Apprenticeship Orientation and Performance of Micro-Businesses in Ebonyi State, Nigeria (Published)
The study investigates the nexus between apprenticeship orientation and the performance of micro businesses that provide the direct training services in Ebonyi state Nigeria. The study is necessitated because in the world of work, apprenticeship has been a smooth means of inculcating requisite skills and trades to apprentices for which the benefits microbusinesses drive from apprenticeship have not been explored adequately. Consequently, extant literatures were reviewed with the Social learning theory by Bandura (1963) as the theoretical underpinning. The theory posits in part that learning (skill acquisition in this study) is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction, even in the absence of motor reproduction or direct reinforcement. The methodical approach was the exploratory survey research design aimed at clarifying new insights to the study of apprenticeship as it benefits the organisation. With a population of 52,291, a sample size of 301 firms were chosen and administered with a structured questionnaire. The analytical tool adopted was the Pearson’s product moment correlation, and p-value. The result shows positive values for LSQ (r=38.2%), LFE (r=88%), LFS (r = 48%), EQA (r=10.1%) and a negative value for AoA (r= -55%). The implication is that microbusinesses engagement of youthful apprentices enhance their positive performance and should be explored by more microbusinesses.
Keywords: Apprentice Activity, Apprenticeship, Microbusiness, Skill, Tutelage