STRATEGIES FOR ENSURING EFFECTIVE SCHOOL-INDUSRIAL COLLABORATION FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 21ST CENTURY OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT STUDENTS

Abstract

Office Technology and management is an area of study offered in Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Staff Training Centers in Nigeria; and it is aimed at producing personnel who, after successful training can offer secretarial and management services with high level degree of competence bequeathed to the classroom and the office.  It perturbs the researchers that OTM graduates still find it difficult to secure employment after graduation and ended up joining the long queue of unemployed graduates because they lack the skills needed for employment by the workplace.  This study investigated the strategies for ensuring effective school-industrial collaboration for the production of 21^st century Office Technology and Management Students. . The design of the study was survey. Research question was raised for the study. An instrument which consisted of 31 items was distributed to 30 respondents in the two polytechnics located in Kaduna State. Frequency and descriptive statistics were used in analyzing the data. The findings of the study revealed, among others, that they are compliant among industries and that  graduates of our institutions today are half backed, lacking the skills required for employment and that they need  retraining for employment.  The study went further to outline strategies needed for effective school industrial collaboration to include, organising Workshops/seminars by industries for students, Also challenges to effective school industrial collaboration like inadequate   Grants from government for school industry collaboration  amongst others were outlines  Conclusions were drawn and it was recommended amongst others that schools should create enabling environment for school industrial collaboration.