Description
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page I
TITLE PAGE i
DEDICATION ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii
Abstract V
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 7
Purpose of the Study 8
Significance of the Study 9
Research Questions 10
Hypothesis 10
Delimitations of the Study 11
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Theoretical Framework 12
Skill Acquisition: Measurement Theory and Research 12
Skill Acquisition Theory and Development 15
Conceptual framework 16
Importance of Fabrication and Welding 16
Critical Thinking Skills 24
Team Work 25
Communication Skill 33
Problem Solving 34
Review of Related Empirical Studies 43
Summary of the Literature Review 47
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
Design of the Study 50
Area of the study 50
Population of the study 51
Instrument for Data Collection 51
Validation of the Instrument 52
Reliability of the Instrument 52
Method of Data Collection 52
Method of Data Analysis 53
CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
Research Findings of the Study 65
Discussion of Finding 70
CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Re Statement of the Problem 74
Description of Procedures Used 75
Principal Findings 76
Implication of the Study to education 77
Recommendations 79
Limitation of the Study 80
Suggestion for Further Research 80
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
Appendix I: Letter to the Respondents
Appendix II: Questionnaire on Work Skill Needs of Fabrication
and Welding Craftsmen as Perceived by Related
Industries in Kaduna State
DEDICATION
This research work is dedicated toAlmighty God for giving me the grace to be where I am today, my
loving wife Seun and children, Stephan and Stephanie.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am sincerely grateful to my supervisor Dr.(Mrs.) T. C. Ogbuanya for her contribution and
guidance’s throughout the course of this research work and above all her willingness and desire to
reform me in the acts of writing is highly appreciated. Also, acknowledged in this research work
are Dr C. E. Nwachukwu and Mr. Jide Fakorede for their wonderful suggestions and advices
during and after the defense proposal. I appreciate all the lecturers in the department of vocational
teacher education for their various contributions in diverse ways towards the successful completion
of this work.
I acknowledge with gratitude sponsorship and support of the National Board for Technical
Education Kaduna, for giving me the opportunity to improve myself; my friends, colleagues and
family members for their words of encouragement, support and prayers. Finally, I thank the
Almighty God for seeing me through the course of study for which the research work was carried
out.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the work skill needs of fabrication and welding
craftsmen as perceived by related industries in Kaduna state. The study adopted a survey research
design. The population of the study consists of two groups, group one comprised of 87 fabrication
and welding technical teachers in the 5 Technical colleges and 19 secondary schools in the state
offering fabrication and welding subject. The second group comprised of 12 Industrial fabrication
and welding supervisor and 84 fabrications and welding craftsmen registered with the Kaduna state
Ministry of labour and productivity. There was no sampling as the population 183 respondents are
not large, accessible and manageable. Four research questions and four hypotheses, tested at 0.05
level of significance, the instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The
instrument was subjected to face and content validation by five experts, two from the Department
of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and three expert from welding
and fabrication industries in Kaduna State. The reliability coefficients was found to be 0.91 by trial
testing it on 10 Technical teachers and 20 fabrication and welding Industrial supervisor which was
not part of the respondents used for this study. Data obtained from the administration of the
instrument was analysed using mean, standard deviation to answer the research question and t-test
statistic was used to test the hypotheses. eight major findings were made. These findings, included.
Problem solving skill required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related
industries, communication skill required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by
related industries, self management skill required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as
perceived by related industries and critical thinking skill required by fabrication and welding
craftsmen as perceived by related industries. Also the hypotheses tested found out that: there was
no significant difference in the mean responses of industrial supervisor and craftsmen on the
problems solving skill required of fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related
industries. There were no significant difference in the mean responses of industrial supervisor and
craftsmen on the communication skill of fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related
industries. There was no significant difference in the mean responses of industrial supervisor and
craftsmen on self management skill needed by welding and fabrication craftsmen. And the last
hypothesis also corroborate the others that there is no significance difference in the mean
responses of qualified and less qualified industrial worker on the critical thinking skill needed by
fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related industries. Based on these findings,
conclusions were drawn and recommendations proffered.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Today’s technical college students are expected to learn skill content better to the extent
that they can fit into 21st century jobs. In doing so, the students’ are expected to develop the
“hard” technical skills as well as the “soft” people skills necessary to be successful in the industry
level. “Core,” “key,” “transferable,” “general,” “non-technical” and “soft” are all terms that have
been used synonymously to define the work skills needed most in industry. While the semantics of
the term used do exist, there is no doubt that there is a need for such skills in the workplace. Core
skills are the technical know how and the methodology of carrying out the works involve in the
practical activities in the welding and fabrication industry. The core skills emanated from safety
precautions on tools and materials handling down to the finished products processes. Key skills are
things that craftsmen need to posses if their team is to thrive and succeed. These range from ability
to choose the right people and deciding who does what, to communicating with, developing and
motivating people. This involves the supervisors’ duty of setting direction, communicating that
vision passionately to those they work with, and helping colleagues understand and commit to that
vision. Supervisor, on the other hand, are responsible for ensuring that the vision is implemented
efficiently and successfully.
A supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day performance of a small group. It may be a
team, or a shift. The supervisor has experience in what the group does, but is not necessarily better
at it than everyone he/she supervises. The supervisor's job is to guide the group toward its goals,
see that all members of the team are productive, and resolve problems as they arise. His duties
include correcting and evaluating the craftsmen general skills. Hewitt (2005) posited that
employers have begun turning their focus and attention to evaluating these general skills. Atkins
(1999) stated that over the last decade there has been a steady stream of reports and papers urging
the higher education sector to take key, core, transferable and employability skills into the heart of
students’ learning experience
Martin, Milne-Home, Barrett, Spalding, and Jones (2000), recognized the difficulties technical
college educators have in preparing graduates for the technical skills needed in industry.
Graduates begin careers in specialized positions, this make the students’ finds it difficult to acquire
skill in a way that meets all employers’ needs. Technical skills are job specific and best suited to
be taught by industry professionals on the job. “Soft” skill development is needed by all technical
college graduates (Mullen, 1997). Evers, Rush and Berdrow (1998) stated that Society, now more
than ever, needs graduates who criticize in constructive ways and do not assume that things should
be done only in a certain way because that is the ‘way it has always been done; rather craftsmen
who want to work in organizations that strive to correct past mistakes, not contribute to new ones.
The purpose and role of technical education has been widely debated for years. Morley (2001)
stated that the debate is centered on whether technical education should exist for the sole purpose
of providing capitalistic achievement or in-depth liberal education; this has been viewed
differently by many nations.
In Nigeria, among the goal of technical education is to provide the technical knowledge and
vocational skills necessary for economic development; to give training and also to impart the
necessary skills to individual who shall be self reliant economically. The curriculum of technical
colleges according to Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) (2004) includes welding and fabrication
engineering craft practice among other mechanical trade courses. Welding and Fabrication
Engineering Craft Practice (WFECP) according to Tobolt (1991) is an occupational process that
joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. The goal of welding and
fabrication engineering craft practice work trade in Nigeria technical colleges is to produce
competent craftsmen with sound practical and theoretical knowledge, who should be able to carry
out various types of welding processes and fabrication design (National Board for Technical
Education (NBTE) 1985). Thus, the programme for welding and fabrication engineering craft
practice work in Nigeria technical colleges is designed to produce competent craftsmen for all
types of metal work operations. According to NBTE (2001), these craftsmen may also wish to take
the opportunity for further technical education programme.
Welding and fabrication engineering craft practice at the technical colleges are offered at two
levels, leading to the award of National Technical Certificate (NTC) and Advance National
Technical Certificate (ANTC) for craftsmen and master craftsmen respectively (Federal
Government of Nigeria (FGN), 2000). The curriculum is prepared in modules at both of these two
levels. The trainees on completion of the programme for welding and fabrication engineering craft
practice work like any other vocational courses in the technical colleges according to FRN (2004)
shall have three options: secure employment either at the end of the whole course or after
completing one or more modules of employable skills; set up their own business and become
selfemployed and be able to employ other; and pursue further education in advance in
craft/technical institutions such as polytechnics of colleges or education (technical) and
universities. Thus justifying the objective of the programme.
Heldrich (2005) posit that, the purpose of technical education is to train students for
specific careers or to prepare students for the general skills needed for the workforce. Espinoza
(1999) proposed that the purpose of technical education should be to disseminate productive
citizens into the workforce. Peddle (2000) agreed that educators were responsible for preparing
students for general skills, while Atkins (1999) suggested that education is not the end-all and that
the focus should be on making students lifelong learners. While there are differing views on the
intent of technical education, one emergent theme appears to surface; to an extent degree, technical
education should prepare students for future employment (Cole & Thompson, 2002).
Employers depend on educators to provide job-ready and training-ready entry-level employees from
craftsmen turned out from the institutions (Carnevale, 2001).
A craftsman is an artisan who practices a handicraft or trade (Dunne, 2005). Rawlins
(2000) stated that craftsman often undervalue the need to possess transferable skills. Instead, they
deem that mastery of disciplinary content is more important than transferable skills to employers.
Some artisan learns their skill through apprenticeship training and such lack the necessary
theoretical background that will enable them come with solution to challenges. This group is
considered unqualified craftsmen even though they may be employed as one. Employers desire
craftsman who can think on their feet and determine ways to accomplish tasks. Schmidt (1999)
stated that graduates entering the workplace must solve complex, multidisciplinary problems, work
successfully in teams, exhibit effective oral and written communication skills, and practice good
interpersonal skills. Billing (2003) stated that the work skill needs most desired by employers were
those that are transferable to a variety of situations; specifically the skills on “problem solving,
communication, self management, and critical thinking. Robinson (2000) stated that these
transferable, work skills are considered very basic and generic in nature and should assist every
person entering the workforce.
