Improving Employability Skills Acquisition of Visually Impaired Students Through Inclusive Career Coaching Progrmme
Keywords:
Visual impairment, Employability skills, Career coaching, Inclusive education, NigeriaAbstract
Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of an inclusive career coaching programme in improving employability skills acquisition among students with visual impairment in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental design was employed involving 25 visually impaired students purposively sampled from public tertiary institutions in Enugu State, Nigeria. Participants were assigned to either a treatment group (n = 12) receiving the inclusive career coaching programme or a control group (n = 13). Employability skills were assessed at pretest, posttest, and follow-up using a validated and reliable instrument. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for baseline scores and demographic variables.
Findings: Descriptive statistics indicated marked improvement in employability skills for the treatment group from pretest (M = 35.75, SD = 5.72) to posttest (M = 56.08, SD = 4.27) and follow-up (M = 62.17, SD = 3.19), while the control group showed minimal change. ANCOVA results revealed statistically significant effects of the intervention on posttest (F(1,8) = 156.43, p < .001, η²p = 0.951) and follow-up employability scores (F(1,8) = 195.84, p < .001, η²p = 0.961), indicating both immediate and sustained gains. Gender and age did not significantly moderate the programme’s effectiveness.
Conclusion: The inclusive career coaching programme was highly effective in enhancing employability skills among students with visual impairment. These findings suggest that structured, inclusive interventions can foster skill acquisition, improve self-efficacy, and promote socioeconomic participation for this population.
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