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VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN MANPOWER     

DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC STABILITY IN NIGERIA 

 

By 

M.O. MKPOZI 

Dept. of Technical Ed. IMT, Enugu. 

Eze H.O 

Dept. of Foundations of Education. ESCET Enugu 

 

ABSTRACT  

The paper focused on the production of craftsmen, technicians and other skilled 

personnel who would be enterprising and self-reliant. This type of education is concerned 

with the development of the skill, knowledge and attitudes needed for success in any 

given occupation. Skill acquisition improves standard of living as well as the economic 

stability, industrial harmony  and technological advancement of the nation. The need for 

vocational and technical education and the effects on employment are discussed. Efforts 

made by both Federal and State governments to reduce economic crunch through 

different educational industrial programmes are discussed and recommendations made.  

Keyword: Vocational, Education, Economic, Stability  

 

INTRODUCTION  

The development of a nation is to a large extent determined by the wealth of that nation. 

A nation economic stability if it is industrially buoyant, agriculturally sufficient and 

technically up-to-date. A country that manufactures its own good using indigenous 

skills and exports some of those goods to other countries is usually economically 

stable. 

 

Vocational and Technical Education determines to achieve the economic stability of a 

nation by training and imparting the necessary skills that lead to the production of 

craftsmen, technicians and other skilled personnel to he enterprising and self-reliant. 

The continued survival of Nigeria as a sovereign nation (Olaitan, (1993) depends on 

the skills her people possess and the effectiveness with which these skills are passed 

on from one generation to the next. 

 

NEED FOR VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL KDUCATION 

Nigeria is now suffering from economic depression and should need her own industrial 

revolution through sound and efficient Vocational and Technical Education based on 

an independent indigenous technology. Oranu (1990) described economic depression as 

the suppression of economic advancement due to lack of adequate economic activities 

which results in poverty and unemployment. He also described unemployment in 



 

 

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itself as "a state of affairs where a good amount of labour in a country is not used and 

hence results in a waste of manpower." 

 

Vocational and Technical Education should emphasize quality by providing for the 

learning of skills employed in using tools, machines and materials of on occupation for 

self-reliance. Self-reliant in this regard implies relying on one's own facilities, forces, 

and capabilities etc to achieve genuine development individually and collectively 

through indigenous effort(s), indigenous institutions and programme designed and 

operated by the people themselves. Okorie and Ezeji (1988) advocated for vocational 

type of education which concerns itself with the development of the skill, knowledge 

and attitudes needed for success in any given occupation. Osisioma (1993) defined 

Vocational Education as "that aspect of education which is mainly concerned with the 

preparation of individual for skilled performance on tasks." According to him, the 

central objective of Vocational Education resolve on the achievement of socio-

economic, industrial and technological objectives that will eventually manifest 

themselves in improved standard of living for the citizens as well as in economic 

stability, industrial harmony and technological advancement. 

 

The National Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1981) defined technical 

education as "that aspect of education which leads to the acquisition of practical and 

applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge." The aims of technical education 

include training and imparting of necessary skills leading to the production of craftsmen, 

technicians, and other skilled personnel who will be enterprise and self-reliant. Okoro 

(1990) classified the aim of technical education into these three major objectives.  

1. To remove the attitude that technical education is inferior to academic or 

grammar: education - affective objective. 

2. To introduce technical and vocational courses into secondary schools so 

that pupil acquires practical skills and learns to use their hands in making, 

repairing and assenting things - cognitive and psychomotor objectives. 

3. To increase the employability of school leavers by improving students' 

technical vocational skills and to train craftsmen, technicians and other skilled 

personnel-cognitive and Psychomotor Objectives.  

The policy as classified by Okoro (1990) has attempted to solve the following problems 

which 

hindered the development of technical and vocational education over the years.  

1. Lack of technical and vocational courses in most secondary schools.  

2. Unfavourable public attitude towards technical education.  

3. Inadequate institutions and facilities for the training of technical teachers.  

4. Insufficient number of technical colleges for the training of craftsmen, and 

5. Poor salary structure for technical personnel.  



 

 

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The NPE (1981) has generally acclaimed to have an increased emphasis to Vocational 

and Technical education by attempting to remove the bias that Vocational/Technical 

Education has been relegate an insignificant value. According to Ozoro (1982) the 

NPE aims removing this bias against Vocational and Technical Education by the 

inclusion of technical course, notably, technical drawing, wood-Metal work, and 

electricity/electronics into the secondary school syllabus. He stressed that the 

inclusion of those courses could not be adequate remedy. Okoro (1990) explained: 

that one major fault of the NPE is that it still gives lower status to vocational and 

technical education and places unnecessary obstacles in the way of students who 

choose to pursue a vocational technical programme at the secondary school level  

 

