Leveraging Digital Technologies to Transform Industrial Technology Education in South-East Nigerian Universities for Youth Employment

Résumé

This study focused on leveraging digital technologies to transform Industrial Technology Education in South-East Nigerian Universities for youth employment. The population of this study consisted of 86 lecturers in the Department of Industrial Technology Education in Universities in South-East Nigeria. Proportional Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. A sample size of 43 lecturers was selected, consisting of 25 males and 18 females. A 22-item questionnaire titled Leveraging Digital Technologies to Transform Industrial Technology Education in South-East Universities in Nigeria for Youth Employment (LDTTITESUNYE), structured in a four-point rating scale was used for data collection. The instrument for the study was face-validated by three experts: two from the Department of Industrial Technology Education and one lecturer from Science Education (Measurement and Evaluation) Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State. The reliability of the instrument was estimated through trial testing by administering the questionnaire to five male and three female ITE lecturers in the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The Cronbach Alpha Coefficient was used to determine the internal consistency of each set of items, which yielded a reliability coefficient of .87. The data collected was analysed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. The result revealed that the respondents agreed with all items, with mean scores ranging from 2.74 to 3.81. This shows that the mean value of each item was above the cut-off point of 2.50 and t-test was used to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. Findings revealed that by integrating digital tools, simulations and online platforms, Universities can provide students with practical skills, industry-relevant knowledge and increase competitiveness in the job market. Based on the findings of this study. It was recommended among others that the National Universities Commission (NUC) should review and update Industrial Technology Education Curricula to include digital competencies such as CAD, simulation and automation. Universities should be equipped with modern digital tools, software and laboratories to enhance practical learning experiences.