OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT A NOSTRUM FOR SKILLS ACQUISITION AND REDUCTION OF UNEMPLOYMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AKWA IBOM STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

The study sought to assess the effectiveness of the Office Technology and Management (OTM) profession in promoting skill acquisition and mitigating unemployment to foster sustainable development in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Three research questions were formulated, and three null hypotheses were generated to achieve the goals. This study utilised a descriptive survey approach. The population consisted of 386 students enrolled in the Office Technology and Management programme at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic in Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene. A simple random selection method was used to select a sample of 150 participants, comprising 50 males and 100 females. The study employed a researcher-developed questionnaire named "Office Technology and Management: A Nostrum for Skills Acquisition and Reduction of Unemployment for Sustainable Development in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria" (OTMNSARUSD) to collect data. The Cronbach Alpha reliability test was utilized to calculate a reliability coefficient of 0.86. The mean was used to address the study questions, while an independent t-test was used to evaluate the null hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05. A study discovered that male and female students in the OTM programme in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, have similar opinions regarding how the acquisition and utilisation of skills might impact job creation, unemployment reduction, and sustainable development. It is recommended to encourage competency-based learning as a means to stimulate students' interest in gaining the essential skills needed for current economic trends, with the goal of achieving sustainable development.