Assessment of Guidance and Counselling Services for Vocational Decision-Making in Edo State Polytechnics

This study assesses the quality and effectiveness of guidance and counselling services in supporting vocational decision-making among students in polytechnics in Edo State, South South Nigeria. Effective vocational guidance is essential for helping students align their career choices with aptitudes, market demands, and personal aspirations. Despite the statutory mandate for guidance units in Nigerian tertiary institutions, many polytechnics in Edo State operate with insufficient or inadequate counselling services. A descriptive survey design is employed, targeting 200 National Diploma students and 20 guidance counsellors from three polytechnics in Benin City, Usen, and Ekpoma local government areas. A counsellor competency scale and a student satisfaction questionnaire are used as instruments. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis measure the relationship between service quality and student vocational decision-making confidence. Findings are expected to reveal low student awareness of available counselling services, underfunded guidance units, and insufficient counsellor-to-student ratios. The study also examines whether students who accessed counselling services demonstrate better career planning behaviours. Recommendations include mandatory counsellor training in vocational guidance, designated time for career counselling sessions in academic timetables, and procurement of standardised vocational aptitude assessment tools. This study contributes to guidance and counselling research in polytechnic education in South South Nigeria and provides evidence for reforming student support services in vocational institutions. Keywords: guidance and counselling, vocational decision-making, polytechnics, Edo State, student services