Project Material on; Examining the Influence of Vocational Education in Reducing Unemployment in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos

Project Material on; Examining the Influence of Vocational Education in Reducing Unemployment in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Vocational and technical education has been existing in Nigeria before the arrival of Western Education, mostly in the form of apprenticeship programmes. However, formally organized vocational and technical schools were not in existence till after arrival of western education, on the arrival and co-existing of western education with the pre-colonial form of vocational and technical education took off in government organizations such as Nigeria Railway co-operation, public works department, the marine, post and telegraph etc. later on few vocational schools were established by both government and voluntary agencies (Fafunwa 2012).

The design of the Nigeria educational system is flawed, the neglect of technical education is an obstacle to national development and not everyone needs a university education. In Nigeria, technical degrees are regarded as inferior to regular academic degrees, while in advanced nations the reverse is the case. Individuals who posse’s practical skills with years of field experience are highly regarded in fact, the worth of everyone depends on the person’s skills and knowledge and not on the stack of academic degrees one has. Nigeria must learn to bleed theory and practical’s in her education because theory alone cannot serve any useful purpose (National Policy on Education 2018).

Nigeria in the most populated country in Africa and the eight in the world with a population of over 140 million people (National population commission 2016). Nigeria is the eight biggest oil producing country in the world, but it has the largest population of poor and non-employed people in Sub-Sahara Africa and is ranked 158th on the human development index there is general high income greatly which has perpetuated the concentration of wealth of the nation in the hard of a few individuals (Action Aid Nigeria 2013).

A high level of unemployment and underemployment is one of the critical Socio-Economic problems facing Nigeria (Salani 2012). While the labour force grows with an increasing proportion of youth, employment growth is insufficient to absorb labour market entrants. As a result of this, youth are specifically affected by unemployment. In 2012, the Minister of Youth Development, Bolaji Abdulahi reported that 42.2% of Nigeria’s youth population is out of job, while Depo Oyedokun, the chairman of the house Committee of Youth and Social Development Revealed that, of the over 40 million unemployed youths in the country, 23 million are unemployable and therefore susceptible to crone, hence the need to articulate what would be done to salvage the situation (Emeh, Nusangura and Abaroh, 2012). The rate of unemployment is increasing because most graduates lack relevant marketable skills that will make them employable is industries or related organizations as a result of this, there is a high level of unemployment in Nigeria.

According to Agi and Yellowe (2013), Education is important to the development of human resources, importation of appropriate skills, knowledge and attitude. It is the basis for transformation industrialization and a high way to global knowledge economy, relating to security, Agi and Yellowe (2013), explained further that education is regarded as a means of achieving culture of peace, gender equality and positive African values. It is therefore the understanding of many that education leads to national transformation and development, through reduction in poverty withy ensured peace and security.

The National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (2014) document leads credence to the place of education by clearly explaining it role in self reliance and development, Agi and Yellowe (2013) also support this when they asserted that the goals of wealth creation or generation, poverty reduction and value re-orientation can only be attained and sustained through an efficient educational system which impacts the relevant skills, knowledge, capacities, attitude and values. In view of the benefits of education enumerated above, Nigeria has provided education for decades with abundant available man power. However, what keeps agitating the nation endlessly border’s on the slow and inefficient economy, near primitive democracy and violent social co-existence in the society (NEED, 2014).

Analzing the problem of education in Nigeria, Agi and Yellowe (2013) argued that the problem is not about curriculum or investment in education neither is it non availability of man power for the sector, but that many have tended to look in the direction of management of education which include lack of policy analysis to make students to fit into the society, yet not relying on the government of the day but the management ingenuity of education managers and administrators to make education a building block of Socio-Economic Empowerment, prosperity, self-reliance, employment, crime reduction and national security through improved access to quality functional education at all levels.

However, because of recent happening such as underemployment, poverty, unemployment and their re-occurring effects, many people have hitherto criticized formal education for lack of its relevance while some other also strongly looked down on informal education as being unable to promote the much needed development, scientific and technological breakthrough. The neglect of technical and vocational education may have contributed to the high unemployment and rising poverty among the youth because many of them lack the basic job skills.

For the mentioned reasons above, it is set to look at the various ways through which the youths can be developed for gainful employment and be self reliant through vocational and technical education.