According to the FRN (1981) “trade centres and similar Vocational Centre” would be 

established to absorb junior secondary school leavers who could not proceed to senior 

secondary school. This be interpreted to mean that after the junior secondary school, 

students would be separated into groups for example, the privileged who would go to 

senior secondary school for admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of 

education and the under-privileged who would go to centres and technical colleges and 

who would have eventually no prospects of furthering their educations beyond the 

technical college or trade centre level. Okola (1993) stated that Vocational Education 

stereo-typed, designed for preparing individuals for various occupations as craftsmen, 

technicians of professional levels and that in Nigeria individuals have held an equal 

false notion that Vocational Education was for those who could not cope with academic 

pursuit; that doing work with one’s hand less cognitive and therefore was meant for the 

less intelligent people. 

 

In attempting to correct this false notion Osuala (1990) called for the need to redefine 

the mind of Vocational Technical Education in contemporary Nigeria when he stated that 

"what is particularly called into question is our ability to adapt rapidly to new situation, 

to apply knowledge and skills upon changing conditions, and skills through our own 

efforts." He cited Angola, Yemen, Ethiopia, India and Zibabwe as some of the 

developing countries which have introduced Vocational Technical Education that 

emphasize the acquisition of abilities and skills in craftsmanship. 

 

EFFECTS OF UNEMPLOYMENT 
With the new National Policy on Education (FRN, 1981) secondary education was 

divided into phases aimed at two main objectives:                                                                 

1. Preparing and selecting pupils for the next stage of education.  

2. Preparing those who will not proceed to the next stage of education for 

employment and useful living within the society. The changes and expansion at 

all levels of education according to Izundu (1990) created the following reasons 

for the problems of unemployment: 



 

 

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i) the shortfall in the provision of admissions for secondary school leavers 

to higher institutions: 

ii) the worldwide economic depression of the early 80's that caused 

rapid deterioration in Nigeria's economy; 

iii) inadequate training efforts in relation to the enormous manpower 

requirements, especially the technical manpower. She also emphasized 

that unemployment could cause lots of frustration among youths which 

could in effect lead to high crime rates, alcoholism and drug addition. 

Unemployment according to her could also have an adverse effect on 

the psychological well being of those who experience it. Such people 

stand the risk of minor psychiatric disorder, low self-esteem and 

depression and emotional and social maladjustment. 

Izundu (1990) also listed the following factors to be responsible for unemployment in 

Nigeria: 

1. The economic down turn that did not encourage no investments. 

2. The restriction on import that exposed the weakness of the country's industrial 

process which has very little domestic inputs except manpower. 

3. The manufacturing establishment with high import dependency that operated far 

below their installed capacity or was closed down completely, 

4. The slash in government expenditure particularly on capital projects that reduced 

the level of activities in the construction industry apart from the massive retrenchment 

of workers in the public sector itself. 

5. The number of unemployed graduates and fresh school leavers that increased 

rapidly as the recession deepened in all sectors of the economy. 

These potential problems caused by the unemployed youths have created a great concern 

to the Federal and State governments. Most manufacturers in Nigeria today experience 

extreme difficulties in securing raw materials. Many industries including Automobile 

Assembly Plants, Food Processing and Electronics industries have resulted in folding up 

or drastically curtailing their production capacity. This has automatically effected the 

employment atmosphere hence most youths in the country are not able to secure 

employment and many others working are being retrenched. 

 

EFFORTS TO REDUCE ECONOMIC CRUNCH 

The Federal and State Governments have formulated the following three 

approaches to alleviate economic hardship in order to provide gainful 

employment to Nigeria youths: 

1. Educational Programmes which include Poly-and monotechnics and colleges of 

technologies with the aim of providing the youths with skills to be employed or 

to develop then- own industries and business. 

2. Institutional Programmes such as the National Board for Technical 

Education (NBTE) which has the responsibility of developing national 



 

 

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technical syllabuses in Polytechnics and technical colleges and setting 

minimum standards of performance in the institutions. 

3. Employment Programmes such as Industrial Training Fund (ITF), 

Employment Exchange Programme, the National Directorate of 

Employment etc are all aimed at reducing unemployment among Nigerian 

youths. The NDE (1986) for example was charged to formulate policies 

and work out strategies for dealing with the problems of mass 

unemployment in the country especially among school leavers and 

graduates of universities, and polytechnics. 

