Abstract:
This study is focused on the identification of skills required by secondary school graduates for success in yam production and processing enterprise in Anambra State. Six research questions were posed in conformity with the purpose of the study. Six null hypotheses were formulated and tested 0.05 level of significance at relevant degree of freedom. The study made use of survey research design. The structured questionnaire were generated from the literature reviewed for the study. The questionnaires was face validated by three experts, one from Department of Crop Science, and two from Department of Vocational Teacher Education, university of Nigeria Nsukka. The reliability coefficient of the instrument were determined using product moment correlation co-efficient. The reliability for the instrument was 0.81. The data was collected from 200 Agricultural Science Teachers and 82 Extension workers in Anambra State. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while the t-test statistic was used in testing the hypotheses. The findings revealed that nine (9) skills were required in planning for yam production eighteen (18) skills were required in planting of yam, fourteen (14) skills were required in management of yam field. Ten (10) skills were required in harvesting and storage fifty four (54) skills were required in processing of yam into various forms and nine (9) skills were required in marketing of yam and yam products.
The result of the null hypotheses tested revealed that there was no significant differences in the mean rating of of the groups of respondents on skills required by Agricultural Science teachers and Extension Agents for Success in yam production and processing enterprises.
It was recommended that the identified skills in this study should be packaged by the government and integrated into the programmes of skills acquisition centers where it could be used for training interested unemployed youths in yam production and processing.
