ASSESSMENT OF ENTRY LEVEL EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS OF FINAL YEAR SECONDARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS OF BUSINESS SUBJECTS IN ANAMBRA STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

The need to empower students with skills for success in employment necessitated this study on assessment of entry level employability skills of final year secondary school business subject students in Anambra-North Senatorial District of Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population was 1,145 students and a sample size of 458 was drawn using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Data for the study were collected using a five-point rating scale questionnaire containing 18 items in two clusters. The instrument was validated by three experts, two in business education and one in measurement and evaluation from the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. A pilot study involving 20 students from Anambra-Central Senatorial District was conducted to ascertain the reliability of the instrument and analysis with Cronbach alpha yielded reliability coefficients of 0.71 and 0.93 for the two clusters with an overall reliability coefficient of 0.82. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions and determine the homogeneity or otherwise of the respondents' mean ratings while z-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that students acquired communication and teamwork skills at a high extent while gender did not influence the respondents' mean ratings on their extent of acquisition of the assessed employability skills. Based on the findings, it was concluded that on graduation, the students are likely to secure and do well in employment since their business subjects teachers were very effective in equipping them with the skills. It was, therefore, recommended that school authority and government should encourage the teachers to continue with their efforts to help their products overcome the problem of unemployment. Also their counterparts in other parts of the country should emulate them to enhance the employability of secondary school leavers which is part of the major aims of teaching business subjects at that level of education.