RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TRAINING PACKAGE FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL GRADUATES FOR ECONOMIC SUCCESS IN OIL PALM PRODUCTION ENTERPRISES IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
This study was carried out to develop resource management training package for secondary school graduates for their economic success in oil palm production enterprises. Survey research design was used for the study. The study was carried out in Akwa Ibom State. The population of the study was 702 comprising 306 teachers of agriculture, 68 extension agents, 78 oil palm nursery farmers, 93 plantation workers, 104 palm oil/kernel processors and 53 palm oil/kernel marketers. The sample for this study was 466 respondents made up of 70 teachers of agriculture, 68 extension agents, 93 plantation workers, 104 processors and 53 marketers. A four-set Resource Management Training Questionnaire (RMTQ) was developed from literature reviewed and information obtained from the oil palm industry. The questionnaire items had a 4-points response scale of Highly needed (4), Averagely needed (3) Slightly Needed (2) and Not needed (1). The questionnaire was face-validated by 5 experts. Cronbach’s Alpha method was utilized to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire. The reliability coefficient (r) of 0.71 for nursery, 0.91 for plantation, 0.82 for processing and 0.80 for marketing enterprises were obtained. The researcher and four research assistants administered 466 copies of the questionnaire on the respondents in their various locations. Four hundred and fifty-four (454) copies (97.4% return rate) of the questionnaire were retrieved from the respondents for analysis. The data collected were analyzed using weighted mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings from the study revealed that, Resource management training skills on 5 modules with their 155 corresponding skill items in oil palm nursery, 5 modules with their 106 corresponding skill items for oil palm plantation, 5 modules with their 102 corresponding skill items for oil palm /kernel processing and 5 modules with their 88 corresponding skill items for palm oil/kernel marketing were needed by secondary school graduates for their economic success in the four oil palm production enterprises. There was no significant difference in the mean ratings of the responses of teachers, extension agents and the four groups of entrepreneurs in oil palm production industry, on the resource management training skills needed by secondary school graduates for economic success in oil palm nursery, plantation, processing, and marketing enterprises respectively. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that the resource management skills identified and packaged on each enterprise be integrated into skill acquisition centres for training secondary school graduates and other unemployed youths for employment in the oil palm production industry.