Assessment of Institutional Resources for Training of Skilled Technology Education Graduates in Federal Colleges of Education (Technical) in Nigeria
Abstract
This study investigated institutional resources for training of skilled technology education graduates in Federal Colleges of Education (Technical) in Nigeria. Seven institutional resource variables were assessed: human resources, financial resources, facilities and equipment, curriculum relevance, school-industry linkages, school management systems, and students' career development support systems. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, which enabled the natural observation of the variables. The population consisted of 421 lecturers and instructors, from which 252 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling across eight Federal Colleges of Education (Technical) in Nigeria. Data were collected using a validated instrument titled “Institutional Resource Inventory (IRI)” with high reliability coefficients (alpha = 0.898). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed that to a high extent, human resources (M = 2.59), adequate facilities and equipment (M = 2.75), and high curriculum relevance (M = 2.61) were determinants for training of skilled technology education graduates in Federal Colleges of Education (Technical) in Nigeria. Conversely, financial resource utilization (M = 1.91), school industry linkages (M = 1.82), school management system effectiveness (M = 2.28), and career development support systems (M = 1.98) were determinants for training of skilled technology education graduates in Federal Colleges of Education (Technical) in Nigeria to a low extent. The study concluded that while human resources, facilities, and curriculum relevance positively determine the production of skilled graduates, weaknesses in funding, management, and industry collaboration impeded effectiveness in training of skilled graduates. It recommended enhanced financial support, strengthened school-industry partnerships, regular curriculum review, improved management systems, and functional career guidance services to improve skill-based training outcomes in Nigeria's technology education sector.