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Job Opportunities For Graduate Secretaries In This New Millennium
(A Case Study Of Enugu Metropolis)
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LIST OF TABLE
4.1
Qualifications obtained
4.2
Entry qualifications obtained
4.3
Number of courses studied at school
4.4
Length of time spent in search of job
4.5
Extent of knowledge and practical skills acquired at school
4.6
Availability and serviceability of modern office machines in school.
4.7
Reasons for not acquiring any practical knowledge in the used of
modern office machines
4.8
Availability of modern office machines in offices
4.9
Initial problems experienced on resumption of duty
4.10 More job opportunities as a result of office automation
4.11 Non-professional/Quack invasion of secretarial field due to
automation.
4.12 Existence of non-graduates as secretaries in organizations.
4.13 Advocates of the broadening of course content
4.14 Special training needed in certain areas
4.15 Awareness of the growth potentials of secretaries on the job
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4.16 Reasons for being an applicant
4.17 Preferred places of employment
4.18 Level of performance of managerial and Administrative factors.
4.19 Number of graduate secretaries in employment
4.20 Perception of graduate secretary.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
i
Approval page
ii
Dedication
iii
Acknowledgement
iv
Abstract
v
List of table
vii
Table of content
ix
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
1
1.1
Background of the study
1
1.2
Statement of the problem
5
1.3
Purpose f the study
7
1.4
Delimitation of the study
8
1.5
Significance of the study
9
1.6
Research question
10
1.7
Definition of terms
11
CHAPTER TWO
5
2.1
Review of related literature
13
2.2
The graduate secretary
14
2.3
Categories of secretaries
16
2.4
Responsibilities of the graduate secretary
20
2.5
Academic qualifications required for one to train as a
secretary in nigeria universities polytechnics
24
2.6
Course studied by graduate secretaries
27
2.7
Job opportunities for graduate secretaries
28
2.8
Sources of employment information
32
2.9
Office automation and graduate secretaries
34
CHAPTER THREE
3.1
Research methodology
36
3.2
Research methodology/design
36
3.3
Are/location of study
37
3.4
Population of the study
37
3.5
Sample size
38
3.6
Sources of data
40
3.7
Research instrument used
40
6
3.8
Method of data analysis
41
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1
Data Presentation And Analysis
42
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1
Discussion of findings, summary, and recommendations 65
5.2
Summary of findings
72
5.3
Conclusion
74
5.4
Recommendations
75
Appendix
78
Questionnaire
79
Reference
85
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In the new millennium, modern business environment has witnessed
a lot of sophistication in operation and organization Graduate secretaries of
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various cadres are very essential for the efficient and smooth running of
business organization.
In any organized set up or office, there has to be proper flow of
communication and correct presentation for such establishment to achieve
its corporate goals.
In the light of the above, ideas, suggestions, thoughts, information
and messages must be orderly and properly presented in printed forms.
Records are to be preserved in offices in respect of the external and internal
dealings of the establishment. Also visitors should be handled with sound
business etiquette to create the necessary goodwill and healthy public
image required of an enterprise. The professional discharge of all these
functions lies with the graduate secretaries.
It takes about five to six years to train graduate in secretarial students
in most Nigeria Universities and polytechnics. There are some basic
academic qualifications that one has acquire before one could be eligible to
be trained as a graduate secretary. These include credit level passes in
English language and in four other art subjects plus a pass in Mathematics
at the senior schools certificate Examinations. The graduate programme of
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the Nigerian polytechnics is in two tiers – the National Diploma and the
Higher National Diploma disjoined by a one-year industrial work
experience. However, only the later could be wisely regarded as the full
graduate students. If a secretary after completing the two-year National
Diploma abandons the Higher National Diploma proramme she could
better be referred to as half-baked graduate in the profession. For the full
graduate of secretarial studies. She has been trained up to managerial
position in the office as she tool courses in industrial psychology, Business
law, personnel management business communication etc. There are the
Administrative secretary and company secretaries who perform very
minimal secretarial functions, but are involved in managerial organization
of the various establishments where they work.
Considering the kind of training given to graduate secretaries, it is
evident that most office functions revolve around the secretary – handling
of mails, filling and indexing taking down dictations and transcribing same,
receiving and making telephone calls on behalf of the electiveness’
itinerary, arranging appointments and maintaining the diary of activities etc
on behalf of her boss.
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For the graduate secretary to be in a better footing to execute these
functions, she needs some business and personal attributes. “A sound
knowledge of English language is quite relevant to a secretary who cannot
express himself or herself well (orally and in writing) is worthless in the
labour market”. Nweke (1986) she is the diplomat, ambassador and mirror
of the organization.
She needs great diplomacy and tact in handling
enquires, telephone calls and visitors, hostess; qualities are indispensable in
order to perform her reception duties. Discretion and confidentiality must
not lack in her and these are the major ethics of the profession.
Personal attributes should include good personality, integrity,
pleasing temperament, initiatives, charming manners, understanding and
sympathy towards others, self control and good humour in order to absorb
the heat of the day work.
The
introduction
of
sophisticated
machines,
the
operation/manipulation of such machines such as computers, word
processors, fax machines such as computers, word processors, fax
machines etc the handling of information and organization of other
business activities have diversified in this millennium.
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Moreover most of them do not have the machines and where
scarcely available they are faulty. It now follows that for the graduate
secretary to be efficient in the use of the machines.
