Background of the study
Technical and vocational education is used as a comprehensive term in the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences and acquisition of practical skills,attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life. Vocational education as all those experiences whereby an individual learns to carry on successfully any useful occupation. These experiences may be organized and institutionalized or unorganized and haphazard. The statement explains that all education is vocational in so that the individual may serve happily and far as it prepares for satisfactory living. In the views of Thompson (2002), vocational education aims at the development of human abilities in terms of knowledge, skills and understanding so efficiently in carrying on the activities in the vocational pursuits of his choice.
Technical and vocational education is used as a comprehensive term in the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences, and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding, and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life. Vocational education is all those experiences whereby an individual learns to carry on successfully in any useful occupation. These experiences may be organized and institutionalized or unorganized and haphazard. The statement explains that all education is vocational so that the individual may serve happily and as long as they prepare for a satisfactory living. In the view of Thompson (2002), vocational education aims at the development of human abilities in terms of knowledge, skills, and understanding so that they can carry on activities efficiently in the vocational pursuits of their choice.
There has been a growing awareness of the significant role that acquisition of vocational skills can play in both personal and national development. This is in response to the ever-escalating level of chronic youth unemployment experienced in many countries across the globe coupled with the resulting high level of social unrest. Ayonmike (2010) posited that empowering youths with appropriate practical skills is very imperative in view of the increasing rate of social ills and other negative consequences associated with joblessness. Indeed, according to Odu (2010), it is generally believed that the acquisition of the requisite skills is a means of increasing the productive power of a nation. Hence, every citizen should be equipped with practical skills to contribute effectively to the economic growth of the country. This, according to UNESCO-UNEVOC (2006), is because the development of relevant skills can open doors to economically and socially rewarding jobs and can help the development of small informal-sector businesses, allow the re-insertion of displaced workers and migrants, and support the transition from school to work for school drop-outs and graduates. It added that developing job-related competencies among the poor, the youth and the vulnerable is recognized as crucial to progress in reducing poverty. This explains why the development of job-related skills is, therefore, not only part of many countries’ human resource strategies but also of their economic-growth and poverty-reduction strategies.
However, for vocational education to be self-reliant and productive, it needs not be operated in a vacuum. It has to be linked to factors that will help learners and all stakeholders in vocational technical education to be practical and not only theoretical in their approach to making vocational technical education meaningful and life-long. Agreeably, the increasing importance that is now being attached to the acquisition of vocational and entrepreneurial skills is reflected in the increasing trend in vocationalization of all levels of education, which cannot happen in a vacuum without proper vocational education policy implementation.
1.2 Statement of the problem
In the school system today, the training received by learners in vocational technical education is quite different from what they will meet after graduation. In schools and colleges, the emphasis on skills acquisition, which is the hall mark of vocational education, is an illusion. Vocational technical teachers now turn the programmes into a literary kind of education where only theoretical aspects of vocational education are taught to the detriment of the practical aspects of the lessons. There is a dearth of qualified technical teachers, and those that are on the job were not perfectly taught practical in their school days, so that is why the problem is a vicious cycle. The over-riding requirement for practical is the ability of the learner to be able to do the job rather than to talk about it only. Practical applications in vocational technical training are found in many subject areas such as: woodwork, metalwork, building construction, tailoring and dress making, dyeing, plumbing, electrical installation, block laying and concreting, carpentry and joinery, furniture making, motor vehicle mechanic work, electronics, radio and television servicing, and technical drawing, but all these have gone extinct due to poor policy implementation on VTE. Studies have revealed that although The philosophy of vocational technical education in Nigeria is very laudable. The main purpose of the philosophy is to give training and impart the necessary skills to individuals who will be self-reliant economically. The extent of implementation of this philosophy leaves much to be desired. There are so many challenges facing the implementation of the VTE philosophy in schools, colleges and universities. These are: a dearth of qualified vocational technical teachers, hand tools, machines and materials; a poor image and status of vocational technical education, inadequate funding, and societal preference for general education, to mention but a few. However, government intervention in the provision of human and physical resources will give vocational technical education a philosophical, sociological, and psychological boost.Therefore, it is upon this premise that this study seeks to examine vocational technical education policy implementation and students' skills acquisition in secondary schools in Delta state, Nigeria.
Objective of the study
The broad focus of this study is to examine vocational technical education policy implementation and students' skills acquisition in secondary schools in Delta state, Nigeria. Specifically the study seeks:
1. To examine the importance of vocational technical education on student skill acquisition
2. to determine the extent at which vocational technical education policy have been implemented in secondary schools.
3. To investigate factors impeding the success of vocational technical education and students' skills acquisition in secondary schools
1.4 Research Questions
1. What is the importance of teaching and learning of vocational technical education in secondary school?
2. What is the extent at which vocational technical education policy have been implemented in secondary schools?
3. Does poor policy implementation of VTE significantly affect secondary school student skill acquisition?
4. What are the factors impeding the success of vocational technical education and students' skills acquisition in secondary schools?
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