Communication skills as described by Commonwealth of Australia (2006) as those skills
that contributes to productive and harmonious relations between employees, employers and
customers. Communication skills are the most prevalent of all the employability skills. This is
because speaking, listening, reading and/or writing are central to all work practices and there are
very few examples of units of competency which do not contain at least some aspects of
communication. Effective communication is essential for the delivery of high quality, safe working
environment. Communication failures are an extremely common cause of inadvertent problem in
working environment. The complexity of Industrial activities, coupled with the inherent limitations
of human performance, make it critically important that welding and fabrication technicians have
standardised communication tools, create an environment in which individuals can speak up and
express concerns, and share common "critical language" to alert team members to unsafe
situations.
Self-management skills are those skills that contribute to employee satisfaction and growth.
Self-management refers to an individual’s ability to manage himself in relation to the outcomes
expected of their work role (Commonwealth of Australia, 2006). This skill comprises the ability to
learn new things, ability to work with others no matter their sex, age and race and ability to
manage one’s time. Worker self-management is a form of workplace decision-making in which the
workers themselves agree on choices (for issues like customer care, general production methods,
scheduling, division of labour etc.) instead of an owner or traditional supervisor telling workers
what to do, how to do it and where to do it. Workers self management is often the decision making
model used in cooperative economic arrangements, such as workers cooperative, workers’ council,
participatory economics, and similar arrangements where the work place operate without a boss.
However, as seen in real-world examples, only large-scale decisions are made by all employees
during council meetings and small decisions are made by those implementing them while
coordinating with the rest and following more general agreements.
Problem solving skills is one of the higher order thinking skills demanded by industries.
They are skills that contribute to the employees’, employers’ and the industries’ growth and
competitiveness in the global world. The Commonwealth of Australia (2006) stated that graduates
should be able to prioritize, and solve problems individually or in groups, make decision on the
basis of a thorough assessment of the short- and long-term effects of decisions and the ability to
conceptualize the future of the company and provide innovative paths for the company to follow.
While categorising the skills Billing describe Problem solving skills as the ability of the crafts men to
find a way in dealing successfully with difficulty as they arise in the course of work.
Critical thinking is the intellectual process of analysing, evaluating and synthesising
observations or assertions. Also Critical thinking could be describe as the ability to not just
describe something or accept perceived wisdom, but develop a conceptual understanding of what
happens and transfer that to different situations. Maxwell (2001) posits that, Critical thinking can
be described in engineering as a means to give problem-solving wings. It means not just accepting
what you are told but a willingness to question it, to think it through for yourself by reflecting on
the content. Soft skills are not usually considered in the design of technical colleges’ curriculum,
the curriculum merely spells out the technical activities involved in the successful operation and
carrying out the finish product safely. Though as important as the core skill is, the soft skills carry
the craftsmen through a successful relationship with colleagues and customers.
The National Skills Task Force and associated research studies (2005) make the
distinction between skills shortage vacancies (those due to applicants’ lacking required skills,
work experience or qualifications) and internal skills gaps (inadequate proficiency levels within
a company’s workforce). These in turn show as hard to fill vacancies which may be taken as
evidence of a mismatch in skills supply and demand and are perceived by employers as closely
related to levels of formal qualifications. Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA)
(2005) reported a general lack of applicants and dissatisfaction with existing skills levels. Fifty-
four percent of metal work employers points to a lack of applicants with the right skills,
although often with suitable experience and qualifications – a more substantial lack of
applicants than in other industries. NECA noted that applicants for skilled craft jobs lack
technical, practical and customer service skills, implying that businesses are making do with
inadequately skilled labour. The Employer Skills Survey (2002) reports that over three quarters
of companies have difficulties in meeting customer service standards as a result of recruitment
problems. Successful teaching and learning require the application of the best pedagogy and
practice and an appreciation of the work skills needs of craftsmen as perceived by related
industries to the trade. This will enable the graduate to be employable because their skills will
match those demanded by the industry.
Statement of the Problem
Today’s workplace demands high performance employees in technical fields one of which
is fabrication and welding related industries, but many applicants do not even possess the skills
necessary for entry level positions due to a skills gap occurring in society (Shivpuri and Kim,
2004). This skills gap is noticeable with most trades offered in technical colleges, among which is
fabrication and welding craft practice. The craftsmen are not equipped with the desired skills
needed to be successful in the industry (Aina 2000). Employers believe technical education is
failing by not adequately developing the work skill needs of craftsmen (Evers, 1998). In essence,
craftsmen need to be more creative and social in the workplace (Brown, 2003). Brown concluded
that employers often state that fabrication and welding craftsmen are not being properly prepared
for industry jobs.
