ENHANCING WORKFORCE READINESS THROUGH EMERGING DIGITAL SKILLS IN BUSINESS EDUCATION IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract The growing digitalization of the workplace has heightened concerns about the workforce readiness of business education graduates, particularly in developing economies. This study examined the extent to which emerging digital skills are integrated into business education curricula and their influence on workforce readiness in tertiary institutions in Cross River State, Nigeria. Guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses, the study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised business education lecturers and undergraduate students in selected tertiary institutions in the state, from which a sample of 351 respondents was drawn using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Emerging Digital Skills Integration and Workforce Readiness Questionnaire (EDS-IWRQ), validated by experts and tested for reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation and simple linear regression were employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that emerging digital skills are integrated into the business education curriculum to a moderate extent, with limited emphasis on practical application and digital entrepreneurship. However, the integration of emerging digital skills exerted a strong and significant positive influence on workforce readiness of graduates (β = 0.72, p < 0.05), enhancing employability, job performance, adaptability, and confidence in using workplace digital tools. The study concludes that while digital skills integration in business education has improved graduate workforce readiness, strengthening practical and entrepreneurial digital competencies is necessary to fully align graduates with the demands of a technology-driven labor market. The study recommends curriculum reforms, enhanced lecturer digital capacity development, improved ICT infrastructure, and stronger industry–institution linkages to maximize workforce readiness outcomes.