MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ELECTRICAL-ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMMES

1.1 Introduction

Measurement is a process by which a judgment about the quality of product or nature is made. Electrical technology deals with machines, tools, devices, and systems in which a current or a flow of electron takes place through conductors and metals. It involves the design and development of high-voltage systems and components such as motors, generators, heaters, electrical power transmission and distribution systems, radio wave and optical systems, converters, and control systems for operating light and heavy machinery (Tom, 2007). Effective management of electrical/electronic equipment in the workshops influences the amount of the time students are engaged in meaningful learning. Toby (2000) also added that students cannot learn skills of their chosen occupation at maximum efficiency with poor and obsolete equipment. Neither will the students develop positive attitudes toward the use of the tools of their trade if the tools in the workshop are badly managed. Electrical / Electronics technology is an aspect of vocational education offered in technical colleges in order to produce Electrical / Electronics craftsmen and technicians (FGN, 2004).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

Electrical technology however, not only involves the design and production of all the electrical systems mentioned, but also the installation, testing and maintenance of these systems. Electrical/electronics craftsmen have the options for wage employment (as skilled labour in the industry) or self-employment (job creation). Wage employment describes a type of employment in which an individual works under someone and obtains salary as compensation.

According to NBTE (2004), electrical technology is an area of specialization in industrial education. It includes such areas as construction, installation, panel building, repairing and rewinding, instrumentation, maintenance and highway electrical systems. Electronics technology as a science deals with the development, behavior, and application of electronic devices and circuit.

Theraja (2001) defined electronics technology as the application of scientific knowledge, the design, selection of materials, construction, operation and maintenance of electronics. According to Grobs and Schultz (2005) electronics technology is concerned with the design, manufacture and application of electron tubes and solid-state devices, transistors and diodes. These devices are found in such diverse applications as home radio, and television, computers, mobile phones, MP3 players, satellite and traffic light. Electronics technology progamme at the technical college provides hands-on training that will prepare an individual to design, build, develop, test, troubleshoot, and manufacture electronic equipment for use in applications such as communications, medical monitoring devices, navigational equipment, machine tool, numerical controls and computers. It also includes a solid grounding in electronics theory complemented by intense hands-on laboratory training that will give a person the confidence to perform at a professional level on the job. Electronics craftsmen and technicians are in demand in small and large companies and virtually all government agencies.

According to Hailu (2012) wage employment includes any salaried or paid job under contract (written or not) to another person, organization or enterprise in both the formal and informal economy. It is an employment situation where the employee receives consistent work and payment from the employer. Individuals can secure wage employment in government establishment, industries, corporate firms, or private owned businesses. In most cases the level of education, training and skills acquired determine the rank or position, income and other benefits of wage employees.

According to Startiene, Remeikene and Dumciuviene (2010) unemployment rate decreases the opportunities for wage employment as well as the expected income from wage employment. Forced by these situations, a person chooses self-employment as an alternative to get away from unemployment. Self-employment also called sole proprietorship contributes immensely toward reduction of unemployment and increases the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Electrical / Electronics are among the various occupations where one acquires adequate skills to be self-reliant.

An occupation is the vocation or economic pursuit of an individual for livelihood. According to Osuala (2004) occupation signifies the nature of one’s work, what one spends working hours doing, what occupies an individual’s time and energy. An occupation can be a trade or profession. While trade requires limited level of skill-training and acquisition, a profession requires more skill-training period. The difference then is on the level of training attained and certificate acquired. Occupation is therefore, a trade, a business, a profession, an activity, or a career in which one acquires skills through training and earns a living through it. Skills in electrical/electronics maintenance can be learnt informally through apprenticeship or formally in the technical colleges. Those that are trained through apprenticeship are called artisans while technical college graduates are the craftsmen. An artisan is a person who does skilled work, making things with their hands.

Bulk (2012) defined an artisan as a skilled worker who practices some sort of trade or handicraft after obtaining training under a master craftsman. It also refers to a product of apprenticeship programme who has been certified as competent to perform a trade. Artisan training is obtainable in vocational centres (FGN, 2004). Emphasis in such centres is usually placed on crafts and cottage industries within the locality. The major distinction between artisans and craftsmen is on the nature of training and certificate acquired. Craftsmen are graduates of technical colleges who have obtained National Technical Certificate/National Business certificate, NTC/NBC (FGN, 2004).