Post graduation
training is required. Other machines such as fax, radio communication
gadgets, etc are never exposed to the secretaries at school.
Job opportunities abound for graduate secretaries in the public
service and big private companies such as banks, insurance and oil
companies, engineering and manufacturing companies, international
organizations, tertiary institutions, secondary schools and even in self
employment.
In the Western Countries like United State of America (USA) and
Britain Secretaries are thriving in these fields. Infact a general review of
the NBTE curriculum and course specification for secretarial studies by the
researcher reveals in adequacy for the new millennium’s job demands on
the secretaries and a poor state of affairs for the secretary of the paperless
office.
Time is auspicious for the graduate secretaries who are
distinguished from graduates in other fields of learning for their versatility,
to rise up to the challenges of the profession, tap new employment
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prospects and debunk the erroneous impression held by some people that
secretaries are mere servants whose growth potentials on the job is
unenviable and restricted to particular area.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There is this wrong notion held by some people that secretarial
studies students are synonymous with typewriting and shorthand.
A
trained graduate secretary is expected to be very versatile and
knowledgeable in Business management and Administration because the
modern secretary is looked up as a manager rather than as a typist or
stenographer. The researcher has, therefore, identified inadequacy in the
course content as specified by NBTE (National Board for Technical
Education) from the graduate programme in secretarial studies, to equip the
secretary in order to meet up with the current demand of discharge of
managerial and administrative functions. Special training in areas such as
technical medical liquates and legal, secretary ship has remained a mirage
in Nigerian Polytechnics and universities. These areas, if appropriated, are
veritable employment for secretaries.
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The automaton of most office functions has created trip? Problems
for the graduate secretary, viz. unprecedented surge of persons which did
not train as secretaries in the tertiary institutions, into short training on the
manipulation of operations of secretary job related machines, thus giving
room for non-professional or quacks who today work in business offices as
secretaries.
In the past, secretaries are not associated with unemployment after
training but today, “Unemployment gnaw many Nigerian graduate
secretaries in the face” Ogunlade, (1986).
The training received at school is no longer adequate for the present
day job demand on the secretary.
The researcher will, therefore, strain every nerve to investigate the
foregoing problems, till new employment ground and discover ways of
improving the abilities and level of efficiency of graduate secretaries.
1.3
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
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1.
To ascertain the extent to which the course contents of the
graduate programme is adequate for the job requirements on
the graduate secretaries.
2.
To investigate employment prospects available to secretaries,
project new employment horizon and tackle unemployment
problems among graduate secretaries.
3.
To determine the positive and negative effects of automation
of modern office functions on the job prospects of graduate
secretaries.
4.
To ascertain the perception of people on the job potentials of
the serving graduates secretaries, and make appropriate
recommendations.
5.
To evaluate the relationship between the secretary and the
boss.
1.4
SCOPE/DELIMITATION OF STUDY
This research project “Job opportunities for graduate secretaries in
the new millennium has been delimited t the following areas: Study of
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Enugu metropolis among all the other metropolitan cities in Nigeria. So
many instruments for data collection are available, but only secretarial job
opportunities. Descriptive Questionnaire (SJODO) will be used as the
research is of descriptive nature.
The working class and applicant graduate secretaries of Nigerian
universities and Polytechnics will be studied (the population) amongst all
the other categories of secretaries.
1.5
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
At a time like this when almost all fields of human endeavour are
discovering new things and new ways of doing things or practicing their
professions, a study of this nature becomes very important to announce
new dawn in secretarial practice.
The National Board for Technical Education (MBTE), which species
the course curriculum of secretarial studies in our tertiary institutions, will
particularly find this study very useful. It would enlighten the Board on
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possible areas t be incorporated in secretarial studies, to meet up with the
current job demands on graduate secretaries.
Tertiary institution offering secretarial studies would see the need to
acquire modern sophisticated office machines such as computers, word
processors, fax machines, etc and put these machines always in good
working condition and use them in training secretaries at school.
Employers of labour would realize the mistake of engaging persons
who had not been trained up to graduate level as secretaries and see the
benefits of engaging graduates in this field.
Applicant graduate secretaries will also benefit from this study, as it
would provide sources of employment information. The study will equally
make up the serving secretaries to the appropriate potentials on the job,
brace up to the challenges of the time in order to recreate the true image of
secretarial practice which has soc much suffered misconceptions.
1.6
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
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1.
To what extent are the courses contents of the graduate
programme adequate for the job requirement on the secretaries
in the new millennium?
2.
What areas do you think employment opportunities abound for
secretaries and are there other areas you believe secretarial
training in Nigeria is yet to embrace?
3.
What are the positive and negative effects of automation of
modern office on the job prospects of graduate secretaries?
4.
What is your perception of the employment prospects and
potentials of the graduate secretaries?
5.
How do people see the relationship existing between secretary
and her boss?
1.7
DEFINITION OF TERMS
1.
SECRETARY:
A secretary has been defined by the National Secretaries Association
(International) as an executive assistant who possesses a mastery of
skill, who demonstrates the ability to assume responsibility without
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direct supervision, who exercises initiative and judgment and makes
decisions within the scope of assigned authority.
2.
SHORTHAND
This is a method of writing rapidly using special written symbols
3.
EMPLOYMENT
This refers to occupation especially regular paid work.
4.
EMPLOYEES
These are persons who work for somebody or for a company in
return for wages.
5.
STENOGRAPHER
This refers to one who can write shorthand.
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