Manpower Development for Workers in Tertiary Institutions : Distance Learning Approach

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which workers patronize distance learning approach to further their education. Other purposes include: determine problems facing workers in the process of improving their knowledge and skills through distance learning approach; establish the level of attainment of manpower development objectives of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, both in Ondo State, Nigeria; and find out the relationship between manpower development and job performance effectiveness of workers in both institutions. Survey research was used in order to carry out the study. One hundred and seventy five (175) respondents were selected from Adekunle Ajasin University. However, one hundred and ninety five (195) respondents came from Rufus Giwa Polytechnic. Four (4) research questions were generated from the literature review. Questionnaire items on manpower development through distance education and the responses elicited from respondents were numerically quantified, tabulated and analyzed using Likert scale and percentage. The analyses showed that: opportunity for training and development was given to all workers in both institutions; most Nigerian Universities do not provide distance learning programmes to citizens; respondents of both institutions reported occasional frustration from colleagues and management in a bid to pursue further education; respondents in the two institutions held that the objectives of floating manpower development for workers were achieved; and they reported that there was relationship between acquisition of manpower development and job performance at workplace. Based on the findings, it is recommended that workers should be encouraged to patronize distance learning system to further their education; information and communication technology should form part of manpower development programmes in tertiary institutions; and workers who have stayed long away from classroom should be properly counseled whenever they are on for further studies.


Introduction
Manpower is the critical element in the development of any nation.Manpower refers to human power supplied by physical and or mental work of people rather than machines.Also, it refers to power in terms of number of people needed or available in a particular country for social and economic development (Microsoft Encarta, 2009).Natural and material resources are harnessed by manpower in order to develop the economy of the nation.Capital alone cannot move itself except with the involvement of manpower.No wonder why Marsh (1984) observes that, to manage men, money, materials and machines, labour force requires continual study, high performance and righteous self-discipline.According to the scholar, managers must be in a continual state of education and training throughout their working lives.A man who ceases to embrace new knowledge begins to be a wasting asset to himself, his employer and the community.
Meanwhile, a nation's output of goods and service and its capacity to raise living standards of its people are dependent on its resources and the state of technological knowledge regarding how to utilize them.Perhaps, that is why World Bank (2003) is advocating the adoption of knowledge-based economy where the use of ideas rather physical abilities and the application of technology rather the transformation of raw materials or the exploitation of cheap labour will be in vogue.
Being successful in the knowledge economy requires mastering a new set of knowledge and competencies.These include basic academic skills, such as literacy, foreign language, mathematics and science skills, management courses, and the ability to use these skills effectively, act autonomously and reflectively.
In essence, all these review underscore the need for continuing education for workers in all sectors of the economy, including tertiary level of education.There are various avenues where workers can obtain further education.One of these is distance education approach.Consequently, this paper aims at examining manpower development for workers in tertiary institutions vis-à-vis distance learning approach.Two institutions were selected as case studies, namely: Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, all in Ondo State, Nigeria.The objectives of the study include: (i) to find out the extent to which workers patronize distance learning approach to obtain further education; (ii) to determine problems facing workers in the process of improving their knowledge and skill through distance learning system; (iii) to establish the level of attainment of manpower development objectives of both institutions; and (iv) to find out the relationship between manpower development and job performance effectiveness of workers in both institutions.

