SKILL ACQUISITION LEVELS OF UNDERGRADUATES IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract Despite increased enrollment in higher education, many graduates still lack the practical skills, problem-solving abilities, technological competency, and entrepreneurial capacity required by the contemporary labour market a gap that that prioritise theoretical knowledge over practical application. This study examined the level of skill acquisition among undergraduates in public universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 59,312 undergraduates from public universities in Ogun State with a sample of 1,190 undergraduate using proportionate stratified sampling technique. Data were collected using the Skill Acquisition Questionnaire (SAQ) with reliability coefficient ɑ = .912. Findings revealed that undergraduate students possess; a high level of technical skill ( = 3.09), a high level of business management skill ( = 3.16), a high level of soft skill ( = 3.17), a high level of experiential learning skill ( = 3.21), and a high level of continuous learning skill ( = 3.12). It was concluded that undergraduates possess strong skill readiness, though gaps remain in industry-standard softwares and internship exposure. The study recommended among others that universities should strengthen structured technical skill development programme through industry partnership. Keywords: Skill acquisition, human capital, graduate employability, university-industry partnership, higher education