Lecturers Perception of Information and Communication Technology Skills Acquisition and Graduates Employability in Cross Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The advancement in technology and its dynamic influence on work processes puts high demand on ICT skills, thereby necessitating the need of students undertaking training in their respective fields of specializations to be more versatile in current labour market needs so as to be qualified to work in the ICT inclined labour market. The study examined Information and Communication technology skill acquisition and graduates’ employability in Cross River State, Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study. Survey research design was adopted. The population of the study comprised of all the 475 lecturers in the Faculty of Education, University of Calabar. The simple random sampling technique was used to sample 47% resulting to 223 respondents. The instrument for data collection was a modified four point likert scale titled; information and communication technology skill acquisition and graduates employability questionnaire (ICTSAGEQ). The reliability estimate obtained using Cronbach alpha reliability was 0.85. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer research questions. Findings revealed that information and communication technology skill acquisition has significant influence on graduates’ employability. The study further found that the challenges of ICT skills acquisition bothers around inadequate funding, inadequacy of ICT compliant manpower, poor power supply, lack of infrastructure among others. The study therefore concluded that ICT skill acquisition significantly influence graduates’ employability in Cross River State, to this end, it was recommended that Students should be encouraged and sponsored to acquire relevant ICT skills before graduation to enable them fit into the modern world of work or possibly set up their personal ICT services for self –reliance and creating jobs for others thereby reducing unemployment and by extension youth restiveness.