Factors Militating the Effective Production of Construction Crafts Skills by Vocational/Technical Schools

Abstract

Skills have been one of the most important issues in the construction industry, and since the recent decline in the interest of the youth in construction craft skills, there is pressing need to explore other means of construction craft skill production.  This research work assessed factors militating the effective production of construction crafts skills by vocational/technical schools using South-East, Nigeria as a case study. The research was pursued using a structured questionnaire administered to the registered to the one hundred and ninety (190) teaching staff in the Vocational schools with one hundred and forty (140) returned adequately filled giving a percentage responds of 73.7%.  Data from the respondents were analyzed using SPSS version 19.0.  and presented using mean and Relative Importance Index (RII) to establish the order of severity. The result revealed among others that; poor funding of vocational/technical schools as the major factors militating against effective production and supply of competent skills in the study area. Other major factors arranged in their order of severity are as follows:  Lack of workable/effective training framework; ‘Lack of training facilities and ‘Shortage of qualified TVET teachers’. Therefore, it is recommended that Government should empower vocational training institutes, provide adequate funding, and provide sufficient facilities in the vocational school so as to ensure adequate production of construction craft skills.