Abstract
Artisans form a large percentage of the workforce in the informal sector of Nigeria’s economy and the importance of their activities to the growth of the economy cannot be overemphasized. They play an active role in the primary production and exchange of good and services and serve as dynamic promoter of entrepreneurial spirit among the populace. However, in spite of the potentials and inherent benefits that accrue from various services provided by artisans, there is lack of knowledge on their state of literacy skills and what might be of priority to them in terms of literacy acquisition. This study, therefore, assessed the literacy needs of artisans in Ibadan metropolis. The study adopted a quantitative research approach and the participants comprised 200 artisans who were randomly selected within Ibadan metropolis. The instrument used for the study was a self-designed questionnaire which was developed and subjected to content validity by experts in the field of adult education, measurement and evaluation. The instrument was pilot-tested with road transport workers and reliability coefficient of 0.75 was obtained. The data collected for the study were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and mean score. The study revealed that the literacy status of artisans is high and they ranked the need for acquisition of more technical skills in their profession and acquisition of basic literacy skills as 1st and 2nd among other literacy needs in order of priority to them. It was also revealed that artisans’ perceived effect of literacy acquisition on their livelihood is positive (Weighted Average = 3.33). Therefore, it was recommended that there should be a conscious effort by all stakeholders at providing an avenue for artisans to upgrade their technical skills in order to keep abreast with the latest development in their profession and this should incorporate basic literacy skills acquisition alongside it.
Highlights
Artisans constitute a large percentage of the workforce in the informal sector of Nigeria’s economy and this sector has been adjudged to have a huge potential of playing a great role in reducing the unemployment rate and contribute to faster recovery from economic recession the country is presently in due to over-concentration on the formal sector of the economy
It was recommended that there should be a conscious effort by all stakeholders at providing an avenue for artisans to upgrade their technical skills in order to keep abreast with the latest development in their profession and this should incorporate basic literacy skills acquisition alongside it
This study has assessed the literacy needs of artisans in Ibadan metropolis and the findings of the study revealed that their literacy status is high
Summary
Artisans constitute a large percentage of the workforce in the informal sector of Nigeria’s economy and this sector has been adjudged to have a huge potential of playing a great role in reducing the unemployment rate and contribute to faster recovery from economic recession the country is presently in due to over-concentration on the formal sector of the economy. Artisans are skilled craft workers who make or create things by hand and their activities are often characterized by low entry requirements in terms of capital and professional qualifications, the small scale of operations, skills often acquired outside of formal education and labour-intensive (Onwe, 2013). These activities include carpentry, hairdressing, fashion designing, plumbing, electrician, panel beating, and a host of others. The African Development Bank in 2013 opined that 55 percent of Sub-Saharan African’s Gross Domestic Product and 80 percent of the labour force is driven by the informal sector of which artisans constitute the larger constituent
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