Syrian refugee apprentices at Lebanese vocational schools: integration challenges (Published)
The conflict in Syria has been going on for eight years, and this led, according to UNHCR, to around 488 thousand school refugee children in Lebanon, nearly 2,000 of them are enrolled at Lebanese vocational schools. This paper shows the effect of enrollment of Syrian refugee trainees Lebanese vocational education’s public schools in term of access, and reveal the factors that hinder or encourage children refugees’ registration in vocational schools. This study evaluates the reasons behind successes and failures to register or dropout and tests further hypotheses related to links between vocational education and child labour, gender equality and early marriage.Data were collected among 200 refugees aged 15-20 enrolled at VET schools in Lebanon. Findings reveal that vocational education helps to control early marriage, child labour, and lack of social cohesion.The Lebanese Ministry of Education’s needs to create a refugee training policy to be ready to host more refugee trainees at the Public VET schools. An occupational, vocational training enrolment campaign and a national strategy for vocational education must include other initiatives related to child marriage and child labour.
Keywords: Child Labour, Refugee integration, Vocational education, early marriage
Vocational Education Needs of Cucumber Farmers for enhancing Productivity in Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers State (Published)
This study examined the vocational education needs of cucumber farmers for enhancing productivity in Ikwerre local government areas of Rivers State. The population of the study comprised of 108 registered cucumber farmers in the study area. The study adopted a census study as the entire population was used. Three research questions were formulated to guide the study. Data were collected using well validated and structured questionnaire and interview. The reliability coefficient (r) of 0.81 was established using test-retest method. Data were analyzed descriptively using Mean and Standard Deviation with criterion mean value of 2.50 and above, while z-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed that farmers need vocational education for good knowledge in selection of site, mulching techniques, identify good seed variety and determine the need for soil treatment among others. The study also showed that cucumber farmers need vocational education to be skillful on the removal of old and diseased cucumber plants from the field, apply foliar herbicides to control disease infections. Based on the findings the study recommended that Rivers State government should direct the vocational education centers to integrate the identified skills in commercial cucumber production enterprises into skill acquisition centers for training youths for employment and retraining farmers for competency on the job. Cucumber farmers in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State should also be encouraged and motivated to enroll into Vocational Education centers in the state to learn the skills needed in commercial cucumber production for sustainable living.
Keywords: Cucumber, Needs, Productivity, Vocational education, farming
Prospects, Issues and Challenges of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) In Revamping Nigeria Depressed Economy (Published)
Nigeria aspires to become a major player in the world economy in line with her Vision 20-2020. To achieve this ambitious goal, the most crucial vehicle apart from power and infrastructure, is a skilled and competent workforce. This is necessary for the effective implementation of national development projects and for attracting necessary international investment by hi-tech industries. (NBTE, 2011). Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is used as a comprehensive term referring to those aspects of the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences, the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life (UNESCO and ILO 2001) In addition to technical knowledge and aptitude, TVET is also concerned with softer skills like communication, negotiation and teamwork. It is dispensed in public and private educational establishments or other forms of formal or informal instructor aimed at granting all segments of the society access to lifelong resources.
Keywords: Development, Economic Depression, Technical, Vocational education
The Impact of the Teaching Strategy Based On Learning through Activities in the Development of the Students’ Attitudes toward Vocational Education in Jordan (Published)
This study aimed at teaching the household mechanical installations unit by means of the teaching strategy based on learning through activities as well as identifying the teaching strategy based on learning through activities, and highlighting the applied importance of the vocational education subject in the students’ daily life. The study produced a cluster of results and recommendations most prominently: There is an impact of the teaching strategy based on learning through activities in the development of students’ attitudes toward vocational education in Jordan. The researcher also recommends the necessity of encouraging the students to enroll in vocational training centers in order to learn a profession that enables them to join the Jordanian labour market and fulfill its needs.
Keywords: Household Mechanical Installations., Learning Through Activities, Vocational education
Partnerships for Knowledge Production: A Panacea for Skills Acquisition for Sustainable Development through Vocational Education in Nigeria (Published)
This paper focused on partnerships for knowledge production as a panacea for skills acquisition for sustainable development through Vocational Education in Nigeria. Although the government of Nigeria is emphasizing Entrepreneurial Education to promote skills acquisition for economic growth, the government has failed to match it plans with concrete actions by way of financial support and provision of facilities to enhance proper preparation of the learners for skills acquisition at graduation. Skill acquisition is the sole aim of Vocational Education. A survey of some programmes in the Universities has shown that this programme (Vocational Education) is organized without practicals due to lack of facilities such as workshops and laboratories with modern equipments. Students who offer computer education in most cases are not exposed to practical experience. This is applicable to other areas of Vocational Education as well. This paper highlighted other challenges such as lack of implementation of research results in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), lack of students exchange and linkage programmes in some Universities. Finally, among other recommendations, the paper raised the need for Federal and State governments to allocate a substantial amount of funds in their yearly budgets for proper implementation of Vocational Education programme in Nigeria.
Keywords: Nigeria, Skills Acquisition, Sustainable Development, Vocational education, knowledge production, partnerships
REPOSITIONING TECHNOLOGY AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) FOR POVERTY REDUCTION IN NIGERIA (Published)
The paper acknowledges that Technology and vocational education and training (TVET) is an integral component of lifelong learning that provides functional education for individuals’ survival and socio-economic wellbeing of the society. This realization informs the global acceptance of TVET, as an effective tool for nation building and transformation. Taking cognizance of skill enhancement or empowerment capability of TVET for job creation, the paper upholds, this could engender poverty reduction which in turn orchestrates the culture of peace, environmentally sustainable development, social cohesion and international citizenship. The paper also emphasizes the potency of TVET in meeting the gap for new forms of skill development to meet the technological, economic and social needs of many developed countries. Furthermore, the author describes poverty as a serious menace to national growth and highlights some causes and destructive effects of poverty to nation building and maintains that unless appropriate attention is accorded to TVET the ripple effects of poverty would continue to defile every well informed policy/approaches of the government to nib poverty in the bud. Consequently, amidst other recommendations, the paper affirms that the government should through its agencies sufficiently empower graduates of TVET at all levels and also diligently mentor and monitor their activities to ensure their sustenance and active contribution to nation building as well as poverty reduction.
Keywords: Nigeria, Poverty Reduction, Repositioning Technology, Training (Tvet), Vocational education