WELDING AND FABRICATION SKILLS REQUIRED FOR EMPLOYMENT IN RIVERS STATE.

Abstract

The study was conducted on welding and fabrication skills for employment in Rivers state. A survey research design was adopted, the respondents for the study consist of 15 teachers of metalwork technology department in government technical colleges and 20 welders, making a total population 35. A structured questionnaire with six sections (A-F) was used as instrument for data collection comprising 60 items. The instrument was pilot tested on 15 respondents who were not part of the sample for the study after being subjected to face validation by three experts. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was calculated to be 0.85. Five research questions and five null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. The mean scores were used to answer the research question while t-test statistics were employed to test the hypotheses. Among other findings skills in gas welding can provide employment for the unemployed, forge welding skills when acquired will be able to secure employment for individuals, skills in resistance welding can also provide employment opportunity individuals, arc welding skills guarantees the individual employment opportunity either in the companies or self employed and under water skills in an individual can provide good employment opportunities for the individual. Based on these findings recommendations were made among others that government should establish training centres in the area of skill required e.g. the underwater welding, skilled and qualified welding and fabrication teachers should be employed to give the real skill to students, schools should liaise with companies on practical training for the students needed skills by the companies around should always be identified and such skill area should be immediately be given to the youths in training, underwater welding should be introduced into the curriculum of metal work technology and government should equip metal work department with modern equipment and facilities for training and acquisition of skills. Suggestion were also made for further study.

Background of the Study

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

The problems of employment have become a central global concern in recent times. This makes nearly all the governments and development partners to be fully engaged in finding a lasting  solution to the problems. Technical and  Vocational Education as the  foundation of nation’s wealth and development, becomes a ground of take off. Technical and Vocational education is meant to produce semi-skilled, skilled and technical manpower necessary to restore, revitalize, energize, operate and sustain the national economy and substantially reduce unemployment. Technical and Vocational Education according to   FGN (2004) is a form of education involving, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life. This presupposes that technical and vocational education can respond to the different socio-economic and academic backgrounds and prepare the clientele for gainful employment and sustainable livelihoods. Okoro (1991) defined vocational education as any form of education whose primary purpose is to prepare persons for employment in the recognized occupations. He further stated that vocational education provides the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for effective employment in specific occupations. This specialized education is offered in technical institutions saddled with training of lower and middle level manpower, including technical colleges.

Technical  Colleges  in  Nigeria  are  established  to  produce  craftsmen  at  the  craft

(secondary) level and master craftsmen at the advance craft (post secondary) level (Federal

Ministry of Education, 2000). The curriculum programmes of technical colleges according to

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Federal Government of Nigeria (2004) are grouped into related trades. These includes, the computer trades, electrical/electronics trades, building trades, wood trades, hospitality trade, textile trades, printing trades, beauty culture trades,  business trades and  mechanical trades. Mechanical trades is a general name used in describing trades that has direct bearing with metal welding/forming and or servicing/repairs of machines or machine related equipment and appliances. The trades in this group include agricultural implement and equipment mechanics work, auto body repair and spray painting, auto electrical work, auto body mechanics works, auto  mechanics  works,  auto  body  building,  auto  parts  merchandising,  air-conditioning and refrigeration mechanics works, mechanical engineering craft practice, , foundry craft practice, instruments mechanics work,  marine engineering craft and welding and fabrication engineering craft practice (Ogundola, Popoola &  Oke, 2010).

Welding and fabrication engineering craft practice deals with the forming and bonding of metals to form a useable object or structure. Fabrication is the forming of metal, usually steel plate, into various forms either by welding or other forms of metal joining processes. Welding is used to cover a range of bonding techniques. Welding is a way of joining two or more pieces of metal together permanently. Repp and McCarthy (1984), described welding as an action that occurs when metal pieces being joined flows and blends or fuses together. They explained that, the action is caused by heat,  pressure or a combination of both. When heat  alone  is used according to them, the weld action is known as fusion weld. Sowande (2002) sees welding as a joining technique for both fabrication in production and for repairs, construction of ships, boilers and large storage, pipelines and rail lines. The author further stated that welding and fabrication involves metals and the joining actions caused by the application of heat, pressure, and with or without filter materials.

