Nigerian Graduates Research Articles

Entrepreneurship skill acquisition: Perceptions of SAED graduates on employment outcomes and business startups in Nigeria

In the past, people regarded education as a solution to overcoming poverty. Regrettably, new graduates in Nigeria still have difficulty securing jobs after graduating due to many factors, including overpopulation, poor political administration, conflicting government policies, and an education framework not tailored and adjusted to industry needs. Studies have shown that one of Nigeria's educational system shortcomings is that schools fail to prepare graduates for independent work (Odia & Omofonmwan, 2007). The study's focus was to understand the role played by the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) program in fostering positive experiences and employment outcomes for Nigerian graduates through the assessment of the effectiveness of the SAED program on graduate employment through post-project employment status and participants' development of other entrepreneurship skills and attributes (Almlund, Duckworth, Heckman, & Kautz, 2011; Premand et al., 2015; Propstmeier, Picot, & Schaller, 2012). Findings indicate that the SAED program positively impacts Nigerian graduates by providing alternative entrepreneurial paths, promoting awareness, and helping them start small businesses, despite not improving unemployment rates. Keywords: Nigeria, SAED, Graduates, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Policy.

Beyond Language Barriers: Rethinking English Proficiency Requirements for Nigerian Graduates

The debate surrounding whether Nigerians should be exempted from international English proficiency tests to study in English-speaking countries in the West has gained significant media attention. It is argued that English is already the official language, widely used in Nigeria for government, media, and education, making it the everyday language for many Nigerians. Consequently, they find it offensive and demeaning to mandate English proficiency tests, particularly for graduate students seeking to study abroad. As part of an academic inquiry into the issue, this paper aims to investigate the perceptions of Nigerian graduates regarding international English proficiency tests. This study offers insights into Nigerian graduates’ views, potentially informing educational policy and addressing fairness in international language testing requirements for English-speaking nations. The authors obtained responses through a six-question structured questionnaire and evaluated the perception of Nigerian graduates concerning these tests. Using a quantitative approach, the participants’ responses were analyzed and triangulated by situating them in real-life contexts. The findings indicate that a majority of Nigerian graduates believe Nigerians should be exempted from these proficiency tests due to the prevalence and familiarity of the English language in Nigeria compared to indigenous languages. However, an average of 11% of respondents believe that Nigerians should not be exempted from taking standardised English proficiency tests. This is significantly lower than 89% of respondents who believe that Nigerians should be exempted from these tests. This suggests a reconsideration of English proficiency tests for Nigerians, potentially influencing policy changes in language testing and supporting equitable access to international education. The findings also have broader implications for international educational policies and the recognition of linguistic diversity in a global academic environment.

A Novel Employability Model for Enhancing Job Readiness and Career Development among Nigerian Graduates

This paper presents a novel employability model for enhancing job readiness and employability among Nigerian graduates. The study was motivated by the increasing rate of graduates’ unemployment and the need for education system reforms and curricula re-engineering. The Southeast region consistently recording the highest university enrollments annually, was selected as sampling area. The research scope is limited to public universities and private-sector employers. Purposive sampling was applied in selecting a sample of 144 multi-stakeholder participants. Participants include 80 students in their graduating level having cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and above, 50 faculty/academic administrators, and 14 human resources managers of selected private sector employers. A Likert 5-point scaled instrument was used for data collection. Qualitative responses were quantified and subjected to multi-variate error correction model analysis. Results show that in the short term, academic achievement and work-integrated learning all have significant negative effects on education training outcome (job readiness), while in the long term, that of academic achievement becomes positive and significant. The paper concludes that the novel employability model has high likelihood of bridging employability skills gaps of traditional training outcomes, thereby enhancing job readiness and career development among graduates. Hence, the adoption of the model by universities is recommended as curricula re-engineering and educational system reform strategy.

Nigerian Graduates as Newcomers in the Workplace: Making Sense of Transitioning Into the Industry

ABSTRACT Nigeria’s higher education system is plagued with diverse structural challenges. However, little research has explored its impact on the achievement of career goals of graduates of this system, especially in the workplace. This study adopts sense-making and blame attribution theories to investigate the experiences of Nigeria’s graduates in their workplaces. After a qualitative analysis of narrative interviews, this study argues that (1) blame attribution forms an anchor to organize narratives of sense-making within an organization; (2) Nigerian graduates blame their education, workplace, and self for the challenges they encounter. Self-blame can potentially shed light on newcomers’ sense-making of their difficult transitioning experiences. The analysis identifies a tripartite problem where these three distinct, but interconnected entities are viewed as responsible for post-graduation challenges in the workplace. Thus, the results demonstrate the need to extend blame attribution theory from its current focus on either external or internal blame targets to understanding individuals within an organizational context potentially blaming both internal and external factors simultaneously for workplace challenges.

