PROJECT PROPOSAL

TOPIC: OFFICE SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES AMONG OFFICE MANAGER

TRAINEES (A CASE STUDY OF YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, LAGOS STATE,
NIGERIA)

1. INTRODUCTION

An office is a place where the administrative functions of an organization are carried out.
The word administrative is derived from the word administer. To administer means to oversee,
to manage, to control, to supervise in order to ensure that the goals of the office are achieved.
Office activities may vary from one department to the other, but the functions are closely
related, that they at one time or the other receive information, process the information, record
the information, and give out information when required and above all to protect the asset of
the organization. Therefore, working in the office requires some basic skills.
Office work skills can be referred to mean those abilities required for carrying out the
office functions very well. The various activities in an organization are grouped together or
clustered and assigned specific job description like Sales unit, Purchases unit, Technical unit,
Medical unit, Transport unit etc. Each of these units is involved in the functions of an office.
Therefore, the office work skills are as varied as the office activities vary too. These office
activities form the basis for studying Office Technology Management. One of the objectives
of the Office Technology Management (OTM) is to equip students with the right skills that
will enable them to engage in a life of work in the office as well as for self-employment.
Office Technology Management (OTM) is a component of education that provides
knowledge and skills for Office Manager Trainees to perform efficiently and effectively in the
world of work. It also involves acquisition of skills, knowledge and competencies that make
the recipient proficient in Office Management. According to Aliyu (2006), Office Technology
Management as a course is offered in Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and the Universities,
primarily to educate and train students to become competent professional Office Managers.
The work place is such a dynamic environment that is changing with time and has
evidently changed from what it used be. The office skills are also not left out of the changes.
Often times there are new orders of doing things. Today most registration exercises in our
higher institutions are done online. Even lectures and examinations were taken online during
the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) which started in late 2019 and such modern
technology usage has not ceased in the ongoing aftereffect of the pandemic.

For tertiary institutions in Nigeria that offered Office Technology Management program
to deliver on their mandates, the quality of the training given to individuals passing through a
course or the other should be such that can give adequate skills and information needed in the
real-world sense. If it should serve this purpose of providing the needs of the learners and the
society, there should be continuous review in its curriculum in order to ensure that the quality
of education provided is in line with societal demands. This review of the curriculum will be
to integrate new technologies that can help in passing the desired and required skills to the
learner to make him/her employable and as well relevant in the ever-changing modern office
environment.
However, the prospects of office managers have been giving a lot of concerns to
intending Office Manager Trainees of secretarial administration and many other segments of
the society especially those in secretarial field. The word secretary coined from Latin word
‘secretes’ which literally means a secret; this definition shows more or one of the functions of
secretary. (Okafor 1987).
An Office Manager is a major link between the executive and his association, the office
staff and the public. He/she is the life wire of that organization. As a result of this important
linking position, an Office Manager can display vital roles in helping to create and maintain
the smooth running of business organization. For an office manager to perform, he/she must
have undergone some educational studies and obtain the basic office knowledge and skills.
Therefore, for one to quality as an office manager one must have taken courses in shorthand,
typewriting, office practice and secretarial duties and must be computer literate for easy
adaptation in modern office challenges. Days are gone when any person that works in an office
is being regarded as a secretary.
As stated above, for Office Manager to be able to perform their duties and make
meaningful contributions to the success of the organizational goals, they also need to acquire
the relevant office competencies. Modern office competencies are those capabilities and
abilities required for maximum utilization of innovative office technologies. Competencies
refer to the skills, behaviour and knowledge acquired and manifested by people. The
organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 2009) defined competency
as a bundle of skills, which derives from a combination of knowledge and personal traits.
Anann (2012) stated that competency in modern office requires a combination of skills,
attributes and behaviours that are directly related to successful performance on the job. For the
purposes of this study, office competencies are the knowledge, skills and abilities, which an
Office Manager Trainee must obtain to effect desirable changes in the office in response to
prevailing circumstances. Cornacchione (2012) stressed that such competencies provide a
sound basis for consistent and objective performance standards about what is needed and
expected in an organization in terms of human relations, managerial competences,
communication competences, information and communication technology competences,
secretarial competences and problem-solving competences.
Unfortunately, the training given to Office Technology Management (OTM) trainees
does not seem to reflect the wave of technological changes. This has created disparity between
what is imparted to the OTM students in terms of abilities and the needs of the industries. Azih
(2013) observed that the performances of some OTM graduates fall short of accepted practices
in modern office technologies, thereby suggesting that they have not adequately acquired the
competencies needed for effective use of modern office technologies during their
training. Consequently, some functions supposed to be handled by OTM graduates are thus
given to graduates of other disciplines. Where OTM workers lack competencies to use efficient
and effective working tools, productivity is definitely bound to be unimpressive. If these OTM
graduates are exposed to a variety of office competencies, they might become more effective
in their jobs.

