Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Despite increased enrollment in higher education, many graduates still lack the practical skills, problem-solving abilities, technological competency, and entrepreneurial capacity required by the contemporary labour market a gap that that prioritise theoretical knowledge over practical application. This study examined the level of skill acquisition among undergraduates in public universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 59,312 undergraduates from public universities in Ogun State with a sample of 1,190 undergraduate using proportionate stratified sampling technique. Data were collected using the Skill Acquisition Questionnaire (SAQ) with reliability coefficient ɑ = .912. Findings revealed that undergraduate students possess; a high level of technical skill (X = 3.09), a high level of business management skill (X = 3.16), a high level of soft skill (X = 3.17), a high level of experiential learning skill (X = 3.21), and a high level of continuous learning skill (X = 3.12). It was concluded that undergraduates possess strong skill readiness, though gaps remain in industry-standard softwares and internship exposure. The study recommended among others that universities should strengthen structured technical skill development programme through industry partnership.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.7256181
Institution: Tai Solarin University of Education
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7160636205
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