VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS SKILLS IN OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

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ABSTRACT

This study examined Vocational Training and the Development of Skills in Office Technology and Management. Three research hypotheses were formulated for the study. Ex-post facto research design was used. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 60 respondents. The instrument for the study was questionnaire titled “Vocational Training and the Development of Skills of Students Questionnaire (VTDSSQ)”. Data from 60 completed questionnaire forms were used for data analysis. The hypotheses were tested with chi-square statistics. Findings showed that vocational training influence the development of skills of students. Based on the findings, it was recommended that institutions of learning should exposes students more to vocational training skills, since these measures contribute to adequate boosting of productivity of students for enhanced performance….

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Vocational training is a training of a specific career or trade. Vocational training focuses on practical applications of skills learned and generally given less emphasis to theory or traditional academic skills. A large part of the vocational training provides a link between education and the world of work. Vocational training plays a key role in providing students with the skills, knowledge and competence required of them in today’s knowledge-based economy, (Haycock, 2000). Vocational means relating to an occupation or employment or relating to a special skills, training etc. that one need for a particular job or occupation. Vocational training is that part of tertiary education and training which provides an accredited training in the related and technical skills. It covers a large number of career and industries like industrial trades and office work, retail businesses, hospitality and technology Stephen (2010). Vocational training offers training for special jobs, since vocational training often begins in high schools, students graduated from high schools are prepared to take a high paying skilled job immediately. Graduates of vocational training schools have an advantage over formal trained job-seekers because an independent organization certifies that graduates have skill needed to successfully perform a specific skilled occupation Nielsen (2004). According to David (2000) vocational training prepares students for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally, non-academic and related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation. Vocational training covers a wide range of subject areas and tends to be more hand-on or needful than academic qualification might be. However, The world is changing fast technologically and the society need more skills than ever before. Two or three jobs in the future will require a high level of skills and better qualifications, Jones (2004). Vocational training can sometimes be referred to as technical education, as learners directly develop expertise in a particular group of fields Spool (2005). Vocational training is based on occupation or employment, it is an education that prepares students for specific trade, craft and career at various trade, a craft, technicians or professional position in engineering, Accountancy, Nursing, Medical, Architecture, Pharmacy, Law etc. However, as the labour market becomes more specialized and economic demand higher levels of skills, government and business are increasingly investing in the future of vocational education through publicity funded training organizations and subsidies apprenticeship or trainee ship initiatives for business Burke (2004). Height (1995) stated that vocational training is a form of education that focuses on learning skills related to specific vocation or trade. Vocational training has numerous advantages on the skills development of students. Vocational training gives applicants an edge in job searches, since they already have the certifiable knowledge needed to enter into the labour market. A student can receive vocational training either in high school, polytechnic, universities, a community college or at trade schools of adult. The advantages on the development of student’s skills is based on accuracy, time frame and learning style. Accuracy forces on the development of students’ habit. It helps the students to perform the task that could be requiring of them in the workforce more accurately without making mistakes benefit of vocational training, here the training programmes help the students to work with time and save time whenever a particular work is being given, Hanushek (2000). Learning style is also a different types of instructions, some students are able to learn easily through reading discussions and lectures while others excel at learning through “hand-on” (practical) training. Hanushek also stated that vocational training focuses on “hand-on” activities which can be beneficial for student that prefer active experience to more passive activities. Students should determine and see the need of developing themselves with adequate skills of training in word processing, training in spread sheet development and also training of web page design. However, the cardinal factor of the principle is the understanding of applying those skills and technique in different aspects and to explain how such skills can be of help to the organization and the society at large emphasizing the importance of word processing, spreadsheet and web page design development. Oleksy (2001) noted that training in different programmes could only be effective when people realize that they cannot achieve any goal in an organization in the absence of a well training period. If an organization can employ this pattern of continuous and intensive training, there will be a team spirit leading to better performance. Vocational training has the ability of developing the work habit of the students, and that is why office technology and management is one of the arms of vocational education producing graduates with different skills on the different programmes like-word processing, spreadsheet and web page design. Since adequate research evidence to indicate the influence of vocational training on the development of skills of students in office technology and management has not been published, this research was therefore carried out to determining the influence of vocational training on the skills development of student. 1.2 Statement of the Problem In recent times, it has been observed that students graduated from schools without any particular practical skills (computer skills) that will enable them to be relevant in the present system. These has lead to high level of unemployment in the society because public and private organizations do not just look for paper qualification without the basic skills. Organizations are looking for people with practical skills experience for their employment. Most students who graduated from schools without any knowledge of practical skills find it difficult to enter into the labour market. This study therefore is design to determine the influence of vocational training on the development of skills.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS SKILLS IN OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT