Vocational and Technical Education Journal

This study determined the employability skills required by business education graduates for effective administration of modern offices in Enugu State. Two research questions guided the study. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The population for the study was 260, made up of 140 postgraduate students from Department of Business Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and 120 postgraduate students from Department of Business Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu. The instrument used for data collection was structured questionnaire designed by the researchers. The questionnaire was validated by three experts while the internal consistency of the questionnaire items was ascertained through Cronbach Alpha technique which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.89. The questionnaire was administered personally by the researchers. A total of 260 copies of questionnaire were administered and 255 copies were retrieved given a return rate of (98%), analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The study found that the ability to identify, recognize and define problem and critically analyse situation before taking decision were decision making skills required, the ability to analyze a problem and find its causes were required, ability to set realistic and attainable goals and learning new task in order to solve a problem were problem solving skills required by business education graduates among others. The researchers recommended that on-the-job training opportunities should be provided to the students by the institutions. This is to ensure that relevant industries and institutions collaborate to enable students learn actual task required in the work place. The researchers recommended also that the government through education policy should ensure that the curriculum planners include in academic programmes of business education such courses that would enable undergraduates acquire skills in decision making, problem solving, creative thinking, and management before graduation.

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