Career education: An effective tool or curbing youth unemployment in Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine career education as an effective tool for curbing youth unemployment. Specifically, this study determined: the effect of unemployment on national development, challenges facing career education in schools and the benefits of career education towards curbing youth unemployment. Three research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated and tested to guide the study at 0.05 level of significance. The descriptive survey design was used and the population for this study was made up of technical and vocational educators in the Niger State College of Education Minna. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analysed using mean and t-test. The findings revealed that career education helps labour markets work to meet their goals, the effects of unemployment on national security are high wave of crime, robbery, political assassinations, religious riots, among youths and the challenges facing career guidance in schools is inadequate career resource centre, inadequate time for guidance and counselling. The following recommendations are hereby proffered among others, are: career guidance services should be made compulsory and provided for all levels of education to help students in making realistic career choices; the roles, responsibilities, and ethical obligations of employees in the industry should be adequately communicated to the students during training by focusing on career education.