ABSTRACT
This study sought to determine the influence of Business Education and Employability of Business Education in the labour market. The study was guided by four specific objectives four research questions and four null hypotheses which were tested at 0.5 level of significance. Survey research design was adopted in the study. The population consisted of 820 business education graduates in the district. Simple random sampling technique was used in the study. A total of 112 business education graduates constituted the sample size for the study. A 20 – Item questionnaire develop by the researcher tagged “Business Education and Employability of Graduates Questionnaire” was validated by three experts in the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo. The reliability coefficient stood at .88. The data obtained were analysed using mean, standard deviation and dependent t-test. The findings revealed that there is a significant influence of Business Education and employability of Business Education graduates endowed with great skills to achieve the organizational goals. It was recommended among others that there should be a review of business education curriculum to reflect the acquisition of these basic skills for self-reliance.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Pages
Title page – – – – – – – – i
Declaration – – – – – – – – ii
Certification – – – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgement – – – – – – – v
Abstract – – – – – – – – vi
Table of content – – – – – – – vii
List of table – – – – – – – – viii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
- Background of the Study – – – – – 1
- Statement of Problem – – – – – – 3
- Purpose of the Study – – – – – – 4
- Significance of the Study – – – – – 5
- Research Questions – – – – – – 5
- Research Hypotheses – – – – – – 6
- Limitations of the Study – – – – – 7
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Theoretical framework – – – – – 8
2.1.1 Vocational Education Theory by Prosser (1949) – – 9
2.1.2 Theory of Hierarchy of Need by Maslow (1943) – – 11
2.2 Conceptual Framework – – – – 12
2.2.1 Accounting Skills and employability of Business Education
Graduates – – – – – – 14
2.2.2 Management skills and employability of Business Education
Graduates – – – – – – 16
2.2.3 Marketing Skills and Employability of Business Education
Graduates – – – – – – 16
2.2.5 Entrepreneurial skills employability of Business Education
Graduates – – – – – – – 17
2.2.6 Concept of Business Education – – – – 20
2.2.7 Concept of Employability – – – – – 21
2.3 Related Empirical Studies – – – – – 22
2.4 Summary of Related Literature – – – – 25
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS
3.1 Design of the study – – – – – – 27
3.2 Area of the Study – – – – – – 27
3.3 Population of the Study – – – – – 29
3.4 Sample and Sampling Technique – – – – 29
3.5 Instrumentation – – – – – – 29
3.5.1 The Validation of the Instrument – – – – 30
3.5.2 Reliability of the Instrument – – – – – 31
3.6 Administration of Instrument – – – – – 31
3.7 Method of Data Analysis – – – – – 32
3.7.1 Decision rule – – – – – – – 32
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
4.1 Data Answering of Research questions – – – 33
4.1.1 Research Question 1 – – – – – – 33
4.1.2 Research Question 2 – – – – – – 34
4.1.3 Research Question 3 – – – – – – 35
4.2 Testing of Hypotheses – – – – – – 36
4.2.1 Hypothesis I – – – – – – – 36
4.4.2 Management skills and employability of Business Education
Graduates in the labour market – – – – 37
4.4.3 Marketing skills and employability of Business Education
Graduates – – – – – – – 38
4.4.4 Entrepreneurial skills and Employability of Business Education
Graduates – – – – – – – 39
4.4 Accounting skills and Employability of Business – –
4.2.2 Hypothesis II – – – – – – – 40
4.2.3 Hypothesis III – – – – – – – 41
4.2.4 Hypothesis IV – – – – – – – 42
4.3 Findings of the Study – – – – – – 42
4.4 Discussion of the Findings – – – – – 43
4.5 Accounting skills and Employability of Business Education
Graduate – – – – – – – 43
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Re – Statement of the problem – – – – 44
5.2 Description of procedures Used – – – – 45
5.3 Educational implication of the study – – – – 46
5.4 Conclusion – – – – – – – 47
5.5 Recommendations – – – – – – 48
5.6 Suggestions for further studies – – – – 49
REFERENCES – – – – – – 50
APPENDICES – – – – – – 52
QUESTIONNAIRES – – – – – – 53
LIST OF TABLES
Table Title Page
Table I: Mean Analysis of the influence of Accounting skills on
employability of Business education graduates in the labour
markets – – – – – – 33
Table 2: Mean Analysis of the influence of management skills on
employability of Business Education graduates in the labour
market.- – – – – – – – 34
Table 3: Mean Analysis of Influence of marketing skills on
employability of Business Education graduates in the labour
market. – – – – – – – 35
Table 4: Mean Analysis of influence of Entrepreneurial skills on
employability of Business Education graduates in the labour
market. – – – – – – – 36
Table 5: t – test Analysis of the influence of Accounting skill on
employability of Business Education graduates in the labour market
scale entrepreneurs to keep financial records negatively affect the
growth of their business ability to secure loans from financial
institutions in helping Business Education graduates to become
self reliance. – – – – – -37
Table 6: t – test Analysis of the influence of management skills and
employability of Business Education graduates in the labour market. 40
Table 7: t – test Analysis on the influence of marketing skills and
employability of Business Education graduates in the labour market`- 41
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the Study
The source of quality in education would include well maintained buildings with all required gadgets being conducive to learning outstanding lecturers, high moral values, excellent examination results, specialization, the support of parents, business, local community and non-governmental organization, the support, adequate facilities, the application of the latest technology, strong and purposeful leadership, care and concern for pupils or students a balanced curriculum that is the curriculum that matches the employers demand in the labour market (Adeyanju and Olaniyi, 2015).
