Published Article

ABSTRACT

This paper assesses Technical Education undergraduate students’ employability skills in Colleges of Education in South-East geopolitical zone in Nigeria. Two research questions and Two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 100 Technical Education final year undergraduate students from a population of 176 in three Colleges of Education. A 48-item questionnaire of 4-point rating scale was used for data collection. The instrument was faced and content validated by three research experts, while the reliability of the instrument was obtained using Cronbach Alpha statistics which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.84. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions while the hypotheses were tested using independence t-test at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that students of Building Technology, Electrical/Electronic Technology and Mechanical Technology lack adequate instructional resources on problem solving and adaptability skills, team work and Leadership skills, communication skills, equipment and machine handling skills, experience Lecturers, funding, classrooms, workshops and practical equipment. The findings of the study further revealed that Building Technology students lack skills in block and brick laying, tiling, plumbing and pipe-fitting, concrete construction work, carpentry and joinery. The study also revealed that Electrical/Electronic Technology students lack skills in electronic circuit troubleshooting, circuit design, signal analysis, coil winding, radio and television maintenance and repair. The study also revealed that Metalwork Technology students lack skills in Air conditioning and refrigerator servicing, general plant operation, automobile repair and computer-controlled vehicle. The researchers recommend among other, that Federal and State government should employ qualified Lecturers, provide adequate machines, equipment, facilities, instructional resources and fund in Colleges of Education in South-East, Nigeria.

KEYWORDS: Employability skills, Technical Education, Colleges of Education, Undergraduate students, Nigeria