VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AS A MECHANISM FOR YOUTHS’ SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT AND LIVELIHOOD IN ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTIES IN ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined vocational education as a mechanism for youths’ sustainable employment and livelihood in economic uncertainties in Abia State. The study was guided by three research questions and three corresponding null hypotheses. A descriptive survey research design was adopted in the study. The sample of the study was 118, which included 24 vocational education lecturers and 94 graduates selected using a purposive sampling technique from the population of 235, comprising 47 vocational education lecturers and 188 graduates in Abia State. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire validated by four experts. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.87, obtained using the Cronbach-alpha statistic. Data collected was analysed using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using the t-test statistic at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed, among others, that vocational skills that can enhance youths’ sustainable employment and livelihood in economic uncertainties include juice production, food processing, interior/exterior decoration, fashion designs, snail production, poultry production, pig production, mushroom farming, and clothing accessories, among others. Based on the findings, it was recommended that functional workshops with modern equipment and tools should be provided in every vocational programme to enhance students' acquisition of vocational skills for sustainable livelihood