IMPACT OF BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN CREATING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Ama 1986 in oduma 2006 defined business education as that education which prepares students for entry and or placement in jobs within business, and prepares them to handle their own business affairs and function intelligently as consumer and citizens in a business economy.

Business education is any profit oriented activity that is geared towards the production of goods and services for the satisfaction of human want. It can also be seen as business education for and about business. It is education for business when one is preparing for the vocation that is preparing for the real world of work after graduation while business education about business is that individual having the general knowledge about business, without working with it but to be a rational consumer. Business education is a oriented specialized aspect of vocational course, aimed at preparing youths for jobs in bookkeeping and accounting occupations, office occupations which includes word processing, secretarial occupations, general and clerical occupations and general marketing occupation. It is therefore a vocation designed to develop special competencies in marketable business skills and techniques.

The general objective of business education according to Osuala 1999 is to develop skills, knowledge and competencies in the student for the world of work by developing basic awareness of the contribution which business and office employees make to the nations economic system, improving personal qualification and building attitudes necessary for adjustment to personal and employment situations, developing the abilities of students to their maximum and by guiding individuals for suitable placement in business and office employment. It provide for good citizenship through preparation to become an intelligent and productive wageearner, promote an understanding of our economic system through developing a better understanding of free enterprise and the world of business, it provides a broad and varied programme of general and specialized education which helps to meet the needs of all students.

The national policy on education 2004 accept that business education have done much and that government has recognized the importance of business education and the need to relate its programme to the requirement of commerce and industry. It simply means that opportunities for creating employment in business education is much. The problem that surround Nigeria cities has its root in unemployment, poverty and lack of job creating opportunities.

Unemployment is a situation whereby the individuals are willing and are able to work but could not find a better paid job. It is an involuntary idleness, despite the persons ability and willingness to work, and it is as a result of this ugly situation that brought about the study of business education in todays school curriculum, and this in essence help to bridge the gap of unemployment in the country, since it is a vocational course that gives the recipients the basic skills and occupational competencies that will enable them gain useful employment of individual in the society. The impact of business education programme in creating employment opportunities is possible through the preparation of clerical workers, typist, stenographers, secretaries, computer operators, for entry into the labour force for job creation. There are job opportunities for wealth creation for business education graduates. They work in the offices haven acquired and developed the basic competencies in modern office gadgets in information and communication technology ICT.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Business education is a skill oriented course which prepares the students for labour market in future and has done a lot in impacting knowledge and skills to the student. These knowledge and skills are often hindered during teaching and learning of business education because of some problems, these problems include: Unconducive learning environment, poor equipment and facilities, unavailability of instructional materials, out dated curriculum, and many others which have so much hindered the learning and teaching of business education programme. Therefore, it is as a result of these problems mentioned above that led the researcher to research on this topic which tries to find out the impact of business education programme in creating employment opportunity.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of the study is to find out the impact of business education programme in creating employment opportunities in Ebonyi State. Specifically, the study sought to:

Determine the impact of business education programme in creating employment opportunities in Ebonyi State.

Determine those selfemployed opportunities for the

graduates of business education in Ebonyi State.

Determine the job opportunities available for business education graduates in public sectors in Ebonyi State.

Ascertain the job opportunities available for business education graduates in private sectors in Ebonyi State.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will be of great benefit to a number of government and private parastatals as discussed thus; the study will help in gaining all the necessary assistance that business education recipient are expected to so as to understand better and have the expected competencies in the field. It therefore becomes imperative to those prospective graduant as well as those already in the field because it will expose them on how to create employment opportunities for oneself with out depending on government job.

Similarly, the study will also benefit the department to enrich their library and serves as a research document for students of the same department. The lecturers of the department may also benefit from the study by means of making reference to it in their future supervision of the researcher who uses it as a guide for a better presentation.

The researcher will also be of significant to remove those already existing impressions that have been created in the mind of many others that business education is for those who have become frustrated in life and in particular, that it is a woman course which invariably is a false information.