Effectiveness of Broadcast Media in Promoting Skill Acquisition Awareness Among Mass Communication Students at Auchi Polytechnic

Abstract

Skill acquisition among students has become very necessary given the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria and other African countries. This is because it helps to provide job opportunities for the teeming youths including Mass Communication students after their graduation. Meanwhile, some Mass Communication students are ignorant of the various opportunities that exist for them to acquire skills hence this study examined the effectiveness of broadcast media as potent channel for promoting awareness campaign for skills acquisition among Mass Communication students in Auchi Polytechnic. In the course of carrying out this study, the researchers adopted survey as the research method while questionnaire was used as the instrument of the study. The theoretical thrust of this study is Uses and Gratification theory. The main objective of this study is to determine the level of awareness promoted by broadcast media among Mass Communication Students in Auchi Polytechnic. Findings of the study revealed that the broadcast media is a viable and effective channel for promoting awareness campaign for the acquisition of skills by Mass Communication students in Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi. However, the study showed that there are certain challenges associated with using the broadcast media to promote skills acquisition in Auchi Polytechnic such as inadequate funding, low students’ engagement, limited broadcast airtime etc. As a result of the identified challenges, it was recommended among other things that sufficient funds should be earmarked for promoting skills acquisition and that broadcast media should develop and present engaging skills acquisition programmes capable of motivating Mass Communication students.