EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR CURBING GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT THROUGH ADEQUATE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH–EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was necessitated by the need to curb the increasing level of graduate unemployment and the many associated ills in Nigeria generally and the South-East in particular is caused by lack of employability skills among the graduates. It determined effective strategies for developing skills in word processing and desktop publishing which are major components of the Business Education programme to curb the menace. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested. The study employed survey research design. The entire population of 65 business educators in public universities in the South-East offering the programme was studied without sampling because the size was not too large. A four-point rating scale questionnaire containing 24 items in two sections was used for data collection.  Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions and determine the homogeneity of the respondents’ views while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21.  Findings of the study revealed that the most effective strategy for developing employability skills in the two vital technology areas are intensive practical and little dose of theory.  Furthermore, there was no significant difference between respondents in Federal and State universities on effective strategies for developing adequate skills in word processing and desktop publishing among Business Education students. Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that adoption of the strategies considered effective by experts for developing adequate skills in word processing and desktop publishing is the only way to equip university Business Education graduates to succeed in self- employment and job creation in order to curb graduate unemployment. Consequently, it was recommended among others that all tertiary educational institution lecturers teaching word processing and desktop publishing should adopt the considered  most  effective  strategies by the experts in order to develop adequate skills in students to help them secure and succeed in paid employment or become self-employed and job creators on graduation to curb graduate unemployment.

Kewords: Effective strategy, curbing, graduate unemployment and Business  Education