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The purpose of this study was to investigate the objectives of roadside mechanic apprenticeship programs in mid-western Nigeria. Seven statements of objectives were derived for the study and respondents were required to score each of the seven statements between '1' and '7' in their order of importance and representative of the objectives. The instrument was administered to 150 master craft trainers and 750 apprentices. Four out of the seven statements were rated the most important and most representative of the objectives of the roadside mechanic apprenticeship program in mid-western Nigeria: (a) to acquire technical skills; (b) to provide pre-employment opportunity for youths; (c) to instil discipline among youths; and (d) to provide opportunity for interpersonal relationships.

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The Leventis Foundation (Nigeria) Agricultural Schools (LFNAS) are schools established to train youths to develop their state and their nation in the area of food production. This study sought to assess the trainability of enrollees in the three operating LFNAS. Five research questions were posed. The CIPP [context, input, process, product] evaluation model was adopted. The population and sample for the study consisted of a total of 247 enrollees. Questionnaires, structured interviews and observational techniques were used to gather information, while using simple descriptive statistics to analyse the data. Many of the enrollees were found to be within the required age range. A substantive number had minimum basic educational qualifications; however, a sizeable number in two of the schools had no basic education, and could not even be engaged in communication. Most of the enrollees had been engaged in different occupations before enrolment and many did not really have the sincere interest in farming as expected, though a majority of them aspired to become modern farmers on completion.

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Universities in many parts of the world are noticing that adults are returning to institutions of higher learning. The presence of adult learners as students has caused many post-secondary institutions to reconsider how they are meeting the needs of these students. This paper examines one approach to addressing adult learner needs and barriers in problem-based learning courses. As a result of this study, it was determined that an orientation workshop would be a suitable approach. The needs assessment that was conducted is discussed in addition to the development and design of the orientation workshop. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for reseachers and planners of adult education programs are presented.

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In order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Nigeria adopts both formal and non-formal approaches to provide basic education for its citizenry. Thus, to determine the effectiveness of the non-formal approach in providing basic education in Nigeria, this study examines the competency level of Nigerian non-formal education learners on a life-skills achievement test. The test was administered to a sample of 876 learners. The competency level in life-skills of the majority of the learners was below the national benchmark (50%). Rural dwellers were more competent than urban dwellers and young learners were more competent than old learners.

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The objective of this paper is to examine the vocational education services provided by non-government organisations (NGOs) to adult farmers in the states of Oyo and Ogun, in Nigeria. Two agro-based NGOs, the Diocesan Agricultural Development Project (DADP) and the Farmers Development Union (FADU), were purposively selected because of their relevance to the study. A total of 120 members of these NGOs were sampled for the study, 116 of whom responded. They were interviewed using a structured schedule designed to elicit vital information on the NGO extension services of which they were aware, and the frequency with which these services were administered to the respondents. The data collected from the field were analysed using frequency counts, tables, chi-square and t-test. The findings revealed that the respondents were mostly aware of the extension activities provided by the NGOs. In addition, several extension services were received regularly, with FADU members receiving more extension activities than members of DADP. While a broad range of extension activities were provided by the agro-based NGOs to their members, those most frequently accessed by farmers were mainly advisory. Relationships between some of the demographic characteristics of the respondents and the extension activities of the NGOs were also discovered. Conclusions are drawn concerning the focus of NGO activities provided to farmers and the relationship between these and government-based programs.

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