GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

This research explored diving skills as a panacea for underwater welding operations for wealth creation and economic self-reliance for technical college graduates in south-south Nigeria. The focus of the study was to determine, the scuba-diving and surface supply-diving skills of technical college graduates in south-south Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was made up of 73 diving experts and underwater welding technicians. A sample size of 165 respondents—72 diving experts and 92 underwater welding technicians—was selected for the study through a simple random sampling technique. Data was collected through the instrument titled "Diving Skills for Underwater Welding Operations for Wealth Creation in Economic Self-Reliance Questionnaire" (DSUWOWCESQ). The instrument was validated by three lecturers in the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, and adjudged reliable based on a reliability index of 0.84 for diving experts and 0.86 for underwater welding technicians. Mean and independent t-test statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. The findings from the study revealed that there was no significant difference between the responses of diving experts and underwater welding technicians in south-south Nigeria on scuba-diving and surface supply-diving skills. In view of the findings from this study, recommendations were made, among others, that the National Board for Technical Education should develop curricula that suit the needs of the environment where the institutions are sited in riverine areas. Also, private institutions in south-south Nigeria should offer courses like diving since diving is a crucial aspect of oil and gas exploration, especially when it is explored off-shore; underwater welding; and marine operations.

KEYWORDS:     Diving Skills, Underwater Welding, Wealth Creation, Economic Self-Reliance.