SKILL ACQUISITION PROGRAMS AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH OF NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

This study is about the skill acquisition programs as a tool for economic growth of Nigeria. Every human being’s survival depends on their ability. Many technicians make more than some university graduates because, unlike graduates who were fed with theoretical experiences while at universities, technicians gain more practical skills than theories. It has the ability to transport you to places you never expected to visit. Skill acquisition refers to the ability to be trained and become an expert in a specific skill or function.

It is indeed regrettable that many countries of the world, including Nigeria, are experiencing high levels of unemployment today. It is one of the factors contributing to the rapid rise in crime in many parts of the world. In today’s world, there are a lot of grads.

When these grads were in school, they did not study even one skill, such as graphic design, hair styling, construction, or electrical maintenance, to name a few. If they learn a skill, the rate of unemployment among them will decrease.

The eradication of extreme poverty and hunger was one of the primary Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that Nigeria sought to fulfill in 2015, with the goal of encouraging the proportion of people who earn less than a dollar a day to engage in skills training. Skills acquisition is regarded as a technique for reducing extreme poverty and hunger with the goal of paving the path for work and wealth creation, which can lead to self-sufficiency and dependence.

Nigeria’s road network is quickly increasing in order to improve the flow of goods and services. This necessitates not just qualified and motivated labor, but also skilled specialists who can operate and maintain road construction equipment. Modern industries are springing up across the country, and many of them require professional and well-trained people to ensure that items produced in Nigeria are of the same high quality as those produced in developed and emerging countries.

People with the necessary abilities are required to run and oversee government and industrial operations. As the public and commercial sectors in Nigeria grow, more competent professionals in office administration, accounting, typing, and short-hand are needed to ensure that proper records are kept. The importance of skill acquisition in the education sector cannot be overstated because it contributes to the growth of the nation’s human capital and employment opportunities. As a result, an educated man is expected to develop a skill that will benefit everyone in society.

skill acquisition programs as a tool for economic growth of Nigeria

This would also help him grow as a person and boost his self-esteem in society. Any nation’s productive capacity is totally dependent on its ability to recognize manpower’s potential. Educational theories and practices enable the advancement of ideas, research, scientific breakthroughs, economic development, political stability, and so on. Individual and national development will be aided by the skills, competencies, knowledge, and understanding acquired. One of the objectives of education is to provide a better understanding of the world.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Joblessness is the most pressing issue plaguing Nigerian youths today. These young people make up a larger percentage of Nigeria’s economically active population. According to Awogbenle and Iwuamadi (2010), the federal bureau of statistics estimates that Nigeria’s youth population is 80 million, accounting for 60% of the country’s total population. In addition, 64 million of them are unemployed, with another 1.6 million working part-time.

This means that a lot of energy is being squandered that could be used to generate revenue and benefit the economy. Youths, like other classes of the population, have needs to meet (Nnabuife, 2009), but their crucial roles have continued to suffer setbacks since the 1980s, since they are unable to engage in meaningful labor (Davies, 2009).

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary goal of this research is to look into the effects of skill acquisition on the Nigerian economy. However, the following are the specific goals:

I to investigate the effects of skill acquisition on the Nigerian economy

ii) to assess the government’s efforts to encourage young people to learn new skills in order to help the Nigerian economy grow.

iii) to look into why the Nigerian government encourages people to learn new skills.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following are some of the questions that this research will attempt to address:

I What are the economic implications of skill acquisition in Nigeria?

ii) What initiatives is the government taking to boost youth skill acquisition for the development of the Nigerian economy?

iii) What are the grounds behind the Nigerian government’s encouragement of skill acquisition?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

The following research hypotheses will be tested:

I The development of skills makes no substantial contribution to the Nigerian economy.

ii) The level of schooling has a considerable impact on the acquisition of skills.

iii) There is a strong link between unemployment and the learning of new skills.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study’s purpose is to benefit Nigerian youth by raising their awareness of the value of skill acquisition in their life and how it can help them become self-employed and self-sufficient. It will also demonstrate to the government how to incorporate a skill development program into the curriculum of all schools across the country. Furthermore, the findings of this study are projected to assist society greatly by reducing the frequencies of unrealized potentials and poor levels of technical skill acquisition.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This will cover undergraduate, non-graduate, and post-graduate Nigerian youths, with Lagos as our case study. As a result, only undergraduate, non-graduate, and post-graduate students in a few Lagos local government areas were questioned.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The researcher did not experience many obstacles, with the exception of a financial constraint that caused the researcher to print 200 questionnaires rather than the anticipated 300.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

During the research, the following terms were used:

Skill acquisition refers to the ability to be trained and become an expert in a specific skill or function. It’s a terrible that unemployment is “massive” in many parts of the world now, particularly in Nigeria.

Economic growth refers to attempts to improve a community’s economic well-being and quality of life through producing and/or retaining jobs, as well as supporting or expanding earnings and the tax base.