Skill Acquisition Programmes And Economic Growth In Edo State

ABSTRACT

This study examined the impact of skills acquisition programmes on economic growth in Edo State, Nigeria using Edojobs as a case study. Specifically, it assessed the relationship between the technical and vocational skills acquisition programmes and entrepreneurial skills acquisition programmes and economic growth in Edo State, Nigeria. The survey research design was adopted for this study. The population of the study covered all trainees currently enrolled in the training hubs as well as trainees who have successfully completed their training programmes and are now practising what they learned at Edojobs in Edo State. A total of 151 copies of questionnaire were distributed and utilised for this research project. The distribution of questionnaire copies to current and past trainees of the skill acquisition programmes in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, employed a convenience sampling approach. Utilising descriptive statistics like frequency distribution, mean, and standard deviation, the information gathered from the administration of questionnaires was analysed. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 24 was used to do multiple regression analysis, test the null hypotheses, and estimate the research model using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method. The study found out that there is a significant positive relationship between the technical and vocational skills acquisition programmes and entrepreneurial skills acquisition programmes and economic growth. The study recommended that the government needs to ensure that the right policy measures are adopted and implemented so as to ensure the active participation of the public in the skill acquisition programmes and also to engage more stakeholders by partnering with organisations to access funds for the participants of the skill acquisition programmes, and other organisations like Bank of Industry, CBN and individual investors to provide soft loans/grants that will enable participants to launch and scale their businesses. Keywords: Technical and Vocational Skills Acquisition programmes, Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition programmes, Skills, Skills Acquisition, Unemployment, Economic Growth.