SKILLS GAP IN LABOUR MARKET: IMPLICATION FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

The study investigated skills gap in the Labour Market: Implication for Vocational Education Students. The purpose of the study was to examine the skills gap existing in the labour market and also determine the role of Vocational Education in minimising the skill gaps in the labour market. The descriptive research of the survey type was adopted for the study. The population of the study was all the students in the department of Vocational and Technical Education in Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. The sample for the study was 100 students in the Department of Vocational and Technical Education (40 students from Library and Information Science, 50 Students from Business Education, Four (4) Students from Agriculture Education, and two (2) Students from Technical Education) which were randomly selected from the Department of Vocational and Technical Education. The instrument for the study was questionnaire which used to collect data. The face and content validity of the instrument was ascertained by expert in Business Education, Test and Measurement and the Supervisor. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency of simple percentage.The research questions were answered using descriptive statistics such as percentage and frequency counts. The findings of the study revealed that Skills gap greatly hinders an establishment innovation and creativity among the staff. The findings also revealed that Skills gaps leads to decrease in productivity within an organizations or establishment. It was suggested based on the findings of the study that Vocational Education curriculum should be tailored towards skill acquisition and give room for students to put into practice all that they have been taughtwhile in school. The skill gaps in the labour market will be reduced to the bearest minimum cause students will acquire the skills that are relevant in the labour market