Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Graduates in Nigeria: Assessing the Challenges of Graduate Productivities

Abstract

Most of Nigeria graduates are constrained by lack of cognate experiences when it comes to recruitment, as the education system dwell much on giving theoretical knowledge with less industrial, field and practical experiences incorporated in the system. Employers avoid spending on training and (or) retraining of graduates to prepare them to fit into the labour system, but will rather employ graduates with cognate experience(s). This constrain is expected not to affect Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) graduates as the system of training in TVET is designed to afford the students the  specific occupational skills and experiences for entry-level jobs in a trade or vocation. Despite the advantage possess by TVET graduates over others, TVET graduates are perceived to be relatively less productive in the labour system compared to their polytechnic and university graduate counterpart; this has led to employers of labour preference for university and polytechnic graduates over TVET graduates. This has adversely cut off the technical inputs into the labour system of Nigeria and consequently affected the balance of the labour system and the economy of the nation at large. This study reviewed the cause(s) of less productivity in TVET graduates and attempts to proffer solution to the challenges.

Keywords: Technical, Vocation, Education, TVET, Skills, Productivity.

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/13-7-01

Publication date: April 30^th 2023