CAREER READINESS OF GRADUATING OFFICE
TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT STUDENTS IN OGUN STATE POLYTECHNIC (MOSHOOD ABIOLA
POLYTECHNIC)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the
Study
Career choice has been the major content of vocational advocacy.
However, preparedness to take advantage of the openings in the area of career
choice is more important than the mere choice of a career. To develop a career
is a lifetime process encompassing the growth and change processes of
childhood, through formal education at school throughout a person’s working
adulthood and into retirement. Career development occurs through life and it is
enhanced by lifelong learning. The term career as defined by Herr, Cramer and
Niles (2004) is a sequence of interaction of individuals with society,
education and organizations throughout their lifespan. A career can be defined
as a pattern of work experiences comprising the entire life span of a person
and which is generally seen with regard to a number of phases or stages
reflecting the transition from one stage of life to the next (Weinert, 2001).
Similarly, Collin (1998) explains that the term career arises from the interaction
of individuals with organizations and society. This interaction, as Savickas
(2009) proposes, is no longer merely just a sequence of jobs but is now a story
or an identity that working people build about themselves.
Developing a career is as complex as personality development,
which is not just a one shot event. Developing a career is not just a decision
that takes place at the entry point to a job, but it involves the totality of
an individual’s psychological, sociological, and educational events which
eventually results into occupational choice and other life roles. The quality
of this career development significantly determines the nature and quality of
individuals’ lives: the kind of people they become, the sense of purpose they
have, the income at their disposal.
It also determines the social and economic contribution they make
to the communities and societies of which they are part. Career development
requires specialised training in a particular direction or path, and this makes
the role of education prominent in preparation for a career.
Career education plays a prominent role in preparing an individual
to make and advance in a career path and this justifies why the role of school
in career readiness is absolutely unavoidable. Career education is seen as an
aspect of education and training which helps an individual to develop his
fullest capacity and their potentialities in order to utilize their capacities
for the benefit of society. Career education is a comprehensive educational programme
that focuses on an individual and prepares a person for industrial or
commercial occupations. Morgan (2003) defined career education as concerned
with the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes through a planned
programme of learning experiences, which will assist students to make informed
choices about school, and post-school options and enable effective
participation in working life. Career education focuses more on preparing people
for the transition within school and the transition from school to work. This
goes beyond choice of subjects, but includes the acquisition of skills
necessary for performing the roles along ones career path (Abdulkadir, 2002).
Career education would help in the restructuring of Nigeria educational system
to a more job and vocational oriented education system. Career education for
the Office Technology and Management (OTM) students in the polytechnics is to
effectively prepare them for smooth transition from school to work. This basically,
is to ensure that the OTM graduate is career ready, because he has the
requisite knowledge, skills and experiences needed for transition from school
to work.
Office Technology and Management (OTM) formerly referred to as
Secretarial Studies in Nigeria evolved out of a need to meet the technological
and managerial demands of today’s workplace. The new name OTM was approved by
the supervising body for Nigerian Polytechnics, National Board for Technical
Education (NBTE) in 2004.
1.2 Statement of
Problem
Career choice is
not a one shot event, it’s not just a decision that takes place at the entry
point to a job, but it involves the totality of an individual’s psychological,
sociological, and educational events which eventually results into occupational
choice and other life roles (Her, 2003). This however becomes a huge task as
the study tries to;
1. Identify
the degree acceptance of information and communication technology in
organizational sector.
2. Examine
the contribution of information and communication technology to the growth of
an organization.
3. Determine
the communication skills possessed by the Office Technology and Management
graduating students for career readiness
4.
Determine the
socio-psychological skills possessed by the Office Technology and Management
graduating students for career readiness
5.
Determine the career
readiness index value of the Office Technology and Management graduating
students.
1.3 Purpose of the
Study
The major purpose of this study is to determine the career
readiness of graduating Office Technology and Management students in Ogun State
Polytechnic (Moshood Abiola Polytechnic). Specifically, the study seeks to:
2.
Determine the managerial
skills possessed by the Office Technology and Management graduating students
for their career.
3.
Determine the
entrepreneurial skills possessed by the Office Technology and Management
graduating students.
4.
Determine the ICT skills
possessed by the Office Technology and Management graduating students for
career readiness.
1.4 Research Questions:
The following research questions were formulated to guide the
study:
1.
What are the office skills
possessed by the Office Technology and Management
2.
What are the managerial
skills possessed by the Office Technology and Management
3.
What are the ICT skills
possessed by the Office Technology and Management
4.
What are the communication
skills possessed by the Office Technology and Management
1.5 Significance of the
Study
This
study after completion will be of benefit to:
CAREER READINESS OF GRADUATING OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT STUDENTS IN OGUN STATE POLYTECHNIC (MOSHOOD ABIOLA POLYTECHNIC)