Mediating Effects of Entrepreneurship Education on Personality Dimensions and Venture Creation of Nigerian Graduates: An Empirical Approach

The study examines the mediating effects of entrepreneurial education on the need for achievement, risk-taking, self-efficacy, and venture creation among Nigerian graduates. A targeted sampling technique was used for the selection of the corps members deployed to the Oyo State. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the data with the aid of STATA version 15. The results reveal that entrepreneurship education has a positive association with the need for achievement, and self-efficacy. Further reveals that entrepreneurship education has a positive relationship with risk-taking but insignificant. It was also revealed that need for achievement has inverse relationship with venture creation, while self-efficacy has a positive but insignificant relationship with venture creation. There is evidence that taking risks is positively and significantly related to starting a business. This suggests that entrepreneurship education serves as a platform to encourage personality traits like the desire for success, risk-taking, self- efficacy, and entrepreneurial intentions to venture into business. The study, therefore, recommends that policymakers should make entrepreneurship education mandatory for students at all levels, that teachers should involve students in practical work, and that the government should create an environment that is conducive to the growth of entrepreneurship in the nation. This will significantly contribute to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Governance, Education and Creative Potentials of Nigerian Graduates: A Discourse

One of the cardinal goals of education in every nation is to develop the minds, creative potentials and skills of the citizens. This can be achieved through a well thought out plans and policies of government, whose constitutional responsibilities include: the formulation and implementation of workable educational policies. Therefore, this study is an attempt to explore the extent of success and failure of education policy in Nigeria with specific focus on the creative potentials and skills of Nigerian graduates for job creation and self reliance, which is one of the goals of education policy in Nigeria. To achieve its objective, the paper adopted the descriptive method of research, in which data provided and analyzed were generated from secondary sources - journals, text books, government publications and internet materials. Findings revealed amongst others that, the rate of unemployment, criminality, insurgency, kidnapping and other social vices are not only consequences of poor implementation of education policy, but also, the unemployability and inability of most Nigerian graduates to create jobs and become self reliant, form part of the resultant effects of poor standard/quality of education in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the paper recommended, amongst others that, for Nigerian graduates to practically develop and utilize their creative potentials and skills for job creation and self reliance, teaching/learning should, indeed, be practical, activity-based, experimental and ICT supported, especially in the sciences, and entrepreneurship development. Government should not only make provisions for financial empowerment that will guarantee a smooth takeoff of creative ventures, but should also, ensure strict supervision to ensure that the money gets to the right individuals and utilized for the purpose for which it was disbursed (job creation).

Lifetime prevalence and knowledge of snakebite among graduates in Nigeria.

Given the lack of studies on snakebite envenoming knowledge in the general population, we examined the lifetime prevalence of snakebite and knowledge of snakebite and its prevention and first aid among recent Nigerian graduates in national service. This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study involved 351 consenting national youth corps members at a rural orientation camp in Kano, Nigeria. Participants' mean age was 25.3±2.4y. There were slightly more males (50.7%). Most attended universities (77.8%) and were mainly from the southwest (24.5%) and northeast (24.5%) geopolitical regions and the Yoruba tribe (24.7%). Their lifetime prevalence of snakebite was 4%. Their mean overall knowledge score was 6.8±3.1 out of 20. Only 0.9% had adequate knowledge. Gender (male; 7.2±3.1, t=2.83, p=0.0049), tribe (Yoruba; 7.5±2.9, F=2.968, p=0.0320), region (Southwest; 7.6±3.0, F=2.5289, p=0.0289) and nearly bitten by snake (7.8 ± 2.7, t=3.60, p=0.0004) were significantly associated with a higher mean knowledge score. Their lifetime prevalence of snakebites is significant, while knowledge of snakebite is very inadequate. However, the national service camp activities period provides an opportunity for educational intervention needed to raise their knowledge to optimal levels that will enable them serve as better snakebite prevention agents, as they will be working in rural communities where snakebite might be prevalent.

