Potentials Possessed by Mechanical Technology Education Final Year Undergraduate Students of Universities for Self-Employment

Oguejiofor Victor Ikechukwu ,Ezeama Anthony Osita

doi:10.7176/jep/10-36-08

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the potentials possessed by mechanical technology education final year undergraduate students of Universities in Enugu State of Nigeria for self-employment in terms of theory, practice and entrepreneurship potentials. The population for the study was 103 people made up of 90 undergraduate students and 13 lectures. The instrument for data collection was structured questionnaire. The return rate of the instrument was 98%. Three experts validated the instruments. A pilot study of five lecturers and 15 undergraduate students were conducted. Cronbach Alpha technique was used to test for the reliability. The total reliability coefficient of .77 was obtained for the instrument . Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study . Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t-test was employed to test the null hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The major findings were:(1) that mechanical technology education final year undergraduate students were competent in theoretical knowledge, practical, and entrepreneurship skills but they are incompetent to secure good infrastructures for self-employment.(2)there was no significant difference between the mean responses of final year undergraduate students of mechanical technology education of Universities and their lecturers on the theoretical knowledge, practical and entrepreneurship skills they possessed for self- employment. It was recommended that Universities should be well equipped with competent mechanical technology education lecturers, technologist and functional workshop and equipment in other to enhance the teaching and learning of mechanical technology education and inculcate in their curriculum fund raising for self-employment. Keywords: Self-employment, potentials, mechanical technology DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-36-08 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

Highlights

One of the biggest challenges of the economy of any nation is providing employment for its citizens
Note: N = number of respondents, X = mean, SD = standard deviation and NS = Not Significant The data in Table 6 showed that t- calculated of 1.44 is less than t-critical which is 1.96, there is no significant differences between the mean responses of final year undergraduate students of mechanical technology education of Universities and their lecturers on the entrepreneurship skills the possessed for selfemployment
Testing of the three hypotheses as shown in tables 2, 4 and 6 revealed that the t-calculated in all the hypotheses were less www.iiste.org than t-critical. This shows that there is no significant difference between the mean responses of final year undergraduate students of mechanical technology education of Universities and their lecturers on the theoretical knowledge, practical, and entrepreneurship skills they possessed for self- employment

Summary

Introduction

One of the biggest challenges of the economy of any nation is providing employment for its citizens. In Nigeria and Enugu State in particular, the growing problem of unemployment has contributed largely to the worsening problem of poverty among the populace (Economy watch, 2010). Unemployment, according to Olaitan (2011), leads to frustration and disillusionment which may result in crime or drug abuse in a futile attempt to escape from and forget the pains and humiliation of poverty. The problem of unemployment has worsened as millions of graduates have not secured gainful employment over the years (Howell, 2012). Fajana (2010) stated that the cause of unemployment in Nigeria included: technological underdevelopment, defective human resources planning, lack of industrialization, and lack of adequate labour market information, government insensitivity to the needs of the teaming youths, bad leadership and government policies, crime and corruption

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