Published Article

ABSTRACT Upholstery hand tools handling and cording skills need of technical college students for employability in Akwa Ibom State was investigated. Two specific objectives, two research questions, and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Survey design was used on a population of 86 respondents. The entire population was studied as it was of a manageable size. An 18-item questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was face validated and had a reliability index of 0.83 which ensured its internal consistency. Mean was used to answer the research questions while t-test was used to test all the null hypotheses at 0.05 significant level. The study revealed that upholstery hand tools handling and cording skills were significant and required for employability. Hence, students need re-training on these skills. It was recommended among others that technical teachers should guide upholstery-making students to show competence in upholstery hand tools handling and cording skills by exposing them to practical classes and real work experiences while in the college. The study concluded that upholstery hand tools handling and cording skills are required for employability, hence they must be acquired while in training. KEYWORDS:Technical College, Upholstery making, Upholstery hand tools handling, Cording, Employability, and Vocational Education.