Abstract

This study investigated the availability and adequacy of in-service training programmes for enhancing the maintenance skills of Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work (EIMW) teachers in Science and Technical Colleges in North East, Nigeria. The study was guided by two objectives which sought to examine the available in-service training programmes for EIMW teachers and determine the adequacy of such programmes in updating teachers’ maintenance skills. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study was conducted in the six states of North East Nigeria namely: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe. The population of the study comprised 146 EIMW teachers from thirty-six Science and Technical Colleges in the region, including professionally qualified and nonprofessionally qualified teachers. Since the population was manageable, the entire population was used for the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled “Technical College Skills Improvement Needs (TCSIN)” developed by the researcher. The instrument was validated by three experts, while its reliability was established using Cronbach’s Alpha which yielded an overall reliability coefficient of 0.976. Data collection was carried out with the assistance of six trained research assistants, and 135 completed copies of the questionnaire were retrieved and analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and t-test statistics at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that inservice training programmes for EIMW teachers were fairly available but not adequately sufficient for updating teachers’ maintenance skills. The study concluded that existing training programmes were inadequate in addressing contemporary maintenance competencies required in the electrical industry. The study recommended regular industry-based training programmes, improved funding for teacher development, provision of modern facilities, and consistent professional development opportunities for EIMW teachers