IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

WORLD JOURNAL OF INNOVATION AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY (WJIMT )

E-ISSN 2504-4766
P-ISSN 2682-5910
VOL. 8 NO. 4 2024
DOI: 10.56201/wjimt.v8.no4.2024.pg170.186

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Competencies Required for OTM Curriculum Implementation for Skills Development

ARIKWANDU, Sympathy Ogechukwu, HABILA, Sunday

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Abstract

This paper discusses the competencies required for OTM Curriculum Implementation for Skills Development. It was necessitated by the fact that despite government policies in the past to address the rising unemployment in the country, they have not come to fruition. Yet, tertiary institutions year in year out continue to graduate thousands of youths whose talents are wasted due to unemployment or underemployment. Government’s directive for all tertiary institutions, irrespective of field of training to teach entrepreneurship with the aim of creating self- employment initiatives seems to have only scratched the surface of the problem. Now, another initiative is in the offing. That is, the National Skill Qualification Framework as an alternative. That is, all Polytechnics have been directed to initiate Institute of Skills Development and Vocational Training (ISDVT). The Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi has already complied with this directive and has set up close the Institute, which in turn has started offering training in close to thirty skill courses in the initial stage of these in the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). Office Technology and Management (OTM) Program is part of this scheme since by its nature it is skill oriented. This work opines that possession of four skills, namely Entrepreneurship, Information and Communication Technology, Technical and Communication Competencies amongst others are must-haves for OTM Lecturers, and would resonate well for Curriculum Implementation. The paper partly recommended that OTM Lecturers should see the need to learn, unlearn and relearn in order to upgrade their competence in their profession.

keywords:

Competencies, Office Technology & Management (OTM), Curriculum

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