It then appears that either the learning institutions are not quite sure of the exact
competencies needed by employers of labour or do not have enough resources to equip the
leaners. The problem of skill mis-match implying that the institutions are not satisfying
employers in terms of the office competencies expected of OTM graduates has induced this
study. The problem of this study therefore is the evaluation of Office Skills and Competencies
among Office Managers for effective performance in modern offices, a case study of Yaba
College of Technology. Also, this begs the question, what are the Office Competencies
Required of Office Technology and Management Trainees, a case study of Yaba College of
Technology, Lagos State, Nigeria?

2. STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

The Nigerian tertiary institutions, such as Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State,
Nigeria, that offer Office Technology and Management faces some challenges in a bid to
provide the desired knowledge, skills and competencies to Office Manager Trainees in office
technology and management education.
To date, many tertiary institutions that offer Office Technology and Management as a
course do not have adequate computers and the internet facilities in their laboratories to provide
the office manager trainees with the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed in the
advanced office technology and information systems. Many trainees that graduated from the
tertiary institutions especially the polytechnics do not have iota of fundamentals of information
processing and computer literacy.
They do not possess the basic skills required to utilize computer operating system such
as word processing, e-mail and the internet. Those who may boast of having to operate
computer or can browse on the internet may have gone extra mile to learn from the ‘roadside’
computer centre’s or institutes. It is then quite unfortunate that, in the age which is ironically
termed the ‘Computer Age’, most of Office Manager Trainees encountered by lecturers do not
even have a personal computer or laptop, some do no have the basic knowledge of operating
one, which is just a fraction of the truth. Such institutions also do not have enough computers
for students use and even if there are enough systems there is also the lingering issue of
unavailable or unaffordable electricity. These has led the institutions teaching Office
Technology Management courses in theory rather than with robust practical.
 Therefore, Office Technology and Management being a discipline integrated with ICT
has various challenges affecting its teaching and learning. Many ICT tools recommended for
OTM programmes are not fully utilized or sometimes under-utilized. Some of this ICT tools
includes Word processing, spreadsheet, presentation technology (PowerPoint), Database
management system (DBMS), windows and file management technology, computer devices
(Discs, CDs, and USB among others), scanning technology, e-mail, and internet technologies.
The lack of utilization or under-utilization of these ICT apparatus may be as a result of the
unavailability of the ICT facilities and tools as mentioned earlier. Secondly, some OTM
lecturers’ lack of interest in the use of ICT in their impacting of OTM knowledge and skills to
the students. Also, the lack of knowledge by the lecturers in the use of these ICT facilities.
Nwaokolo (2010) pointed out that many OTM lecturers do not employ technology in teaching
and learning. This lack of utilization or under-utilization is because they do not possess the
fundamental and required skills in ICT and its use. However, to tackle this challenge, OTM
lecturers must be able to utilize the various ICT facilities to their maximum capacities and also
develop an interest in the use of these facilities.

Akinyemi (2001) ascribed the pitiable worth of Office Technology students to many
challenges. These challenges include insufficient ICT services and infrastructure,
unavailability of access to ICT resources at will by both the students and Lecturers, the dearth
of ICT skilled OTM lecturers, irregular electricity supply, and insufficient financial support to
OTM programmes. Other challenges include lack of technical support, lack of the needed
knowledge and skills in the use of ICT facilities and resources, inadequate incentive and
motivations for lecturers, and conservative or un-dynamic nature and attitude of some lecturers
in the use of ICT in teaching. According to Rodriguez and Wilson (2000), professional/career
development programmes will assist educators to know how to utilize modern technologies
and also how to offer significant instructions and activities with the ICT facilities in the lecture
room. Lecturers and Instructors employed to teach OTM should be qualified and skilled in the
areas of ICT and should know both the methodology and content of the course to realize
effective and efficient learning. (Adeola, 2010) Therefore, lack of encouragement to OTM
lecturer on the need to train and re-train themselves in the areas of ICT hinders their ability to
connect with colleagues and experts and share ideas and information on ICT. The lack of
encouragement invariably hinders their teaching prowess and skill and as a result, does not
enable the students to develop in their course of study at maximum capacity. Another challenge
is the slow pace of e-learning development in the country. Ojeaga and Igbinedion (2012) said
that the use of e-learning in the country’s educational system is sluggish or even a fantasy. The
slow pace of e-learning is as a result of lack of computer availability and internet accessibility.
It is therefore expected that to tackle this challenge, OTM lectures are encouraged to develop
a forum for interaction and exchange of ideas between their colleagues and ICT experts. Also,
there should be sufficient availability of computers and internet facilities to enhance the pace
of e-learning and use of ICT facilities, enable lecturers to develop and update their knowledge
transfer skills, and the development of students to their maximum potentials.

