MARKETING SKILLS AND EMPLOYMENT POTENTIALS OF JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

It is not in doubt that the standard of education has fallen such that young school leavers cannot get employment or create jobs for themselves. This is because they lack entrepreneurial skills. The study examined the integration of marketing skills into school curriculum and employment potentials of junior secondary school students in Delta State. The study addressed one objective, one research question and tested one hypothesis. The study reviewed related literature; the study was underpinned by Schumpeter’s Innovation Theory. The study adopted a correlational design; the population of the study comprised of the entire 613 public junior secondary schools in Delta State. The instrument for data collection was a self-designed questionnaire, it was validated by some experts in department of business education, and the reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha reliability test method. Mean and Standard Deviation statistics was used to answer the research questions. The null hypotheses were tested using Linear Regression (ANOVA) with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The result of the study shows that there is a significant relationship between integration of marketing skills into school curriculum and employment potentials of junior secondary school students in Delta State. In line with the findings, it was concluded that apart from introducing entrepreneurship education as a compulsory subject in the school particularly at the secondary and tertiary level, there is the need to have students exposed to entrepreneurship skills on daily bases and in different guises. Based on the findings and conclusion, the study recommends that; the scope of the education curriculum should be expanded to have more entrepreneurial skill courses in order to lead students through the path of productivity, self-reliant, and job creation; teachers should be mandated to use creative skills content while teaching students. This will foster the spirit of creativity in students and government should provide enabling environment (facilities and equipment) that are necessary for developing entrepreneurial skills in students.