Locus Control and Entrepreneurial Intention among Nigerian Graduates: Mediation Analysis of Self-Efficacy and Need for Achievement

The study examines the mediating effects of self-efficacy (SE) and the need for achievement (NFA) on the relationship between locus of control (LC) and entrepreneurial intention (EI) among Nigerian graduates. A survey technique was used to select young graduates from Nigerian Tertiary Institutions that are on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 300 copies of the structured questionnaire were administered to the respondents in the Ibadan metropolis but only 252 copies of the questionnaire were retrieved for the analysis. Data analysis was performed with the aid of Path Analysis. The results reveal that LC has a positive and significant association with SE, NFA and EI. Evidence also indicates that SE partially mediates between LC and EI. It was also found that the NFA partially mediates between LC and EI. For this reason, experiential learning should be integrated into short and long terms entrepreneurship training. This allows students to further develop their self-efficacy as entrepreneurs and motivation to perform by successfully entering the world of business. This will go a long way in reducing the dire unemployment rate in the country and promote imaginative and positive 2030 aspirations for sustainable development.

ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION: EMERGING EDUCATION 4.0 AND FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN NIGERIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION

The review is on Entrepreneurship education, education 4.0, and the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The paper argued that Nigerian graduates lack creativity and critical thinking skills, contributing to the high unemployment rate among youths. Therefore, the best solution is entrepreneurship education through which students could gain skills for job creation. There is the possibility of entrepreneurial skills in all subjects, particularly science education. However, the paper underscored the relationship between education 4.0, 4IR, and entrepreneurship. Education 4.0 is a response to the needs of the 4IR, where technological progress meets human needs. The crux of 4IR is the advancement in digital technology. The script observed that Nigerian Colleges of Education lack vital digital skills required by Education 4.0 that drives 4IR, a critical challenge to entrepreneurship education. Nigerian Colleges of Education Graduates might soon be out of jobs because work is globally done via machine automation. The paper recommends that teaching and learning in Nigerian Colleges of Education be entirely digital.

EFFECT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL INNOVATION ON POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of entrepreneurial innovation in Tertiary Institutions on poverty alleviation amongst selected universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. Entrepreneurial innovation can be used as a pivotal measure at reducing rapid increase in graduate unemployment in the country which is therefore imperative. it seeks to promote and encourage universities graduates through the development of a broad private sector within the manufacturing and service industries which are geared towards improving competitiveness of small and medium scale enterprises and also supporting the growth of new enterprises. The study applied a mixed-method approach which administered 344 copies of questionnaire and 20 in-depth interview. Using SPSS and thematic analysis with the help of Nvivo2.0 for qualitative data, multiple regression and correlation analysis were used to analyze the quantitative data. The study found R Square of 0.686 with an Adjusted R values of 0.681, revealing a significant relationship between entrepreneurial innovation and poverty alleviation. The qualitative results were also in tandem as it showed entrepreneurial development to be strongly associated with job creation. Based on the findings, the study concluded that there is a positive relationship between entrepreneurial innovation and poverty alleviation. The study thus, recommended that universities should encourage entrepreneurial innovation as it contributes to poverty alleviation when it creates employment. It also increases social wealth by creating new markets, industries, innovations, jobs and increases in real productivity which culminates in higher standards of living for Nigerian graduates.

Perspectives of Nigerian Graduates on Curriculum Reengineering, Acquisition of Emerging Technologies, and Job Creation: A Descriptive Study

Curriculum reengineering, web-based technology acquisition, and job creation among Nigerian tertiary institution graduates were all examined in this research. The researchers used a descriptive survey design following the quantitative research approach. The study included all Nigerian graduates eligible for national service or its exemption who earned their diplomas or degrees between 2016 and 2021. The data was gathered via an online survey titled "Curriculum Re-engineering, Acquisition of Emerging Technologies, and Job Creation Questionnaire (CRAETJCQ). To assemble the data for this study, we used a snowball method. There were 4,874 replies countrywide after four months of data collection; however, only 4,628 responses satisfied the data analysis conditions after screening out irrelevant responses. Results indicated low curriculum reengineering in Nigerian postsecondary institutions. Nigerian graduates had a poor adoption of new web-based technologies but are increasingly using them for word processing, graphics, data science and data analysis. Nevertheless, only a few graduates employed emerging techs for other purposes (such as printing, YouTube video creation, course design and development, software development, digital marketing, online advertising, and consumer outreach). Although 58.30 per cent of graduates reported having not created any job, 41.70 per cent have done so between 2016 and 2021. Of the 1,930 graduates who owned at least one small or medium enterprise, 58.96% had no employees, whereas 41.04% had hired at least one employee between 2016 and 2021. The graduates' job creation index was estimated to be approximately 50% using a new formula. Based on these results, conclusions and recommendations were made.

