RESOURCES FACTORS, SUPPLY OF SKILLS AND SKILLS DEMANDED BY EMPLOYERS OF LABOUR AMONG PRIVATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATES IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Skill is any personal characteristic that is a product of value and can be augmented through some forms of investment. However, despite the importance of Skills Demanded (SD) (new technologies, managers‘ strategies, associated ways of organising works and rising in equality) to economic productivity, there have been complaints of inadequacy of these skills in university graduates especially among private university graduates in Nigeria. Extant studies paid more attention to skills supplied in relation to employability, skills-mismatch, employers‘ satisfaction and skill gap assessment than SD by employers of labour among public university graduates. This study, therefore, was carried out to investigate resource factors (academic staff profile, accessibility and availability of ICT facility), supply of skills (analytical, creative, collaborative and communication) and SD by employers of labour among private university graduates in southwestern Nigeria. The study was anchored to Campbell Theory of Job Performance, while the survey design of ex-post facto type was used. The multistage sampling procedure was adopted. Ten private universities (Babcock, Bowen, Covenant, Redeemers, Ajayi Crowther, Lead City, Crescent, Joseph Ayo Babalola, Caleb and Wesley University of Science and Technology) were purposively selected based on student enrolment of more than 300 in a session. Seventy percent of the faculties common to each university were selected through purposive sampling technique making 55 faculties, while 173 Heads of Departments in the sampled faculties were enumerated. Twenty-two Human Resource Managers from key sectors of the economy were purposively sampled (Communication–2; Banking–4; Education–4; Health–3; Judiciary–3; Manufacturing/Construction–3 and Agriculture–3). The instruments used were Skills Demanded by Employers and Graduates Assessment (r=0.89); Resource Factor in Private Universities (r=0.81) and Skills Supply in Private Universities (r=0.79) questionnaires. Indepth interviews were held with the seven most experienced employers of labour across the selected sectors. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation and Multiple regression at 0.05 level of significance, while qualitative data were content-analysed. Private universities meet the benchmark of National Universities Commissions in terms of number of academic staff, availability and accessibility of ICT. The distribution of SD as required by employers based on analytical, creative and collaborative skills was found to be higher than the supply (3.43>2.89; 3.18>2.93 and 3.16>2.90) respectively, while communication skill was at equilibrium where demand equals supply (3.5). There was a significant difference in SD by employers in different sectors of the economy (F(6,15)=27.08; η2=0.04). There were positive significant relationships of academic staff profile (r=0.206), accessibility of ICT (r=0.142) and supply of skills (r=0.11) with SD. Resource factors and skills supply by private universities jointly contributed to SD (F(4,18) = 176.07; Adj. R2=0.64), accounting for 64.0% of its variance. Academic staff profile (β=0.55) and availability of ICT (β=0.35) relatively contributed to SD. There were complaints that private university graduates lacked managerial strategies and skills associated with organising things.x Academic staff profile, availability of ICT and skills supply in private universities enhanced skill demanded among graduates in southwestern Nigeria. Private universities should therefore infuse these skills into their curricula.