STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING METHODS FOR IMPLEMENTING OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the strategic human resource management and its influence on vocational education programme in technical colleges in Rivers State. The study examined how management styles and in-service training of technical instructors influence vocational technical education programmes. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The descriptive survey was used and a structured questionnaire was used to elicit responses from the respondents. The population of the study was 200 students and technical instructors of the four technical colleges in Rivers State. A simple random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample size of 100 respondents. The instrument was sent to two experts for validity. A test-retest method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. A reliability coefficient of 0.8 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha (𝛼). Results from the study revealed that participative, pace-setting and coaching management styles improved the standard of technical colleges. The in-service training of technical instructors offered the opportunity to acquire new skills and improve the performance of teachers in the classroom. It is therefore recommended that the participative, pacesetting and coaching management styles be practiced in technical colleges. Furthermore, there should be regular in-service training of technical instructors since this will improve the quality of vocational technical education programmes.