The continual production of welding and fabrication graduates in technical colleges and its
consequential continuous unemployment of the product (technical college graduate) is a major
source of worry to all stakeholders. Specifically, Okoro (2001) observed that there are large
number of unemployed technical college graduates either roaming the street or engage in Okada
riding business thus, abandoning their basic trades of graduation. The underlying factor of these
unemployment problems is described as the unemployable nature of these craftsmen (Ogwo,
2004).
Consequently, there is need to determine the work skill needs of fabrication and welding craftsmen as
perceived by related industries, so that students would be adequately equipped with such work skills.
Technical education programme is a very expensive one; such education for students who acquired skills
that are unable to help them obtain employment in the world of work or effectively go into self-
employment is wasteful and should be discontinued (Okoro, 1999). The problem of this study therefore
is that the needed work skills by the industry are not known by both the technical college educators and
their students
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to determine the work skill needs of fabrication and welding craftsmen
as perceived by related industries in Kaduna state. Specifically the study is designed to determine
the:
1. Problem solving skill required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related
industries.
2. Communication skill required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related
industries.
3. Self management skill required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related
industries.
4. Critical thinking skill required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related
industries.
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be of immersed benefit in such a way that it will assist the students,
graduates and employers of labour to become aware of the employability skills required to gain
and retain employment. If the determined skills are included in the technical colleges’ curriculum;
It will help the students when they graduate to meet the demands of the industry and be successful
in the world of work. It is expected that the findings will help in the training of competent
craftsmen who can face the challenges of the world of work occasioned by technological
advancement. The problem solving skill to be identified will avail the student opportunity to
benefit immensely from this study as they will become aware of the current development and skill
needs required in the modern workplace when the findings of this study is published.
The communication skill required to be identified also will be of benefit to the working graduate
craftsmen as it will avail them the opportunity to asses and evaluate themselves in the level of
attainment of the required employability skills required of them in their various workplaces. These
will motivate them to see the need for in-service training and education for the development of
these skills in order to improve their productivity and also provide a platform for greater job
satisfaction.The study will be of immense benefit to the technical teachers in the technical colleges. The
findings of work skill needs of fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived by related
industries identified by this study would hopefully provide information to the technical teachers
teaching fabrication and welding. The study will x-ray a wide range of skill needs of fabrication
and welding by the industry. This will help the teachers to infuse those skills in their teaching
especially as most of work skills are not subject oriented. But a veteran teacher can design a lesson
to inculcate such skills.
The results of this research study will be beneficial to the Curriculum Planners and the
Government. This will provide them with the needed information about the existing gap between
the graduates expected non-technical competences and knowledge required for employment.
Thereby providing a base for improvement in the curriculum of fabrication and welding craftsmen
in the technical college and other higher educational institution in order to make them consistent
and relevant with the industrial needs in the modern workplace. The Government will see the need
to provide the needed resources for the acquisition of the needed non-technical and technical skills
required for employment by graduates.
The society at large will finally stand to benefit from the findings of this study if the identified
skills are then included in the technical college curriculum. The kind of human resources that will
be enterprising and productive in the society will be produced. The socioeconomic life of the
society will improve as graduates will be able to face the present and future challenges in the world
of work. This would assist in reducing some social vices and other criminal activities, which
results from graduate unemployment and idleness.
Research Questions
1. What are the problem solving skills required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived
by related industries?
2. What are the communication skills required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived
by related industries?
3. What are the self management skills required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived
by related industries?
4. What are the critical thinking skills required by fabrication and welding craftsmen as perceived
by related industries?
Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses which will be tested at 0.05 levels of significance are formulated to
guide this study:
H0 1 : There is no significant difference in the mean responses of industrial supervisor and
craftsmen on the problems solving skill required of fabrication and welding
craftsmen as perceived by related industries.
H0 2 : There is no significant difference in the mean responses of industrial supervisor and
craftsmen on the communication skill of fabrication and welding craftsmen as
perceived by related industries.
H0 3 : There is no significant difference in the mean responses of industrial supervisor
and craftsmen on self management skill needed by welding and fabrication craftsmen.
H0 4 : There is no significance difference in the mean responses of qualified and less qualified
industrial worker on the critical thinking skill needed by fabrication and welding
craftsmen as perceived by related industries.
Delimitation of the Study
Work skills needed by industries include both hard and soft skills. Hard skills are technical
skills specific and peculiar to a trade, e.g. welding and fabrication. While soft skills are those skills
that enable technical skills utilized in solving everyday problem as such arise in ones chosen
occupation. This study concentrated on the soft work skills which include problem solving,
communication, self management and critical thinking skills. The study did not cover technical
skills needed by welding and fabrication craftsmen as perceived by the industry.