Abstract
In the past, high unemployment rate was alien to graduates in Nigeria. Where this high rate of unemployment was prevalent then was among people without basic education. The study put persons with and without primary school education as people who were largely affected by unemployment in the 21st century. Graduate unemployment rate has been rising astronomically. In order to get jobs, therefore, relevant skills must be acquired to carry out such jobs. However, relevant skills acquired lead to the creation of millions of small businesses which create employment. From the foregoing, it is discovered that the unemployment rate is high among both non – graduates and graduates. It is in view of this rising rate of unemployment that this study seeks to find out if vocational skills actually lead to self-employment.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to
the Study
The need for
employment creation in Nigeria did not arise until the mid-1980s, when the
economy of Nigeria collapsed and youth and graduate unemployment became a major
issue of the economy of the country, particularly the latter (Arogundade,
2011). Prior to this period, the focus was in occupying positions created by
the colonial masters for the smooth running of their colonial administration as
well as filling the positions that the colonial masters were vacating which was
occasioned by the political independence gained by the country. In this way,
both graduates and non-graduates were occupying vacancies so created (Aladekomo
et al. 2008).
However, by the mid
– 1980s unemployment had reared its devastating effect on the Nigerian economy.
This was occasioned by various factors such as economic recession, production
of jobless educational institutions’ graduates, low labour absorbing capacity
by companies, mass lay off of civil servants, embargo on employment in the
civil service, employability of our educational institutions’ graduates for
lack of relevant skills, irrelevance of curricula offered in educational
institutions, closure and relocation of some business enterprises and
infrastructural deficits (Aladekomo
et
al. 2008). The general household survey conducted by the National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS) in 2011 put the unemployment rate in Nigeria as 23.9 percent.
This is a very worrisome development to all stakeholders: the society, the
unemployed and the government. Particularly worrisome is the rising rate of
graduate unemployment among the unemployed labour force in the country over the
years. For instance, the graduate unemployment rate rose from about 1 percent
in 1974 to 4 percent in 1984; and between 1992 and 1997, it rose to 32 percent.
In 2008, Yoloye reported that graduate unemployment rate had risen to 71.4
percent (Egunsola
et al. 2012).
Equally worrisome is also the alarming rate of unemployment among
non-graduates. Oye
et al. (2011) put the
largest proportions (31-50%) of the unemployed in the country as being
secondary school graduates with 40% of them representing urban youth ranging
between 20 and 24 years. Another 31% of them fall within the age range of 15 –
19 years. The resultant effect of this high rate of unemployment in Nigeria is
youth restiveness of all kinds such as blowing off of crude oil pipes,
kidnapping (Onwubiko, 2011) as well as these youth organizing themselves into
militant groups in the form of Egbesu Boys, Oodua People’s Congress, Bakassi
Boys, Almajiris, “area boys†and Boko Haram to target the very society that
alienated them (Awogbenle
et al.
2013). In view of the above, the Federal government adopted several strategies
and policies towards entrepreneurial development in Nigeria by establishing
institutions and agencies, which provide variety of support services to
entrepreneurs. The implication of these policies is the emergence of
entrepreneurial development programmes (EDP) in different parts of Nigeria with
the aim of combating unemployment problem in the country (Aladekomo
et al. 2008).
Entrepreneurial
development in itself is conceived as a programme of activities to enhance the
knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes of individuals and groups to assume
the role of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial development programmes, therefore,
are targeted at owner managers of small business firms as well as those
identified to possess potentials for self – employment. The aim is to allow
individuals and groups to acquire these skills, knowledge and attitudes to
enable them take the role of entrepreneurs thereby creating jobs for
themselves, since creation of employment also requires the establishment of new
ventures.
Entrepreneurship is
adjudged as being capable of generating employment, among other things, as it
is considered to be labour intensive and therefore capable of providing employment
for our teeming youths and graduates. However, in spite of the various numbers
of these programmes established in different parts of the country, the rate of
unemployment keeps on increasing unabated. ÂÂÂ