Dr Victor Abanyam & Moses Odey Akputu
Abstract
The study adopted survey research design to examine business skills required for employability by Office Technology and Management Education (OTME) undergraduates of public universities in Cross River State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study population was 2,390 Business Educators and registered entrepreneurs in Calabar Metropolis. Using purposive, accidental and stratified sampling techniques, a sample of 284 respondents comprising 50 Business Educators and 234 registered Entrepreneurs were selected to participate in the study. “Business Skills Required for Employability Questionnaire” (BSRFEQ) was used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha Reliability coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the instrument, which gave an overall reliability index of .71. Mean, standard deviation and independent t-test analysis were used in data analysis. The findings revealed, among others, that the identified items on business networking and analysis of data are the business skills required for employability by OTME undergraduates of public universities in Cross River State. It was recommended among others that seminars should be organized by the department offering OTME for students on the importance of networking, and enlighten them on the various networking skills they can use, as networking within/outside the school environment have been seen to enhance employability.