The quality of graduates in Akwa Ibom State is on rapid decline especially in the area of valuable skills including; communication, technical abilities, human interaction, social, conceptual and analytical capacity (Anho, 2011).
Anho (2011) noted further that the National University Commission (NUC) in 2020 organized a curriculum review debate in collaboration with other stakeholders in the education and observed graduates who left schools between 1995 and 2000; they found out that standard hade actually declined in those critical skills. Consequently, the NUC in its statutory responsibility embarked on conducting comprehensive curriculum review exercise to address current and future high level manpower needs, so that the products from the system can actually complete well with their counterparts around the globe. The mechanism for improving and sustaining quality and high standard in the universities has been set by the Federal Government of Nigeria. However, the actual implementation is yet to yield any meaningful results as quality of university graduates whether from the field of Business Education or other discipline has continue to generate intensives debates and worries.
In today’s competitive and challenging world with diverse demands, many countries are facing serious problems of graduate employability (Adesina, 2013). As a result, the higher education sectors are under immense pressure from governments, employers and parents to produce quality graduates that be economically engaged at the individual, national and global level (Teichler, 2007). Such graduates should posses a combination of attributes that will enable them to take an adaptive and proactive approach to their careers (Bezuidenout, 2011).
Eurosat (2013) noted that employability is about having the capability to gain initial employment, maintain employment and obtain new employment if required. This is therefore a key challenge to tertiary institutions in Nigeria, which produces over 300, 000 graduates annually; a number that should ordinarily meet the countries’ human capital resources needs (Oyesiku, 2010). But employers willing to pay well to attract skilled workers are increasingly finding it difficult to fill job vacancies. Akanmu (2011) opines that product of the Nigerian university system have a different forum been challenged to test their suitability or otherwise to secure few available while collar job. He went further to say that the situation is not only sympathetic but embarrassing that the vast human material resources available to the country had not been trained and utilized to the advantage of the country. Thus the undertaking of this study will beam a sear height on the employability of Business Education graduates in Akwa Ibom State.
- Statement of Problem
Employers of labour in Nigeria often complain that graduates are poorly prepared for work. They believe that academic standards have fallen considerably over the past decade and that a university degree is no longer a guarantee of Business Education skills or technical competence. As a result, university graduates are commonly viewed as “half baked”
One of the most aching challenges confronting Nigeria today is the issue of unemployment. It has become as severe that policy-makers, parents and youths, especially graduates being churned out annually by tertiary institutions made up of universities, polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Education (Educcational and Employability survey 2014).
More worrisome is the problem of graduate’s employability which has rendered many Nigeria graduate unemployable. This is because while it is one thing for tertiary institutions to produce graduates, it is another for thed produce graduates, it is another for the products of these schools to meet up with employer’s requirements, skills or competences for employment. Employers’ of labour often complain that some of these graduates thought professionally or technically quality are unemployable in that they lack the requisite, essential skills or competences needed in the job or for sustainable employment. These skills create a gap in their knowledge (Sodipo, 2014). Stories and jokes abound in Nigeria regarding the supposed short comings of university graduates yet empirical information and reports are rare what is the real situation? Is graduate employability a serious problem? How do employers asses the qualification of current degree holders? How well do graduates perform when they are able to obtain employment? This study will fill in the gap by critically assessing the employability of Business Education graduates in Akwa Ibom State.
- Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to;
i Determine the relationship between Accounting skills and Employability of Business Education graduates in the labour market of Akwa Ibom State.
ii Determine the relationship between management skills and employability of its graduates in the labour market of Akwa Ibom State.
iii. Determine the relationship between management skills and employability of its graduates in the labour market of Akwa Ibom State.
iv. Determine the relationship between marketing skills and employability of its graduates in the labour market of Akwa Ibom State.
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