions of students’
industrial work experience scheme to the development of technical skills in
business education.
H02: There is no significant difference in the
mean ratings of lecturers in Federal, State and private Colleges of Education
on the contributions of students’ industrial work
experience scheme to the development of business education students for
business careers.
H03: There
is no significant difference in the mean ratings of lecturers in Federal, State
and private Colleges of Education on the contributions
of students’
industrial work experience scheme to the exposition of business education
students to needed experience in handling office equipment that are not usually
available in their colleges.
H04: There is no significant difference in the
mean ratings of lecturers in Federal, State and private Colleges of Education
on the contributions of
students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of occupational competencies in business education students.
H05: There is no significant difference in the
mean ratings of lecturers in Federal, State and private Colleges of Education
on the contributions of
students’ industrial work experience scheme to the
development of business education students in job readiness after graduation.
H06: There is no significant difference in the
mean rating of lecturers in Federal, State and private Colleges of Education on the contributions of students’
industrial work experience scheme to the development of entrepreneurial skills
in business education students.
1.6
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The
findings of the study would be beneficial to the government, National
Commission for Colleges of Education in Nigeria, business education students,
employers of labour, College administrators and future researchers.
To
the government, the findings of the study would provide encouragement, enable
them to give adequate support to business education programme in Colleges of
Education in term of finance and monitoring for the effective realization of
business education programme objectives. It will also enable the government to make SIWES
mandatory for ministries, companies, and parastatals to offer places for
attachment to students.
To
the National Commission for Colleges of Education in Nigeria, whose
responsibility is to manage Colleges of Education in Nigeria, the findings of
the study would enable them to organize students’ industrial work experience
scheme in such a way to achieve its objectives thereby achieve business
education objectives also by assisting in the establishment of functional SIWES
co-coordinating units in colleges of education, involving approved SIWES
courses and ensuring national standard programme guide.
The findings of the study would provide
Business Education students an avenue to appreciate the integration of
theoretical and practical component of training which would prepare these
students for real-world, and provide to them the
basic job skill to function in the labour market. It would also provide an avenue for students
in institutions of higher learning to acquire industrial skills and experience
in their course of study, which are restricted to engineering and technology,
including environmental studies and other courses that may be approved. The
findings of the study would expose students to basic methods and techniques in
handling equipment and machinery that may not be available in their learning
institutions and make the transition from school to the world of work easier, and enhance student’s
contacts for late job placement.
The
employer of labour would also find the findings of this study very useful. It
will enable them to have enough manpower resources to recruit in their
organization. And it
will strengthen employers involvement in the entire educational process and prepare
students for employment in industry and commerce
thereby achieving their objectives as an organization. To the college
administrators, it would help them to restructure the Students’ Industrial Work
Experience Scheme (SIWES) with a bid to realize the objective of the programme.
1.7
SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The
study covered the extent Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES)
contributes to effective business education in Colleges of Education in South East
States of Nigeria. The study aimed at determining the extent students’
industrial work experience scheme actually develops technical skills in
business education students prepares business students for business career, exposes
business education students to needed experience in handling equipment and
machinery that are not usually available in their colleges, develop
occupational competencies in business education students, helps business
education students in job readiness after graduation and develops entrepreneurial skills in business education
students.
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