Kenneth and Kelth, (2002) viewed measurement as the process of examining as carefully, thoroughly and objectively as possible an individual, a group of product or programme in order to ascertain strength and weakness. Measurement according to UNESCO (2002) is the systematic process of generating data about traits, projects, activities, performance etc. One way of measurement the effectiveness of electrical/electronic technology programme in technical colleges is through follow-up study. Follow-up study involves contacting graduates of educational programmes after they have been in employment for some time and finds out from them their measurement of the programme of study they passed through (Okoro, 2000). The true state of any educational programme can only be ascertained through measurement. Ede (2010) pointed out that any programme or project that has lasted for more than four years needs to be assessed to find out whether the purpose is being achieved. This therefore calls for the measurement of the effectiveness of electrical/electronic technology programme in Enugu State Technical Colleges.

Therefore, in Enugu State where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Measuring the Effectiveness of Electrical / Electronics Technology Programmes in Enugu State Technical Colleges.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that there is difficulty in effective management and utilization of equipment in the Electrical / Electronics workshop because electrical/electronic technology is almost purely practical field that require tools, equipment and relevant machines for teaching skills to students. The quality of instruction is positively influenced by the manner the equipment in the workshop is managed and utilized.

Many technical college workshops are not well managed. Muhammed (2009) observed that many tools and equipment in the workshop of technical colleges are lost due to improper ways of keeping inventories and inadequate security of the tools. Toby (2000) also added that students cannot learn skills of their chosen occupation at maximum efficiency with poor and obsolete equipment.

Unfortunately, most of the Electrical / Electronics graduates are faced with unemployment. They could not secure job in the industries nor set up their own business in line with the training they received. The current trend is that some of these graduates are seen going into menial jobs such as security in banks and other establishment, bus driving, laundry and car washing businesses among others.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Effectiveness of Electrical / Electronics Technology Programmes in Enugu State Technical Colleges. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To assess the Electrical / Electronics teachers and instructors on the organizing strategies for the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges;
2. To examine the planning strategies for the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges;
3. To determine the strategies for controlling the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges; and
4. To evaluate the Electrical / Electronics teachers and instructors on the coordinating strategies for the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges.

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1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Do Electrical / Electronics teachers and instructors utilize the coordinating strategies for the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges?
• Are there occupations of Electrical / Electronics technology for graduates?
• Are there any significant differences in the income of Electrical / Electronics artisans and craftsmen?
• How many graduates of Electrical / Electronics technology are wage employees, self-employed or unemployed?
• What are reasons for the unemployment of graduates of Electrical / Electronics technology programmes?
• How effective are the management instructors on the organizing strategies of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges?
• What are the planning strategies for the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges?
• What are the strategies for controlling the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There is no significant difference between the mean responses of Electrical / Electronics instructors’ utilization of coordinating strategies for the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges
• H1: There is significant difference between the mean responses of Electrical / Electronics instructors’ utilization of coordinating strategies for the effective management of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges

Hypothesis Two

• H0: The Management instructors are not effective in organizing strategies of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges
• H1: The Management instructors are effective in organizing strategies of Electrical / Electronics equipment in Enugu State Technical Colleges

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1.7 Significance of Study

The research findings of the study will be beneficial to Electrical / Electronics industries where technical college graduates seek for employment upon graduation. Electrical / Electronics graduates will be better equipped with practical skills to perform more effectively and efficiently in their various jobs and assignment in the industries. This will also help the industries to minimize the huge expenditure on retraining of technical college graduates upon employment.

The findings on the occupation, employment status and reasons for unemployment among Electrical / Electronics graduates’ technical colleges will be of immense benefit to prospective researchers who may wish to conduct a study in other area related to educational programmes measurement and evaluation.

This study will also be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Measuring the Effectiveness of Electrical / Electronics Technology Programmes in Enugu State Technical Colleges.

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1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).