1.2    Background to the Study

On attainment of independence in 1960, Nigeria was faced with the problem of social and economic development problems. Also there was the need to develop all aspects of education in the country. Vocational and technical education was one of those aspects expected to build up the nation to reduce joblessness among youths. As indicated by Nnanna, (2012), in an offer to develop Nigeria and tackle the issues of unemployment, numerous commissions were set up to analyze the educational and manpower prerequisites in various divisions of the economy. Such reports was the Ashby commission titled “Investment in Education” in 1960 and Cottiers/Caunce report on the development of technical and commercial education below professional level between 1961- 1976. The Ashby commission report suggested measures which would help to establish the foundation upon which Nigeria could build a balanced system of vocational/technical education. He was of the opinion that technicians were grossly in short supply, and that facilities for training them were inadequate. In a related manner Cottiers/Caunce report noted with dissatisfaction, the absence of national survey to ascertain from industries, the nature and extent of the educational needs for the planning and administration for the vocational education system. The report additionally revealed that since firms do not stay static, such overview must be nonstop with the goal that mechanical innovation will reflect in the vocational education curriculum. The important aspect of the report was the recognition of the fact that there was need to develop and increase vocational and technical education in Nigeria. And this informed the establishment of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), by Decree No, 24 of 1989, to train young people on vocational education and skill acquisition, with the aim to reduce unemployment (Amoor, 2013).

According to the National Policy on Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2014), vocational education is that aspect of education that leads to the acquisition of practical and applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge. Vocational and technical education is directed towards the preparation for occupational life, since the recipients are equipped to face the challenges of the world of work for national development. In a related way, Okonkwo and Obinali, (2012) attested that the objective of vocational education and training is to influence the fundamental practical skills, potential, work propensities, attitudes and different qualities to the beneficiaries. This is aimed at preparing the students for self reliance through self-employment. In confirmation of this assertion, Odugbesan (2015) noticed that vocational education furnishes the beneficiaries with all the important work qualities, pragmatic skills and abilities, knowledge and attitude to empower them live independently after graduation. In most developed nations of the world, vocational education and training are given an intense consideration and are viewed as an important investment. This is the reason many youths through vocational training have acquired the right skills that will enable them secure employment which at the long run benefit them and the society.

On contrary, the poor state of vocational education and training in Nigeria started right from the educational foundation instituted by the colonial government which paid more emphasis on training students for white collar jobs but paid little or no attention to vocational education and training. Vocational education and training promotes self reliant among the students on graduation. Unfortunately, after numerous years of independent, Nigeria despite everything is still practicing the pre-independent type of education, which just prepare graduates to look for civil service and other related employments, in spite establishment of specialized institutions such as universities of technology and polytechnics which is yet to produce the required result to address this issues.

Presently, there are 125 technical/vocational centres in the Nigeria (wwweveryculturecom/-/nigeria.html) which is not adequate compared to the increasing population of Nigeria estimated at 170 million. These few vocational centres cannot produce enough skilled manpower to reduce the increasing unemployed people in Nigeria. Nnanna (2016) noticed that, Government of different administrations, have endeavored to improve educational delivery particularly as it identifies with vocational and technical education. This is because of the recognition of the role which vocational education and training would play in the development of the country, by a way of reducing unemployment and youth restiveness in Nigeria. Hence, the degree to which vocational education and training shows in reducing unemployment in Nigeria forms the basis of this study.

1.3    Statement of the Problem

Poverty reduction or income generation is significant in the lives of the young people after degree education. The inquiries along these lines are: what is the expectation of Nigeria youths after their degree education? Do they truly find their potentials and capabilities having scaled through the degree education? What at that point would we be able to state are the contributions of Nigeria tertiary educational institutions to the reduction of youths unemployment in the nation? It is important; to learn the power of Nigerian higher education for poverty reduction among the young people and to proffer that Technical and Vocational Education is one of the measures for improvement and supportability of youth empowerment.

1.4    Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to investigate the role of vocational education in reducing unemployment in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos. However, the specific objectives include:

i.    To understand the skill areas of vocational and technical education that can provide employment for youth in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos

ii.    To examine the influence and relevant areas of self independent in vocational and technical education

iii.    To identify the problems and prospects of vocational and technical education

iv.    To determine the causes of youth unemployment and the consequences of youth unemployment

1.5    Research Questions

The followings are the research questions this study is poised to give answers to:

i.    What are the skill areas of vocational and technical education that can provide employment for youth in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos?

ii.    What are the relevant areas of self independent in vocational and technical education?

iii.    What are the problems and prospects of vocational and technical education?

iv.    What are the causes of youth unemployment and the consequences of youth unemployment?

1.6    Research Hypotheses

The following statements are considered to be the research hypotheses that will be tested in this study: