RE-ENGINEERING TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) IN MEETING NATIONAL GOALS IN MANPOWER PRODUCTION AND GENERAL EMPOWERMENT OF THE CITIZENRY.

Abstract

The major purpose of the study was to determine the processes required in Re-Engineering Technical Vocational Education and Training in Meeting National Goals in Manpower Production and General Empowerment of the Citizenry by TVET Institutions. Four tertiary institutions in Enugu State offering Vocational and Technical Education were used to attain the purpose of this study. Four research questions were answered. A descriptive survey research design was adopted in the study which involved 58 lecturers in the four institutions that offer Vocational and Technical Education.  Due to the manageable size of the population, there was no sampling.  Data were collected by the researchers and with the help of three research assistants using structured Re-Engineering Technical Vocational Education and Training Questionnaire (RTVETQ) with 41 item statements.  Cronbach Alpha reliability technique was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument. The reliability co-efficient of 0.78 was obtained.  Analysis was done using mean and standard deviation.  The study found that there is structural imbalance and poor system configuration at all levels of TVET education system.  The curriculum is not yet responsive to produce the required manpower with requisite skills for smooth transition from school to work. There is still lack of quality in technical teacher education programme and this has created vicious circle of producing students who lack proficiency and competence in their chosen trade. Competent teachers abandon their job for greener pastures in industries because of lack of proper remuneration and incentives. Based on these findings, the study recommended re-engineering of TVET as an alternative strategy for meeting national goals and manpower production and general empowerment of the citizenry.