ASSESSMENT OF VOCATIONAL FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUM IN A SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY FOR GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY

Despite policy formulations by Nigerian governments in favour of skilled manpower production, the employability deficiencies of graduates of food science and technology in food industries and other work places remains alarming. This study therefore assessed vocational food science and technology curriculum in a South-western Nigerian University for graduate employability. The descriptive survey was guided by four research questions while a purposive sampling technique was used to select the target Department from the College of Food Science and Human Ecology of a university in Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select two hundred students from 400level and 500level altogether. The findings revealed a percentage of only 22.8 on the actualization of vocational food science and technology curriculum objectives; 95.5% adequacy of academic staff for the curriculum implementation; gross inadequacy in skills acquisition ranging from 4.5% for problem-solving skills acquired to 43.5% for laboratory skills acquired; poor curriculum implementation (12.0%)and inadequate funding (42.0%).The need for re-positioning of food science and technology in vocational terms for more practical exposition and up-to-date professional development of human resources among others are recommended as boosters to make food science and technology more result- oriented.