CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Vocational and technical education is the type of education which provides its recipients with skills, knowledge and attitude required in a chosen occupation.
Wenrich and Wenrich (1974) defined vocational education in terms of the range of occupations with which it is concerned. According to them, vocational education means a vocational or technical training or retraining which is given in schools or classes under public supervision and control, and is conducted as part of a programme designed to prepare individuals for gainful employment as semi-skilled or skilled workers or technicians or sub-professionals in emerging or recognized occupations. These occupations according to Wenrich and Wenrich include agriculture, home economics, trade and industrial education and business education, Olaitan (2006) defines vocational/technical education as that aspect of education which is a skill acquisition oriented form of training, based on application of mathematics and scientific knowledge in specific field for self actualization and development.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria(2004) provides a more comprehensive definition of vocational and technical education as ‘those aspects of the education 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 occupation in various sectors of economic and social life. According to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Technical and vocational education is understood to be: An integral part of general education; means of preparing for occupational fields and for effective participation in the world of work; an aspect of lifelong learning and preparation for responsible citizenship; an instrument for promoting environmentally sound, sustainable development and a method of alleviating poverty.
In Nigeria, Vocational and technical education is available at three levels:
(1) Pre-vocational education or general vocational education offered in Secondary schools
(2) Vocational (job specific) education offered in Technical colleges and vocational centers
(3) Post secondary education offered at the institutions such as Polytechnics and Monotechnics, Colleges of Education (technical)
The Federal Republic of Nigeria in her National Policy of Education (2004) defines the goals of Vocational and technical education as follows:
(1) Provide trained manpower in applied sciences, technology and business particularly at craft, advanced craft and technical levels;
(2) Provide for the technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, commercial and economic development;
(3) Give training and impart the necessary skills to individual who shall be self-reliant economically.
VTE involves the acquisition of skills for employment. The individual who avails himself or herself of the opportunity for vocational and technical education is the primary beneficiary of the education because he/she will receive vocational and technical skills that will allow him/her to be engaged in productive work either for himself/herself or for an employer. Apart from enabling the individual to hold productive employment, vocational and technical skills developed in the course of training increases the productivity and earning capacity of the recipient (Uwadiae, 1992). Other benefits include increased employability and higher job mobility. People who have been trained for specific jobs in the world of work are highly employable and less likely to suffer severe unemployment than those who are bereft of specific occupational skills. As a result of the versatile uses to which vocationally and technically trained jobbers can put their skills, such workers can change jobs easily in search of greener pastures and better jobs. According to Uwaidae, vocational and technical education also enables a person to make intelligent use of products of technology, utilize new technologies, develop better entrepreneurial skills and become more innovative worker.
Although the individual is the primary beneficiary of VTE, the society or nation is the better of it. VTE reduces drop-out rate by providing training opportunities for persons who are not satisfied with the forms of education that are distant from the realities of the world of work. VTE also reduces the rate of unemployment in a society. In a country like Nigeria where unemployment is the order of the day, VTE is the best way of curbing the problem of unemployment. VTE could be employed to develop saleable skills in student so that they can become easily employable after school. VTE stimulates technological industrial development by providing competent workers who are capable of developing and utilizing technologies for industries and economic development. VTE is a mechanism for meeting the man power needs of a nation in agricultural, technical, industrial, business, paramedical, home economics and other clusters of occupations.
One of the technical colleges in Nigeria is the technical colleges. According to Okoro (1998), Technical colleges are regarded as the principal vocational institutions in Nigeria because they give full vocational education intended to prepare students for entry into various occupations. The courses offered in technical colleges include mechanical trades, computer craft practice, electrical engineering trades, building trades, wood trades, hospitality, and textile trade, printing trades, beauty culture trades, business trades and host of others. Technical colleges produce well trained technical manpower at various levels (operatives, craftsmen and master craftsmen) and as in various technical and vocational fields. Graduate from the technical colleges are award NABTEB certificates which are National technical certificate (NTC), the National business certificate (NBC) the Advanced National Technical Certificate and the Advance National Business Certificate (ANBC). The minimum entry requirement into technical colleges is the junior school certificate (JSC). Entry could also be based on evidence of aptitude shown in the technical courses and a reasonably good performance in mathematics and science. Technical colleges providing job-specific training institutions within formal secondary education, produce skilled labour (craftsmen). Vocational education programme in the technical colleges is designed to produce competent craftsmen for the nation’s industrial economic and technological development