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the Office Skills and Competencies
among Office Managers for effective performance in modern automated offices in Yaba
College of Technology. Specifically, the study will seek to ascertain:

✓ The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and communication

competencies required of Office Technology and Management (OTM) graduates for
effective performance in modern offices.
✓ The secretarial competences required of Office Technology and Management graduates
for effective performance in modern offices.
✓ The provision of technological and communication tools required of Office Managers
and OTM graduates to effectively perform their professional duties.

4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will guide the study:

1. Do OTM graduating students have the required professional competencies in the
areas of manipulative technology, communication and professional skills?
2. Do OTM graduating students have the required technological tools competencies
required of office managers in modern automated office?
3. Are office managers provided with efficient and effective working tools in the
offices?
At the end of this project, if all the above research questions are answered and the
researchers’ recommendations adopted, there is a good chance of an improved productivities
among office managers.

5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Most of the secretarial graduates who have certificates in Office Technology

Management find it difficult to utilize and apply the skills in producing official documents
needed for official decision making. This is because most of them lack the needed and required
application skills that will enable them utilize the information systems. Why is it so? Were they
trained with obsolete secretarial machines and equipment? All these indicate lack of adequate
exposure of today’s office manager trainees to appropriate information system skills required
for job performance. If these problems are to be solved, there is need to ascertain the specific
information system skills needed of office manager trainees for job performance in today’s
automated offices, especially as it relates to Office Managers and graduating students of the
department of Office Technology Management (OTM), Yaba College of Technology, Lagos
State, Nigeria.

It has been generally observed by the researcher that a very scanty literature with local
content (especially in the South-west region of the country) is found. Therefore, this study is
also being carried out to fill the gap created by paucity of literature. While the main purpose of
the study is to evaluate Office Skills and Competencies among Office Manager Trainees, the
result will be valuable to both public and private institutions, especially office managers as well
as supervisors to better understand or serve as a reminder for the office skills competencies in
today’s automated offices.

Also, this study of skills needed by OTM Trainees in a modern office will be significant
as it will reveal the office skills perceived as required by employers of labour for a successful
transition from school to the world of work. Furthermore, curriculum planners and the National
Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) will through the findings review the
curriculum (minimum standard) to include current issues as they relate to OTM training
especially in the provision of modern office equipment for the training of the students. Added
to these, may be the need to recommend re-training of office employees on modern technology
application and usage.

In summary:
• This study will be of immense benefit to students, authorities of tertiary institution
and professional bodies as the study will expose the problems faced by students of
the profession.
• The study will also stimulate the appropriate authorities to fashion out ways of
addressing the challenges faced by student of the profession.
• The study will also stimulate the appropriate authorities to fashion out ways of
addressing the challenges faced by student of the profession.
• This study will also serve as a reference material for further research on the topic.

6. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is limited to the evaluation of Office Skills and Competences among Office
Manager Trainees. It will be carried out in Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State, Nigeria.
The population of study is the department of OTM in the college, some offices in the institution,
and the graduating students in the department of Office Technology Management (OTM).

7. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study will focus on evaluating Office Skills and Competencies among Office
Manager Trainees in Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State, Nigeria. The study will adopt
a descriptive and inferential research design. The target population will comprise the
department of OTM in the college, some offices in the institution, and the graduating students
in the department of Office Technology Management (OTM). To curb the issue of low sample
size, the entire population will be studied, since it is manageable. The study will use primary
data which will be collected through the administration of a well-structured questionnaires –
specifically for the study. The questionnaire will be validated by research experts using
statistical techniques. Open-ended interviews will be used in the data collection so as to give
participants the opportunity to respond in their own views and words, rather than compelling
them to choose from a pre-determined response (s) as opined by Creswell (2007).

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