[01] M. U. Cyril, Department of Technology Education, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria.

Provision and the utilization of manpower needs is paramount to economic development of Nigeria. These needs called for partnership that will bring mutual benefits between the universities of technology and the manufacturing industries in developing and sustaining manpower needs. This study provided strategies for the universities of technology and the manufacturing industries to partner in order to developed and sustained industrial work force in the 21^st century. The study was a survey and was conducted in the 6 geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Two universities of technology and the manufacturing industries were purposively selected in these zones. The population of the study was 650. The sample of the study comprises of 240 university of technology lecturers and 50 supervisors of the manufacturing industries across the 6 geopolitical zones. The instrument of the study was a structured questionnaire designed by the researcher and was faced validated by 3 experts in the department of technology education, ATBU Bauchi; FUT Minna and MAUTECH Yola. Three research questions were raised and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Z-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the study revealed that there are skills mismatch by the graduates of universities of technology and those required by manufacturing industries. The study also revealed that there is no significant difference between the mean responses of Universities of Technology lecturers and supervisors of manufacturing industries on the skills mismatch. The study concluded by making recommendations that includes manufacturing industries should share their long time and short time goals with the universities and vice versa among others.

Strategies, Improving, Partnership

[01] Adebayo, J. J. (2005). Strategies for improving school-industry relations for effective work preparation of auto-mechanics technology students in the technical institutions in Lagos State. Unpublished M. ED Thesis, Department of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. [02] Atsumbe, B. N. (2006). School-industry partnership: A veritable tool for quality technology education programme. Journal of Research in Curriculum and Teaching 1(1) 39-47 [03] Barbier, M., Greiber, T., Wesnigk, J. & Winter, G. (2014). Deliverable 8.6 Report on best practices industry-university models for collaborative management of IP rights in blue biotechnology (Technical background document). Retrieved from: http://microb3.eu/sites/default/files/deliverables/MB3_D8_6_PU.pdf [04] Cyril, M. U. (2002). The relationship between the occupational skills required in the manufacturing industries and those acquired in polytechnics. Journal of Scientific and Technological Research, 8 (1-74) 42-48. [05] Cyril, M. U. (2010). Entrepreneurial competencies needed by vocational technical teacher education students in North Eastern Nigeria. Unpublished Ph.D thesis. MAUTECH, Yola. [06] Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute. (2011). Boiling Point? The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing. Retrieved from: http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/manufacturing/us-indprod-pip-2011-skills-gap-report-01142011.pdf [07] Egole, A. (2012 July, 21). Our Graduates are not half baked. Vanguard. Retrieved from: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/07/our-graduates-are-not-half-baked/ [08] Hallingan, U. (2013). Future Skills Requirements of the Manufacturing Sector 2020. Retrieved from: http://www.forfas.ie/media/270213-Future_Skills_Requirements_of_Manufacturing-Publication.pdf [09] Industrial Training Fund (2002). Information and guideline for students’ industrial work experience scheme. Jos: ITF Publishers. [10] Industrial Training Fund (2011). An evaluation of the impact of the impact of Students Industrial Work Experience (SIWES) on teaching skills development in Nigeria. A Joint Study by ITF and University of Jos. [11] Osterman, P. & Weaver, A. (2014). Why claims of skills shortages in manufacturing are overblown. Report on trade and globalization. Retrieved from: http://www.epi.org/publication/claims-skills-shortages-manufacturing-overblown/ [12] Ugwu, P. (2012, August, 06). NREN: How, Why Nigeria Produces Half-Baked Graduates. Nigeria Communications Week. Retrieved from: http://nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng/news/nren-how-why-nigeria-produces-half-baked-graduates [13] Zakaria, A., Yee, S. V., & Chong, A. L. (2009). University-industry collaborations: Comparative strategic collaborative management practices. Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Higher Education. [14] Davey, T. (2013). The partnering university approach: An example of how to create long term strategic partnerships with industry. In A, Meerman & T, Kliewe (Eds). Fostering university- Industry relationships, entrepreneurial universities and collaborative innovation. Retrieved from: www.uiin.org [15] Nigeria Stock Exchange (2015). Company List. Retrieved from: http://www.moneyhub.net/scripts/cgiip.wsc/globalone/htm/company_list.r?picountry-id=55&pcsort=Industry#Manufacturing%20and%20Industrial