Management of Technical and Vocational Education in Government Technical Colleges in Kebbi State

This study examines the management of technical and vocational education in government technical colleges in Kebbi State, North West Nigeria. Technical and vocational education is a critical pathway for developing skilled workforce capacity and reducing youth unemployment, yet government technical colleges in many northern states are chronically underfunded, poorly equipped, and administratively weak. In Kebbi State, where youth unemployment rates are high and the manufacturing and agribusiness sectors face persistent skills shortages, improving TVET management has strategic economic importance. A descriptive survey design was employed, collecting data from 20 college administrators, 80 technical teachers, and 100 students across five government technical colleges in Birnin-Kebbi, Argungu, and Zuru. Management dimensions assessed include workshop equipment adequacy, industry-curriculum alignment, teacher technical competency, student industrial training placement quality, and institutional funding sufficiency. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were applied. Results reveal severe equipment deficits, with most workshop tools and machines outdated or non-functional. Industry-curriculum alignment was weak, with many programmes not revised in over a decade. The study concludes that TVET management in Kebbi State government technical colleges is critically inadequate and requires systemic reform. It recommends that the Kebbi State Government establish a dedicated TVET capital investment fund, develop mandatory industry advisory committees for each college programme, and partner with private sector employers to provide updated equipment and student placement opportunities.

Keywords: technical and vocational education, TVET management, technical colleges, Kebbi State, skills development.