Degarmo, Paul, Black, Kohser and Ronald (2003) stated that welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, but sometimes pressure is used in conjunction with heat, or by itself, to produce the weld. Hence welding and fabrication has various trades which can provide individual with saleable skills. Some of these trade includes, gas welding, resistant welding, arc welding, thermit welding, and underwater welding.

The authors stated that welding and fabrication gives the individual the skills to use their head and hands to build and construct metal structures from engineering specifications. People who enter into this trade normally develop specialized talents in structural fabrication or pressure related  construction.  Welding  and  fabrication programmes are  designed  to  produce  skilled craftsmen with good knowledge of the application of the equipment, materials, techniques and safety practices in metal projects.

It  also  instilled technical skills on  individuals to  be  productive, high sense  of self innovative, competitive, a strong sense of determination, and creative in facing the challenges of the nation as well as globalization (Overtoom, 2000). Technical skill therefore, is the ability to do something expertly and well, in accordance to set standard or manufacturer’s instructions. Okorie (2001) viewed skill as an organized sequence of actions proficiency executed and usually displaying a flexible but systematic temporal patterning. Okoro (2004) affirmed that technical skill is a manual dexterity through repetitive performance of an operation. Okeke (2002) assert that to possess a skill is to demonstrate the habit of acting, thinking and behaving in a specific activity in such a way that the process becomes natural to the individual, through repetition or practice. Through the repetitive process in welding and fabrication, skills can be developed.

Olaitan, Nwachuckwu, Igbo, Onyemachi & Ekong (1999) stated that skills are practical activities which individuals perform for work to be effectively done. Skill in this context simply refers to practical activities involved in carrying out various operations in welding and fabrication for demand driven employment in the society.   Osinem & Ugo (2010) stated that skill development is important as it harnesses individuals resources and the utilization of other type of social instrument for competitive employment into industries or self employment.

Employment is the act of engaging in a job to earn a living. Akinduro (2006) stated that employment is the state of having or engage in a job for some form of payment. Bhaerman & Spill (1998) stated that being employed indicate possessing qualities or skills needed to maintain employment and progress in it.

People are unemployed either as a result of lack of employment or lack of employable skills. The latter is the need that must be met if the individuals must be employed. Provision of relevant  job skill  is  very essential to  meet  employable skills that  might  be  lacking  in the unemployed. There will always be job opportunities but people remain unemployed as long as they lack employable skills. Ozigbo (2008) lamented that Nigeria, a rich oil producing nation, lacks sufficient skilled human capital to manage the oil industry leading to the incoming of the foreigners. Armstrong (2003) reiterated that if people lack in technical skills, knowledge and entrepreneurial skills, the natural resources will tend to remain unutilized, underutilized, or even miss-utilized.  According to Marjor-Ritta (2009), the core issue in providing relevant skill is to identify what the real skill needs. He believes that a related issue is the gap between perceived and real needs. To make skill count, it must be matched directly to the needs of the people (Rosner, 2009). Therefore the study looked at welding and fabrication skills required for employment in Rivers State.

Statement of the Problem

Rivers State is blessed with enormous resources and which if well managed; every citizen should be living comfortably. This is because, various categories of persons, companies and investors are in the region transacting one form of business or the other, consequently impacting the life of the citizens in the region positively such as; infrastructure, electricity, pipe borne water, good education, well equipped hospitals, better and more modern equipment for fishing, farming and hunting. There would be good roads, linking communities and with expectation that as the oil companies begin to carry out their operations more people would have the opportunity of gainful employment.

