The Role of University-Industry Linkage in Creating a Functional Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria

JOVES (Journal of Vocational Education Studies) VOL 6, No. 1, 2023, pp. 125-137 pISSN: 2614-7483 pISSN: 2614-7475 https://doi.org/10.12928/joves.v6i1.7233 The Role of University-Industry Linkage in Creating a Functional Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria 1 Nnaemeka M. Agbo*, 2Francisca N. Nnajiofor Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria. Email: 1 *,2 * Correspondence author ARTICLE INFO Article history Received Jan 03, 2023 Revised May 13, 2023 Accepted May 30, 2023 ABSTRACT This study was on the role of university-industry linkage in creating a functional technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Nigeria. The study specifically looked into the concept of TVET, types of university-industry linkage, reasons for university-industry Keywords University linkage, current status of university-industry linkage, challenges Industry mitigating university-industry linkage, strategies for effective Linkage university-industry linkage in the universities and the role of viable Technical and Vocational Education and Training university-industry linkage in creating a functional technical and vocational education and training. It was noted that in order to build a viable linkage between the universities and the industries, legislators at both federal and state levels need to come up with laws and policies that will foster university-industry linkage with clear implementation strategies, compulsory periodic internship for both lecturers and students, integration of professionals from the industries in the TVET curricula planning and implementation processes. It was concluded that when a strong linkage is established between the universities and industries, TVET will receive the dividends and as such be made functional and effective. This is an open access article under the CC–BY-SA license. 125 JOVES Vol 6. No.1 May 2023 p. 125-137 Introduction In recent time, there has been emphasis on the shift from resource based economy to knowledge based economy in developing countries such as Nigeria. Knowledge based economy is a kind of economy that is knowledge-driven. Knowledge is a pivotal driver of economic growth and development in a country. Highly technologically developed countries in the world invest so much in technological innovation through academia-industry collaboration. Several inventions in the industry drew from academic researches and consequent fundamental innovations in the various higher institutions. For instance, Obanor and Kwasi-Effah (2012) observed that the new networking concepts in electronics and communication provided the framework for the internet world wide web and ecommerce. Skills and knowledge transfer between industry and university come in different ways such as direct hires of students, graduates, temporary exchanges of researchers, university/faculty consultancies, joint research involving industry and academia, industrysponsored research, contracts and grants, a variety of institutional mechanisms at universities (e.g., research centers, consortia, and industrial liaison programs), publications, conferences, and short courses (Murray & O'Mahony in Obanor, & Kwasi-Effah, 2013). It is important to note that, a country can only be technologically developed and innovative to the extent of her technology transfer between its local university and industry. Nigeria industries may be perceived to constitute a major source of internal brain drain by demanding so little of her workforce from graduates of indigenous universities. This is because technology is only transferred from developed countries and not necessarily from our indigenous universities. This situation has a far reaching implication for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions as well as the industry. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a trade-based education that is viable enough to curb the menace of unemployment and create wealth. As a skill-based discipline, Technical and Vocational Education and Training is designed to equip those who are trained thereby to possess certain skills and attitudes that give them leverage of employment and self-reliance in the world of work (Agbo, 2019). However, this lofty goal has remained a mirage. The questionable quality of graduates from Nigeria institutions of higher learning has been a serious concern to employers of labour, as little or no value is placed on the skills and attitudes possessed by these graduates. The result is that multinational and indigenous industries in Nigeria prefer hiring expatriates to that of the graduates of the Nigeria higher institutions. In cases where these industries hires the graduates of the Nigeria institution, they are often sent for retraining due to lack of requisite skills and attitudes required to fit into the work environment. Trainings and retraining of this nature is usually capital intensive. Hence the preference for expatriates and graduates from foreign universities whose skills are found compatible with the skills needed in such industries. This The Role of University-Industry Linkage …(agbo, et al) 126 JOVES Vol 6. No.1 May 2023 p. 125-137 lacuna is the major cause of unemployment among TVET graduates in Nigeria. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was introduced majorly to address unemployment. TVET is meant to equip learners with skills, knowledge and to enable them become productive members of the society and the world of work upon graduation. To achieve this, the training environment must be comparable to the work environment the learners will work upon graduation (Prosser & Allen, 1925). However, Agbo (2016) opined that the training institutions have failed to comply with this popular vocational education theory. This has a grave implication for the industry since skilled personnel trained and nurtured by the TVET institutions are meant to feed the various industries in Nigeria among others. In Nigeria today, available records show that there is critically weak or no linkage between TVET institutions and industries. The result of this is the obvious differentials between the skills needed in industries and the skills taught in TVET institutions. It is against this backdrop that the Federal Government of Nigeria saddled the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) with the responsibility of establishing and running Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme, SIWES (Aroge, 2012). The SIWES is meant to provide opportunity to students of TVET institutions and other related disciplines to acquire certain vital skills in the industry to match the discrepancies between classroom experiences and the world of work. However, what appears unfortunate is that currently SIWES has turned to become a mere routine in Nigeria. The difficulty students’ encounter continually in securing placement for their SIWES is very disheartening. The effect is that so many students secure placement in industries t (...truncated)