Project Materials

JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE SECRETARIES IN THIS NEW MILLENNIUM

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to find out how many job openings exist for graduate secretaries in the Enugu Metropolis area and what obstacles they face in their pursuit of employment. People sometimes mistakenly believe that secretarial education entails only typewriting and shorthand, which limits secretaries to low-level administrative and managerial roles. This misconception necessitates the study. Due to a lack of training, many areas are still not suitable for office automation, which has introduced its own set of challenges. The purpose of the research is to determine the actual state of affairs. This was accomplished by surveying relevant literature and soliciting the views of people in the field. Members of the working class and five secret organisations made up the populace. Using a basic random sampling procedure, 133 individuals were selected from a total of 200. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire, and tables and the basic percentage technique were utilised for analysis. Secretaries, according to the results, take classes in management and administration beyond only the required professional courses. When it comes to training for secretarial jobs, many universities do not have modern, high-tech equipment. Secretaries can find work with international organisations, energy businesses, and setup firms. Due to a lack of training, secretaries have not yet taken advantage of employment opportunities in the fields of law, medicine, technology, and language. The study’s author concluded that, among other things, universities should update their outdated technology and include more relevant courses in their curricula. The study’s author draws the conclusion that secretaryship is a lucrative career path, and that the sky is the limit for secretaries.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Study 

A great deal of operational and organisational sophistication has been observed in the contemporary corporate world since the turn of the millennium. For a company to run smoothly and efficiently, graduate secretaries from a variety of cadres are crucial.

The success of any well-run business depends on the smooth operation of its internal communications and the accuracy of its public personas.

All of the aforementioned highlights the need of presenting written ideas, opinions, thoughts, facts, and messages in a structured and appropriate manner. The establishment’s internal and external affairs records are required to be kept in offices.

In order to build the goodwill and positive public perception that a company needs, it is important to handle guests with proper business etiquette. Graduate secretaries are competently responsible for carrying out all of these duties.

Graduate secretarial students at most Nigerian universities and polytechnics spend around five or six years in training. In order to be eligible for graduate secretary training, one must first obtain certain minimum academic qualifications.

Among these are passing grades in mathematics, four art classes, and English language at the credit level on the senior school certificate exams.

The Nigerian polytechnics’ graduate curriculum consists of two levels: the National Diploma and the Higher National Diploma, with a year of industrial work experience in between. Nevertheless, it would be prudent to consider only the latter group as complete graduate students.

When a secretary drops out of the Higher National Diploma program after finishing the two-year National Diploma, it’s more accurate to say that she is a “half-baked graduate” in the field. For those who have completed their secretarial education.

With her education in industrial psychology, business law, people management, business communication, and other related fields, she is now qualified to hold a managerial role in an office setting.

Administrative secretaries and company secretaries are essential to the management structure of the businesses they work for, yet they do relatively little in the way of secretarial work.