International Journal of Educational Research and Development Vol. 3(1), pp. 001-005, January 2014 ISSN 2327-316X ©2014 Academe Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Empowering the youths for sustainable national development through vocational education in South West Nigeria

Bimbola Kemi Odu¹, Ayodele, Christian Junior² and Adedayo, Julius Olugbenga³*

¹Department of Guidance and Counseling, Faculty of Education, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

²Institute of Education, Faculty of Education, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

³Department of Curriculum Studies, Faculty of Education, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: j.oludayo@yahoo.com.

Accepted 12 December, 2013

Abstract

This study investigated empowering the youths for sustainable national development through vocational education in South West zone of Nigeria. Three hypotheses were generated. The research design used for the study was the descriptive research design of the survey type. One thousand two hundred youths were selected through stratified random sampling technique from three randomly selected states in the zone. The research instrument used was a self-constructed instrument titled “Youth Empowerment and National Development Inventory” (YENDI). Face and content validities of the instrument were ensured and the reliability of the instrument was established at a value of 0.70 using the test re-test reliability method. The inferential statistical technique used for the data analysis in the study was Pearson Moment Correlation analysis. The result of the analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between capacity building (empowerment) and human capital formation; again, it was found that a strong correlation existed between capacity building and youth employability. It was further revealed that there was significant linkage between capacity building (empowerment) and social exclusion in South West Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended (among others) that vocational education must necessarily be central to any meaningful youth policy for human capital formation.

Key words: Capacity building, empowerment, national development, vocational education.