DETERMINATION OF THE ADEQUACY OF PRACTICAL ELEMENTS OF OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME AS PERCEIVED BY GRADUATE SECRETARIES IN TARABA STATE

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the adequacy of the acquired practical elements of OTM training as perceived by graduate working secretaries in Taraba State. The survey research design was adopted for the study. The studied practical trainings were classified into three, namely: ICT, Office Technology and Office Application elements. The population of the study was 75 graduate working secretaries in Taraba State. Sampling was not applied because the population was sizeable to handle. Three objectives and three research questions guided the study. A null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the opinions of the secretaries in public sector and those in private sector was tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-test statistic. Four point response scale of Highly Adequate (HA), Adequate (A) Somewhat Adequate (SA) and Not Adequate (NA) was used to analyse the opinions of the respondents. Questionnaire with 33 construct titled Adequacy of Practical Elements of Office Technology and Management (APEOTMQ) was used to elicit data from the respondents. It was discovered that while the OTM graduates were adequate in the acquired practical elements, they were inadequate in some of the recent ICT skills occasioned by current technological development. It was therefore recommended amongst others that curriculum planners and lecturers should occasionally scan the work environment to determine nascent development that should be incorporated in the school curriculum so that graduates secretaries will continue to keep pace with computer age.