Ordinarily, majority of  graduates and school leavers from primary schools, secondary schools, colleges of education, polytechnics and universities   in the state are supposed to be engaged in these companies or in the government or be self employed to earn a living.   But reverse is the case as no commensurate creation of employment opportunities are made by government. Also the companies still bring in foreigners as expatriates into the state to carry out certain operation (special skills) because of either mis-match of skills or lack of qualified skills among the indigenous people. People are unemployed either as a result of lack of employment or lack of employable skills. The latter is the need that must be met if the individuals must be employed. Provision of relevant job skill is very essential to meet employable skills that might be lacking  in  the  unemployed.  There  will  always  be  job  opportunities  but  people  remain unemployed as long as they lack employable skills. Ozigbo (2008) lamented that Nigeria, a rich oil producing nation, lacks sufficient skilled human capital to manage the oil industry. The experience of massive unemployment of Rivers State indigenes invariably results from the above

scenario.  It  is  however  alleged  that  Rivers  State  indigenes  are  ill  equipped  for  wage employment/self employment as a result of lack of technical skills needed in various industries

Bringing basic skills programmes to unemployed youths can help to alliviate poverty and unemployment levels, while improving economic growth. The development of relevant skills and knowledge is a major instrument for improved productivity, better working conditions, and the promotion of decent work in the informal economy. New skills and knowledge can open doors to more economically and socially rewarding jobs (Marjo-Riitta, 2003). Hence the study looked at welding and fabrication skills required for employment in Rivers State.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to determine welding and fabrication skills required for employment in River State. Specifically the study will seek to determine the skills in:

1.  Gas welding for employment.

2.  Forge welding for employment.

3.  Resistance welding for employment.

4.  Arc welding for employment.

5.  Underwater welding for employment

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study shall be of immense benefit to Rivers State youths, Colleges of Education (Technical) and also university undergraduates, Companies, Niger Delta Development Commission and the society at large.

The youths in the Niger Delta Region will benefit through the findings of this study as it will give them an insight of available and required skills that will make them earn a living. This is because some of these youths lack the awareness of some of these relevant skills that when acquired will change their life and status.

The findings of this study will also benefit the students of the technical colleges and Colleges of Education (Technical) as it will serve as guide and directs both the teachers, lecturers and the curriculum  planners  on  the  direct  skills  required  by  the  graduates  of  the  institutions  in underwater welding. It will expose the students to the requisite skills in underwater welding Hence instructions to students will be made direct to those required in the labour market, i.e. matching skills with the labour demanded by the companies and society.

The NDDC being a body that is into the training of youths in acquisition of skill will also find it very important as it will create in them a more clear procedures involved in welding and fabrication skills. The skills will be adopted in the training of the youths in the state. The director and the trainers will view this study as a guide on skills in welding and fabrication. It will serve as a basic source of information, because the specific skills in welding and fabrication required by the youths is outlined and stated in their order of procedures.

It will be of more benefit to the companies, as majority of these companies are into oil and gas exploration and production that has more of welding and fabrication works. When these youths had acquired these skills companies will absorb or employ them into the companies hence reducing cost compared to the foreign expatriates.

Research Questions

The following research questions are formulated to guide the study.

1.  What are the skills in gas welding for employment in Rivers State?

2.  What are the skills in forge welding for employment in Rivers State?

3.  What are the skills in resistance welding for employment in Rivers State?

4.  What are the skills in arc welding for employment in Rivers State?

5.  What are the skills in underwater welding for employment in Rivers State?

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance to guide the study. Ho1   There  is  no  significant  difference  in  the  mean  responses  of  teachers  of  metalwork technology department in technical colleges and the welders on the skills in gas welding

for employment.

Ho2   There  is  no  significant  difference  in  the  mean  responses  of  teachers  of  metalwork technology department in technical colleges and the welders on the skills in forge welding for employment.

Ho3   There  is  no  significant  difference  in  the  mean  responses  of  teachers  of  metalwork technology department in technical colleges and the welders on the skills in resistance welding for employment.

Ho4   There  is  no  significant  difference  in  the  mean  responses  of  teachers  of  metalwork technology department in technical colleges and the welders on the skills in arc welding for employment.

Ho5   There  is  no  significant  difference  in  the  mean  responses  of  teachers  of  metalwork technology department in technical colleges and the welders on the skills in underwater welding for employment.

Scope of the Study

The study was restricted to skills in welding and fabrication. It will unveil skills in gas welding, forge welding, resistance welding, arc welding and underwater welding. The study elicits information from metalwork teachers of government technical college in Rivers State.

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