IMPACT OF OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS ACQUISITION IN REDUCTION OF UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG ALL POLYTECHNIC GRADUATING SOUNTHWEST, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT The panacea to youth unemployment and restiveness among OTM graduates and graduating students demands adequate possession of relevant competencies skills, knowledge and experience that would make them employer of labour and self-reliance. It is against this backdrop that this study tends to investigate the impact of office technology and management skills acquisition in reduction of unemployment among polytechnic students in Ekiti State. Federal Polytechnic, Ado was selected. Three research questions guided the study. The population of the study consist of sixtygraduating students from Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti. Fifty two graduating students were randomly selected constitutes the sample size used for the study. Krejcjie and Morgan (1970) table was used to select the respondents. The findings revealed that employability skills that would make its graduates to be self-reliance domicile in OTM programme. Also it was revealed that, those students that graduated in OTM Programme have set up their own business and successful and also employer oflabour. The finding also showed that, there are many employability competencies and skills in OTM Programme among which are desktop publishing skills, web design skills information and communication technology skills among others. Based on the findings, it was recommended that emphasis should be laid on the provision of modern infrastructures, digital facilities and office equipment, conducive environment with good network roads and internet connectivity in all the institutions offering OTM programme for conducive learning environment for the programme. Hence funds should be made available for adequate training and retraining of lecturers in OTM programme for enhanced instructional delivery. Keyword: Office Technology and Management, Skills Acquisition, Unemploymentand Polytechnic Students.