Bridging the Skills Gap of Graduates of Technical Colleges and the Industries in Nigeria (Published)
The skills gap that exist between the graduates of technical colleges and the industries has limited the employability of the graduates of technical colleges in Nigeria to the advantage of expatriate skilled manpower who have taken over the jobs that are available for the teeming Nigerian youth population. The causes of the skills gap have been traced to poor funding, inadequate infrastructure and facilities in the technical colleges to poor partnership between the industries and the technical colleges amongst several other causes as numerated in the main write up. Consequently, the following recommendations are therefore proffered in order to bridge the skills gap between the graduates of technical colleges and the work places:
- A strong career orientation must be inculcated in the minds of the students of technical colleges on the relevance of general education in improving their basic skills
- Technical Colleges should maintain a close link with the industry for technical co-operation and mutual benefits
- Technical Teachers Training should be expanded to increase the capacity of instructors and teachers of technical colleges
- Training and grant opportunities available within non-governmental and international organization should be taken advantage of by the technical colleges
- Independent technical boards and commissions should be established at the various states to oversee the operations of technical colleges instead of allowing them as appendages of the general ministries of education.
Keywords: Technical Colleges, Vocational and Technical Education., skill gaps