Digital Skills Training and Digital Competence Among Youths in Rivers State: The Moderating Role of Digital Literacy

This study examined the relationship between digital skills training and digital competence among youths in Rivers State, with digital literacy as a moderating variable. A correlational research design was adopted. The population comprised 5,000 youths who completed the 2MTT technical training programme by December 2024, from which a sample of 370 was selected using the Taro Yamane formula and multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using the Digital Skills Training, Digital Literacy and Digital Competence Questionnaire (DSTDLDCQ), measured on a four-point Likert scale. The instrument was validated by experts and its internal consistency was established using Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, and moderated multiple regression. The findings showed that the level of digital skills training among youths was high (M = 3.19, SD = 0.72), while digital literacy was also high (M = 3.16, SD = 0.72). Digital skills training had a significant positive relationship with digital competence (r = .624, p < .05), while digital literacy also had a significant positive relationship with digital competence (r = .681, p < .05). Furthermore, digital literacy significantly moderated the relationship between digital skills training and digital competence, with the interaction contributing an additional 3.8% explained variance (ΔR² = .038, F-change = 30.85, p < .05). The study concluded that digital skills training contributes to youths’ digital competence and that its relationship with competence varies according to the level of digital literacy. It was recommended that Digital skills training providers should strengthen practical and competency-based training programmes for youths by incorporating hands-on activities in areas such as digital productivity, online communication, digital entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, problem-solving, and the use of emerging technologies.