Moderating Role of Initiative on the Relationship Between Intrinsic Motivation, and Self-Efficacy on Entrepreneurial Intention.

The growing population of new graduates and the increasing scarcity of employment opportunities have made entrepreneurship an unavoidable option for employment and self-sustenance. This study investigates the effect of the initiative in moderating the relationship between intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurship intention through the integrated framework of theory of planned behaviour, self-determination, and humanism. This study contributes insights to how these factors moderated by initiative influence entrepreneurial intention among graduating students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This study adopted a cross-sectional design to examine the moderating role of initiative on the relationship between intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy on entrepreneurial intention among Nigerian graduates. A total number of 688 graduate students, including 266 (38.6%) males and 422 (61.4%) females with a mean age of 24.30 years (SD = 3.69), participated in the study. Participants responded to a self-report questionnaire containing Initiative, Intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intention scales. Results showed that all the variables correlated positively with entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, initiative moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention [value and start-ups/operations (OPS)], such that high self-efficacy with high initiative showed higher entrepreneurial intention (value). While to those with low self-efficacy and low initiative, high self-efficacy with high initiative showed higher entrepreneurial intention (OPS) compared to low self-efficacy and low initiative. The study highlighted the role of initiative in transforming young graduates’ entrepreneurial intention into full-fledged entrepreneurs.

Digital Laboratory Framework (DLF): A Tool for Effective Practical Delivery in Federal Polytechnic Offa, Nigeria

The research provides vital insights into technical and engineering education and practice as a key to effective teaching of practical for Computer Engineering Students in an efficient and applied manner which is an indispensable factor. Since the introduction of Computer Engineering in 1997 at Federal Polytechnic Offa, applying the theories has allowed the students to develop their commercial literacy and ambition in the Polytechnics. Using laboratories for routine practical has been traditional, and the technology trend has gone beyond conventional methods. Digital Laboratory Framework (DLF) is a tool for technical education, where practical teaching will take the form of virtual learning. The team intends to develop a digital laboratory to complement the traditional method for National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computer Engineering to cover core digital and analogue electronics pre-requisite courses. The teaching and practice of Engineering serve as the essential entrepreneurship skills with a keynote to address the fundamental requirements needed to establish a successful career using student cognitive learning, student performance and evaluation concerning technical skills acquisition. The result prepares undergraduates ahead for industrial skills. It enables them to specialize in any computer engineering options and help produce competent Nigerian graduates as engineers with a total capacity to develop the nation through innovative technologies.

An evaluation of the three measurable cardinal objectives of the National Youth Service Corps programme: a survey dataset.

Background: The National Youth Service Corps programme is, among other targets, aimed at promoting national inclusiveness and tolerance in a culturally heterogeneous society. Despite the importance of this programme, little has been done to evaluate its degree of success. Where evaluations are done, they are never made public. There is a need for the NYSC programme, just like all other public programmes, to be evaluated for transparency, accountability and decision-making. From an evaluation of the three measurable objectives of the NYSC programme, this dataset bridges this gap . Methods: This dataset was collected from Nigerian graduates that completed their national service between 2012 and 2021. The data was collected through an electronic survey posted to various online platforms hosting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members of the various sets and batches. The data collection aimed to evaluate the three cardinal objectives of the programme. After three years of data collection (from 2019 to 2021), responses were obtained from 19,278 participants that met the eligibility criteria. The data is an Excel (.xlsx) document with 19,278 cases and 95 variables. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and simple percentages were used to summarise the data. However, charts are further used to illustrate the demographic attributes of the respondents. The dataset is broad and covers all the 36 states in Nigeria plus the Federal Capital Territory. Results: The data set has many reuse potentials because it contains information on camp activities (such as parades, military drills, redeployment, quality of food, and facilities, among others), primary assignments and community service engagements of corps members. Conclusions: The data can offer a complete evaluation of how the (NYSC) has attained three of its four cardinal objectives. A series of relationships can further be determined and tested using inferential statistics among the variables included in the dataset.

An evaluation of the three measurable cardinal objectives of the National Youth Service Corps programme: a survey dataset.

