PREDICTORS OF EMPLOYABILITY AMONG ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN NIGERIA POLYTECHNICS

Polytechnic is one of the Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) institutions in Nigeria. There is therefore, the need for polytechnic engineering students to acquire employability skills that will make them marketable and be gainfully employed and fit into the 21st century workforce. In the face of increasing unemployment partly due to decreasing employability skills of Nigeria polytechnic engineering students, many graduates of Nigeria polytechnic have a dwindled confidence of gain needed employment after graduation. Employability is seen as a construct interrelating to social factors and the individual skills. This study examines predictors of employability among engineering students in Nigerian Polytechnics. Data were obtained from 580 polytechnic engineering students. Simple random sampling was used to select the 5 polytechnics from the north central geopolitical zone of Nigerian, while cluster sampling was implored to solicit data from the students.  The data were analysed statistically using structural equation modelling. The results of the study revealed that Basic job performance skills, self-efficacy and subject understanding had significant effect on employability. Subject understanding having the highest significant effect on employability with the beta (β) loadings of 0.318 making it the most significant predictor of employability followed by basic job performance skills with the beta (β) loadings of 0.298. The last predictor of employability from the study was self-efficacy with the beta (β) loadings of 0.248. Based on the findings, it was suggested that authorities in charge of Nigerian education sector should put in place appropriate policy thrust to enhance delivery of quality education that will facilitate acquisition of skills necessary for employment of polytechnic engineering graduates. Curriculum development in line with the global best practice, including training of academic staffs that could ensure the acquisition of basic job performance skills, subject understanding and self-efficacy of polytechnic engineering students should be put in place.  Future research is suggested to focus on employability of students of other disciplines, including the Nigerian university system.