Gender Differences in Vocational Skill Acquisition and Utilization among Youths in the Informal TVET Sector

Abstract

The need for youth empowerment for productive engagement remains a central point in achieving socio-economic development of developing nations. This study examined the differences in vocational skill acquisition and utilization of male and female youths in the informal TVET sector. The study took a survey of vocational practitioners and experts in the informal TVET sector of Yewa South Local government of Ogun State. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 160 vocational practitioners and experts across different vocations from the two geo-political divisions of Yewa South Local Government. Data were collected with a questionnaire tagged “Vocational Skill Acquisition and Utilisation Questionnaire (V-SAUQ)”. Data obtained were analysed with frequency count and mean. The results indicate considerable skill acquisition and utilization of the youths in the study area with the female gender portrayed as having moderately higher vocational skill acquisition level and noticeable high difference in vocational skill utilization than the male gender. It was concluded that the tendency to acquire and utilize vocational skills in the informal TVET sector may be related to the peculiarity of such vocations to each gender and the gender-dominance of the vocation. It was recommended, among others, that government and all stakeholders in TVET should gear more efforts towards skill acquisition and utilization by the youths and the peculiarity of each gender should be factored into policy formulation and implementation of youth empowerment in technical and vocational engagements.