ACADEMIC FACTORS AND GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY IN NIGERIA

ATTENTION:

BEFORE YOU READ THE ABSTRACT OR CHAPTER ONE OF THE PROJECT TOPICS BELOW, PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW.THANK YOU!

INFORMATION:

YOU CAN GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT OF THE TOPIC BELOW. THE FULL PROJECT COST N5,000 ONLY. THE FULL INFORMATION ON HOW TO PAY AND GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. OR

YOU CAN CALL: 08068231953, 08137701720

WHATSAPP US ON: 08137701720

ACADEMIC FACTORS AND GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT:

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of academic factors on graduate employability in Nigeria, a case study of Calabar, Cross River State. To achieve this objective, two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. An accidental sampling technique was used in the selection of the samples. A total of 150 respondents were used for the study. The major instrument for data collection was a four-point Likert scale questionnaire titled Academic Factors and Graduate Employability Questionnaire (AFGEQ). It was designed by the researcher with the aid of five research experts to establish its validity and reliability. The split-half method of reliability was used to test the reliability. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and Spearman Brown Prophesy Formula coefficient derived after correlating the outcomes were 0.789 and .882 respectively. Data collected was subjected to statistical test at 0.05 level of significance. The hypotheses were analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result of the analyses showed that academic discipline significantly influences graduate employability while academic achievement does not significantly influence graduate employability. Based on these findings, it was recommended among others, that the curriculum should reformed and made universal to provide students of higher institutions with the requirements of contemporary labour market. It was also recommended that there should be a de-emphasis on certificate education in place of skilloriented training.

KEYWORDS: Academic Factor, Graduate, Employment, Self-employment, Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

One of the most aching challenges confronting Nigeria today is the issue of unemployment. It has become so severe that policy-makers, parents and youths, especially graduates alike are having sleepless nights over it. The issue has been in the front burner of national discourse in recent years. The unemployment question is even aggravated by the increasing number of graduates being churned out annually by tertiary institutions made up of Universities, Polytechnics, monotechnics and Colleges of Education, about 322 in all excluding Technical Colleges (Educational and Employability Survey Report, 2014). Ajiboye, Oyebanji and Awoniyi (2013) defined unemployment as the share of the labour force that is without work but available and seeking employment. It could also be seen as an economic condition in which individuals seeking jobs remain unhired (Eurostat, 2013). The rate of unemployment in Nigeria has assumed and alarming dimension. It had steadily risen from 21% in 2010 to

23.9% in 2011, though the economy has been growing in an average of 7% per annum (National Bureau of Statistics, 2012).

More worrisome is the problem of graduate employability, which has rendered many Nigerian graduate unemployable. This is because, while it is one thing for tertiary institutions to produce graduates, it is another for the products of these schools to meet up with employers’ requirements, skills or competences for employment. Employers of labour often complain that some of these graduates though professionally or technically qualified are unemployable, in that they lack the requisite, essential skills or competencies needed in the job or for sustainable employment. These skills create a gap in their knowledge which must be filled to make them suitable to compete for few, existing vacancies that crop up from time to time (Sodipo, 2014).

Eurosat (2013) noted that employability is about having the capability to gain initial employment, maintain employment and obtain new employment if required. For the individual, employability depends upon: assets in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes; the way these assets are used and deployed; presentation of assets to potential employers and the context within which the individual works, e.g. labour market and personal circumstances. Knight and Yorke (2001) consider the concept of employability to be a ‘synergic combination of personal qualities, skills of various kinds and subject understanding.’ Employability skills denote characters that may make an individual attractive to potential employers (Babalola, 2011). These skills and competencies are directly linked to the needs of the labour market and the mandatory inclusion of employability skills in higher education has been proposed in some countries (Precision Consultancy, 2007). It has been proven that these employability skills promote performance in the workplace (Pan and Lee, 2011). Harvey (2001) define ‘employability skills’ in terms of four key areas: (a) Traditional intellectual skills – e.g. critical evaluation, logical argument (b) Key skills – communication, IT, etc., (c). Personal attributes – motivation, self-reliance and (d) Knowledge of organisations and how they work. Sodipo (2014) said these skills (soft) are usually lacking in graduates that are just out of school and even those already in employment. Organizations spend a lot of time and money training staff, not only in job – specific areas but also in general and basic skills.

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 country’s 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 products of the Nigerian University system have at different forum been challenged to test their suitability or otherwise to secure few available white collar jobs. 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

According to Pan and Lee (2011), the notion of employability challenges traditional concepts of higher education and raises the question of what the point of higher education is; subject knowledge and understanding, or learning how to learn. Some academics feel that this agenda is too driven by government policy and employers, rather than the academy. This can lead to unrest amongst academics, who are expected to teach employability skills and attributes in the classroom. De la Harpe, Radloff and Wyber (2000) suggest that there is concern worldwide that existing undergraduate programmes are not producing graduates with the kind of life-long learning skills and professional skills which they need in order to be successful in their careers.

The crux of the matter therefore is the effect of some academic factors on graduates’ employability in Nigeria, to cushion the cancerous trend of graduate unemployment in the country. The thrust of this paper thus is to examine these factors: academic discipline and academic performance of students in relation to their employability.

HOW TO RECEIVE PROJECT MATERIAL (S)

After paying the appropriate amount (#5,000) into our bank Account below, send the following information to

08068231953 or 08168759420

(1) Your project topics

(2) Email Address

(3) Payment Name

OR you drop them on our WhatsApp, 08137701720

We will send your material(s) after we receive bank alert

BANK ACCOUNTS

Account Name: AMUTAH DANIEL CHUKWUDI

Account Number: 0046579864

Bank: GTBank.