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