Management of woodwork workshops in Nigerian tertiary institutions: an analytical study

Woodwork Technology Education contributes immensely toward economic growth and development of any nation that deems it fit to invest in the aspect of education because it has the capacity to equip learners with skills in self- reliance. Woodwork Technology Education also gives the graduates the opportunity to create jobs, employ and train others in the same field of study, become creative and productive citizens who will be able to participate in the economic growth and development process. But, lack of proper management of the woodwork workshops in most tertiary institutions have left many graduates in the state of hopelessnessthey have little or no practical ideas in the woodwork field of study. Some of the Woodwork Technology graduates who ought to be self-reliant due to the skills expected to have acquired from their institutions roam the streets in search for government jobs which are not readily available. This study was designed to look at management of Woodwork Workshops in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study was a descriptive study guided by research questions. Questionnaire items were used for collection of data as the instruments were validated by experts. Four tertiary institutions in Nigeria participated in the study and it was discovered among others that most institutions offering woodwork as a course of study still operate with obsolete equipment. Also, that most often, teachers are not undergoing training/retraining exercise to update their knowledge on current woodwork issues. The study recommended among others that Government should once in a while evaluate or revisit the woodwork technology programs/curriculum in tertiary institutions as this will help to improve the standard of teaching and learning