The Impacts of Vocational and Technical Education Programmes on the Empowerment of Rural Dwellers in South-South, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the impacts of vocational and technical education programmes as a positive instrument for the empowerment of rural dwellers in South-South, Nigeria. It was predicated on the assumption that vocational and technical education acquisition is closely related to economic empowerment of the rural populace. This programme as well as the curriculum could be designed to take care of the needs of the learners in order to acquire skills necessary for employment, self-reliance and economic development. The acquisition of these vocational skills will greatly help to empower and transform man into a self-reliant person and make him economically viable. This economic empowerment will greatly help to curb or ameliorate the incidence of youth restiveness, kidnapping, militancy and other social vices that are prevalent in South-South, Nigeria. Hence, it is recommended among other things, that government, private organizations and NGOs should adequately support the funding of vocational and technical education programmes, more qualified facilitators and instructors should be trained, more training schools should be built, youths should be motivated to enroll in the programmes by giving them adequate stipends. DOI:10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n3p233