Background: The National Youth Service Corps programme is, among other targets, aimed at promoting national inclusiveness and tolerance in a culturally heterogeneous society. Despite the importance of this programme, little has been done to evaluate its degree of success. Where evaluations are done, they are never made public. There is a need for the NYSC programme, just like all other public programmes, to be evaluated for transparency, accountability and decision-making. From an evaluation of the three measurable objectives of the NYSC programme, this dataset bridges this gap . Methods: This dataset was collected from Nigerian graduates that completed their national service between 2012 and 2021. The data was collected through an electronic survey posted to various online platforms hosting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members of the various sets and batches. The data collection aimed to evaluate the three cardinal objectives of the programme. After three years of data collection (from 2019 to 2021), responses were obtained from 19,278 participants that met the eligibility criteria. The data is an Excel (.xlsx) document with 19,278 cases and 95 variables. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and simple percentages were used to summarise the data. However, charts are further used to illustrate the demographic attributes of the respondents. The dataset is broad and covers all the 36 states in Nigeria plus the Federal Capital Territory. Results: The data set has many reuse potentials because it contains information on camp activities (such as parades, military drills, redeployment, quality of food, and facilities, among others), primary assignments and community service engagements of corps members. Conclusions: The data can offer a complete evaluation of how the (NYSC) has attained three of its four cardinal objectives. A series of relationships can further be determined and tested using inferential statistics among the variables included in the dataset.

Managing University Education for Employability in Nigeria: The Way Forward

The study investigates the concerning issue of unemployment among Nigerian graduates in recent years. Youth unemployment has come from the University's incapacity to meet the needs of these graduates, as well as the promotion of economic, self-reliance, and self-sufficiency. In Nigeria, this has led in a rise in youth unrest. In addition, the purpose of this study is to investigate employability, with a focus on the relationship between education and employability, in order to evaluate whether employability can be improved through university education. The article goes on to highlight some employability skills and propose ways for universities to re-engineer themselves in order to obtain these capabilities for the benefit of our students and society as a whole.

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Venture Creation in Nigerian Context: Assessing Mediating and Moderating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Entrepreneurial Support among Graduates

Over-reliance on hired jobs in the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy has discouraged most graduates from becoming entrepreneurs. This leads to unemployment, poverty and low economic growth that breed insecurity. Drawing from the formative perspective, this study analyzed the mediating role of self-efficacy (SELF) and the moderating effect of entrepreneurial support (ENTSP) in relation to individual-level entrepreneurial orientation (ILEO; innovativeness, risk taking and proactiveness) and venture creation (VC) among Nigerian graduates. A reflective/formative type II method was applied to test the model’s relationships using 291 survey responses. The result of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) reveals that the indirect relationship between ILEO and VC through SELF was positive and significant but negatively moderated by ENTSP, implying that not all instances of ILEO will result in VC through SELF because ILEO can directly lead to VC. The finding also indicates ENTSP did not have an impact on strengthening the relationship between SELF and VC. A limitation lies in the chosen method that weakens the generalizability of the result, but future studies considering a longitudinal survey are suggested. This study extends the entrepreneurial orientation model to enhance the venture creation literature theoretically and practically. We recommend intervention agencies to initiate effective ENTSP covering financial, non-financial and incubation services required to boost VC activities.

Curriculum Restructuring and Job Creation Among Nigerian Graduates: The Mediating Role of Emerging Internet Applications

Curriculum Restructuring and Job Creation Among Nigerian Graduates: The Mediating Role of Emerging Internet Applications

Curriculum Restructuring and Job Creation Among Nigerian Graduates: The Mediating Role of Emerging Internet Applications

Curriculum Restructuring and Job Creation Among Nigerian Graduates: The Mediating Role of Emerging Internet Applications

Digitising education in Nigeria: lessons from COVID-19

The sudden outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) dealt a great blow on the global educational sector, given the ill-preparedness of most countries to leverage digitisation. This study x-rayed the performance of the Nigerian educational sector and its response to COVID-19 pandemic with a view to underscoring the imperativeness of digitising education to forestall future shocks. The findings revealed the unimpressive performance of the Nigerian educational sector as learning came to a screeching halt during the pandemic, given the pervasive infrastructural deficits in the sector. Further result showed that Nigerian graduates are likely to face non-employability unless strategic steps are taken to expose them to digitisation, which the modern world of work requires. It, therefore, becomes pertinent to increase the budgetary allocation to the sector to bridge its infrastructural gaps. This would help Nigeria catch-up with global best practices in education and set the pace for improved educational service delivery in Africa.