 

The NDE has four practical programmes nationwide as follows:  

1. National Youth Employment and Vocational Skills Development Programme.  

2. Small Scale Industries and graduate employment programme  

3. Agricultural Sector Employment Project.  

4. Special Public Works Programme.  

 

NDE (1986) Listed and Described the functions of such schemes as follows:  

1. National Open Apprenticeship Scheme aimed at providing unemployed youths 

with basic skills that are needed in the economy in different technical fields.  

2. Waste-to-Wealth Scheme created to encourage the conversion of hitherto 

neglected raw materials and other scrap and waste materials into useful and 

marketable products. 

3. Schools-on-Wheels Scheme which involves taking fully equipped mobile 

vocational training facilities to the rural areas in order to dissuade urban migration 

for the open apprenticeship scheme.  

4. Small Scale Industries and graduate Employment Programme designed to 

encourage and aid unemployed Nigerians to set up and run their own business.  

5. Job Creative Guarantee Scheme to enable applicant get loans from banks to 

establish business after the feasibility studies must have been approved.  

6. Mature People Scheme targeted at those who are either retired or are preparing to 

retire from paid employment and willing to maintain an economically productive 

life.  

7. Entrepreneurship Development Programme involves recognizing a business 

opportunity mobilizing resources and persisting to exploit that opportunity.  

 

VOLUNTEER SERVICE AGENCY  

Volunteer Service Agency (VSA) (1990) is a body set up by the former Anambra State 

Government (now Anambra and Enugu States governments) to formulate policy and 

work out strategies for dealing with the problems of mass unemployment in the states 

especially among school leavers and graduates of universities and polytechnics:  

1. To reduce the number of persons in the States who are unemployed.  



 

 

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2. To prepare participants for a self-employment so that they may become self-

employed after they have ceased to be participants.  

3. To provide gainful employment for such persons as may be admitted into the 

scheme.  

4. To inculcate in the youth the spirit of team work in industry, business and other 

ventures.  

5.  To help bring out improved agriculture in the state and  

6. To encourage the populace to adopt in all things the spirit of self-reliance rather 

than one of the scope of the activities are involved in agriculture, indigenous 

technology and acquisition of skills.  

 

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION  

Nigeria needs full employment for sustainable and efficient economy where everyone 

who is willing and able to work at the prevailing wage rate can find a job in the line of 

work for which he is qualified.  

 

The society should without any bias support the Federal and State governments efforts 

on the establishments of policies and programme for the development of relevant skills 

and appropriate technical and vocational knowledge for self-reliance. Self-reliance in 

technology as pointed out by Ukeje (1989) can be and has been achieved in some 

countries of the world through a variety of policy options for example:  

1. China achieved her through shutting out the rest of the world and mobilizing its 

materials and human resources.  

2. Japan, specially achieved self-reliance in technology through the reformation of 

her education system.  

 

In the manner, Nigeria could also achieve her own technological aims and goals in her 

industrial revolution through sound and efficient Technical Vocational Education and 

Policy options based on an independent indigenous technology guided by the concept of 

self-reliance.  

 

The derogatory phrase “Aba or Igbo-made” being associated to goods made in Nigeria 

is a very unpatriotic attitude and should be discouraged and the bias attached to certain 

jobs that have been labeled “blue-collar jobs” or “black-coated” should also be 

eliminated for Nigeria to have a technological break-through for economic development.  

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

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REFERENCES 

Federal Republic of Nigeria (1981). National Policy on Education (Revised edition) 

Lagos: NERC.  

Izundu, N.T. (1990) Integrating NDE’s technical trades into the senior secondary 

curriculum. Implication for better vocational development and improved 

employment prospects for Nigerian Youths. Nsukka Nigerian Vocation Journal 

& (3) 121-131.  

NDE, (1986) National directorate of employment information brochure Ref. No. 

NDE/ANS/GAF/33/29.  

Okola, O.F. (1993). Funding vocational-technical education to meet future manpower 

needs and development in Nigeria. Nsukka: Nigeria Vocational Journal, 4, 119-

123.  

Okorie, J.U. and Ezeji, S.C.O.A. (1988). Elements of guidance, vocational and career 

education. Onitsha: Summer Education.  

Okoro, O.M. (1990). The national policy on education and the objectives of vocational 

and technical education. Nsukka: Nigerian Vocational Journal, (3) 116-122.  

Olaitain, S.O. (1993). Issues in vocational-technical teacher education for a self-reliant 

Nigeria. Vocational/Technical Education and Self 

 


