DIGITAL SKILLS REQUIREMENT OF ELECTRICAL / ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION GRADUATES FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

The study focused on digital skills requirement of electrical/electronics technology education graduates for economic diversification in the 21^st century educational landscape in Rivers State. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was 94 (comprising 43 lecturers and 51 Post-Graduate students). The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled “Digital Skills Requirement for Electrical/Electronics Technology Education Graduates” Questionnaire (DSRETEG). Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that electrical/electronic technology education graduates requires a range of digital skills, including programming, data analysis and digital design, to succeed in the industry in Rivers State. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that Government and educational policy makers should ensure that digital skills training is integrated into the curriculum of electrical/electronic technology programmes in Rivers state as to equip graduates with the necessary skills for the digital economy. Also, educational institutions that offer programmes in electrical/electronic technology should ensure that they will establish partnership with industries around them to provide students with practical experiences and exposure to digital technologies, enabling them to develop relevant skills.