Technical, Vocational Education and Training Strategies for Coping with EconomicChallenges in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study is a descriptive survey research design conducted to investigate Technical, Vocational Education, and Training (TVET) strategies for coping with economic challenges in Enugu State, Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study, while three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population for the study was 45 subjects, purposively sampled from the TVET public universities in Enugu State, Nigeria. The population comprised 15 TVET technologists and 30 TVET lecturers from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Enugu State University of Science and Technology. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire constructed by the researchers. Three experts in the Department of Industrial Technical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, validated the instrument. A pilot study was conducted, and Cronbach Alpha reliability indices of the instrument yielded 0.89 using SPSS version 22. This showed that the instrument is reliable and appropriate for administration. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while a t-test was employed to test the null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The study found that Enugu State is faced with serious economic challenges and that there was no significant difference between the mean responses of TVET technologists and lecturers on the economic challenges that face the state. The study recommended, among other things, that the government and philanthropists should help in controlling economic challenges that face Enugu State, Nigeria, by investing in human capital and social development and providing support to the private sector, especially the SME.