ASSESSMENT OF HIGHER LEVEL COMPETENCIES REQUIRED OF GRADUATE SECRETARIES IN MODERN OFFICES IN ANIOCHA SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF DELTA STATE

Abstract

This study assessed the higher level competencies required of graduate secretaries in modern offices in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta state as a result of advancement in technology. Office activities have been transformed due to technological advancement. This transformation called for improvement of skills as well.  Therefore, higher level competencies are required to perform office duties. In view of this, two specific purposes and two corresponding research questions guided the study.  Two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Descriptive survey design was adopted and the study was carried out in public establishments in Aniocha South Local Government Area, Delta State that have Secretaries in their employment.  The total population was 52 Graduate Secretaries in public offices in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State. No sampling was made because of the manageable size of the population.  A validated structured questionnaire by one expert in the Mathematics and Statistics and another expert in the Department of Office Technology and Management all in Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku was used for data collection. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was determined using the Cronbach Alpha method of statistics after subjecting the instruments to ten (10) Graduate Secretaries who were not part of the target population in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State. It yielded a coefficient of 0.85 which makes the instrument reliable. The research questions were answered using mean statistic and standard deviation; while t-test statistic was used to test the two null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. It was found that office employers require higher level competences such as adaptive thinking and computing competences in modern office because of changes brought by advancement in technology. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that the lecturers and employers of labour should always be involved in planning Office Technology and Management Curriculum which is the programme training office practitioners to meet the needs of the ever changing modern offices.