Students Attitude Towards Electrical Installation Work as a Vocational Trade in Sokoto State

This study examines the attitude of students towards electrical installation work as a vocational trade in secondary schools in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. Electrical installation is one of the critical trade areas in Nigerias National Vocational Qualification framework, yet enrolment in the trade remains low in many northern states. Social norms, parental expectations, and limited information about career prospects in the electrical sector are widely cited as barriers. The study is grounded in the theory of planned behaviour, which links attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control to occupational intentions. A descriptive survey design is employed, with 280 senior secondary students across 20 schools in Sokoto North, Sokoto South, and Tambuwal local government areas. A five-point Likert-scale questionnaire measures students attitudes along cognitive, affective, and conational dimensions. Data are analysed using frequency counts, mean ratings, and independent samples t-test to compare attitudes by gender and school type. The study anticipates broadly neutral to negative attitudes among male students and significantly more negative attitudes among female students, attributed to gender stereotyping of electrical trades. Recommendations include career exposure visits to electrical firms, integration of real-world electrical professionals as guest instructors, and gender-inclusive vocational awareness campaigns. The study aims to provide actionable evidence for improving student engagement with electrical vocational trades in the North West geopolitical zone. Keywords: student attitude, electrical installation, vocational trade, Sokoto State, technical education