Technical and Entrepreneurial Competencies Possessed by Electronics Technicians forDigital Electronics Small and Medium Scale Enterprise Establishment for Employment Generation in Rivers State

Abstract

The major objective of this study is to identify the technical and entrepreneurial skills that electronics technicians possessed to establish small and medium-scale enterprises in digital electronics, thereby creating job opportunities in Rivers State. The study was prompted by the concerning unemployment rates among electronics technicians in Rivers State. The study has three objectives, each with three research questions and three null hypotheses to guide its examination. The study used a survey research approach and included 45 participants from Rivers State: 30 electronics technologists and 15 electronics technicians. Data collection was carried out through a structured questionnaire containing 34 items divided into four sections (A-D). Participants were asked to assign a rating on each item on a 4-point scale: Strongly Required (4), Required (3), Not Required (2), and Strongly Not Required (1). The questionnaire's reliability was assessed using Cronbach Alpha, resulting in a reliability coefficient of .98. A total of 45 completed questionnaires were distributed and returned within a span of three days. As a consequence, the response rate was 100%. The mean and standard deviation were used to evaluate the research questions. Items with a mean score below 2.50 were deemed Not Required, while those with a mean score of 2.50 or higher were deemed Required. The t-test was used to evaluate the three null hypotheses with a significance level of.05. The study's findings revealed that electronics technicians in Rivers State require proficiency in troubleshooting modern electronic devices. Based on these results, the recommendations are as follows: a retraining program should be organized by the Rivers State government for electronics technicians on skills digital electronics maintenance. Also, entrepreneurship skills should be embedded in the retraining program to equip the electronics technicians with entrepreneurial skills needed for small and medium size digital electronics business establishment and smooth running, for self-employment.