SOLVING THE CHALLENGES OF UNEMPLOYMENT THROUGH VOCATIONAL AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

Abstract

This study examined how to solve the challenges of unemployment through vocational and entrepreneurship education. Four research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. A descriptive survey design was adopted and the population of the study comprised postgraduate students of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, Nigeria. A total of 85 postgraduate students of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, Nigeria were chosen as sample size of the study. Stratified sampling technique was used for the choosing of the sample size. Researchers developed questionnaire tagged: ‘Solving the Challenges of Unemployment through Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education Questionnaire (SCUVEEQ)’ with 0.89 as reliability coefficient was used for data collection.  Frequency count and percentage were used for analyzing and presenting demographic characteristics of the respondents. Mean was used for answering research question 1. Research questions 2 and 3 were answered using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) as well as research question 4 was answered through the application of regression analysis. The findings of the study revealed that poor education standard, inequality of income, poverty, failure to teach students on practical aspect of their discipline, too much concentration on theory, occupational motilities, technological change and higher illiteracy rate were among the causes of graduates’ unemployment in Nigeria. There was relationship between vocational education and graduates’ unemployment in Nigeria (r = 0.862, P<.05); there was relationship between entrepreneurship education and graduates’ unemployment in Nigeria (r = 0.662, P<.05); there was significant joint contribution of the independent variables (vocational and entrepreneurship education) on the dependent variable (unemployment); R = 0.917, P< .05 and that about 82% of the variance in unemployment was accounted for by the linear combination of the independent variables. It was recommended that entrepreneurial education in tertiary institutions should be practically oriented rather than theory as this will exposed the students to various lucrative skills. Access to credits/loans should be granted without collateral in order to make the training realizable and achievable. Students should be encouraged beyond entrepreneurship school training projects to business ventures start-ups at micro and small-levels.