Manpower Development
Before discussing manpower development there is the need to explain the word "manpower".Manpower may refer to human resources or latent force which is inherent in a person (www.thefreedictionary.com/manpower).When such resources or inherent power is developed through education, training and health, individual would be in a better position to make contribution to the group and or the society he or she belongs.Furthermore, manpower means the power of human physical strength.Also, it refers to power in terms of the workers available to a particular group or required for a particular task in any organization, be it educational, service or industrial organization.In economic terms, it means the labour force in a nation, including both men and women.If there are more people than available jobs, it is called manpower surplus; if available people are fewer than jobs, it becomes manpower deficit (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/manpower).
Development of manpower is undertaken through formal and non-formal education in order to make workers useful to themselves and the group they are working for (Okotoni and Erero, 2005).The emerging challenge of developing organizational cultures not only support the acquisition, sharing and management of the knowledge that currently resides in individuals in an organization, but also the creation and application of new knowledge for improving business practices and processes (Cedefop, 2002).Meanwhile, manpower development or human resources development refers to the improvement in knowledge, skill, attitude and endowment of labour force so as to bring about sustained economic growth.In the past, much emphasis was laid on capital and material resources development.However, it has now been recognized that access to capital and material resources can only be achieved if manpower is adequately developed.Besides, it has also been realized that human beings are the active agents used in accumulating capital, tapping natural resources, building social, economic and political organization, and for national development.
In view of the recent trend in information and communication technology and free market economy, the nature of manpower development programme being provided has also changed.For instance, World Bank (2003) advocates the knowledge-based economy which relies primarily on the use of ideas and application of technology.Thus, preparing workers to compete in knowledge economy requires a new mode of education and training, a mode of life long learning that encompasses learning throughout the life cycle of an individual.It includes formal, non formal and informal education and training.According to the World Bank (2003), a knowledge economy rests on four pillars: (i) A supportive economic and institutional regime which can provide incentives for the efficient use of existing and new knowledge.
(ii) Educated and skilled population who can create, share, and use knowledge.
(iii) A dynamic information infrastructure which can facilitate the effective communication dissemination and processing of information.
(iv) An efficient innovation system of firms, research centres, universities, consultants, and other organizations who can tap the growing stock of global knowledge, assimilate and adapt it to local needs, and create new technology.

Tertiary and Further Education
An increasing number of tertiary institutions, including newly approved universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria are offering part-time evening weekend, and sandwich courses/programmes to meet the needs of working adults in all the sectors of the economy.Besides, the national teachers institute (NTI) is graduating more teachers every year through its distance learning programme.Many universities and polytechnics are encouraging their workers, academic and non-academic staff, to obtain further education or pursue post graduate programmes in various disciplines.These institutions still sponsor their academic staff for local and international conferences in order to keep them fit for academic work.The non academic workers are not left behind.They are motivated to join professional groups, and from time to time, they are sponsored to take part in one workshop or the other with a view to exposing them to new ideas, knowledge and skill.Apart from obtaining further education through formal education approach, one other way is non formal education and training.An aspect of this is distance education which offers more flexible learning opportunities for workers.Using distance education system, workers may rely on correspondence from provider institution.Beside prepared materials obtained through printed or electronic means or internet or CD, learners may also benefit from face-to-face teaching in institution where the programme is taking place.Examples of this model are that of university of Ibadan, university of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University to mention just a view.

Some Objectives of Manpower Development in Tertiary Institutions
Some of these objectives are as follows: (i) To improve present performance of workers on the same job.
(ii) To improve future performance of employees on a new or higher job.
(iii) To upgrade and update competence of workers for future job assignments.
(iv) To raise productivity of workers.
(v) To produce workers that are ready to take up new challenges brought about by the change in technology.

Distance Learning
Distance education or distance learning has been described as a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy and andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that aim to deliver education to students who are not physically "on site" ( Aderinoye ,2004) .Rather than attending courses in person, teachers and students may communicate at times of their own choosing by exchanging printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time and through other online ways.Distance education programme that requires physical on-site presence for any reason, including the taking of examinations, is considered to be a hybrid or blended course of study.Also, distance education is obtained in a providing institution that is responsible for designing the distance learning system and for the academic standard of the award granted upon successful completion of that programme.Besides, Maduka (1982) defines distance education as a method of mass instruction which aims at obviating the restrictions of space and time by judicious application of multimedia to bring teaching behaviour to learners, taking into consideration their experiential situation and which is characterized by a two-way communication, occasional face-to-face encounter of teaching agency and learner.The example of such an agency is National Open University of Nigeria.One observes that distance education is aimed at reaching vast number of people comprising of men and women of all ages and different occupations and abilities.For teaching enterprise to make any meaning, it must be assumed that all the members of the audience have the potential to learn in their various peculiar ways.Consequently, distance education should be seen more as part of lifelong education rather than a mere extension of formal school education.

Challenges in Distance Learning
Standards are always presumed to be inferior in any new educational venture, and, even if there are learners who take advantage of the new endeavour, ways can be found to frustrate the institution and its clientele (Wedemeyer, 1989).However, it appears that the Nigerian populace has widely accepted the programmes of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), which was resuscitated during President Olusegun Obasanjo's first term (1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003).The NOUN is having its study centres in all the 36 States and Abuja.Similarly, National Teachers Institute, Kaduna (NTI) offers programmes such as : Advance Diploma in Education and Post Graduate Diploma in Education to learners in Nigeria.Many other universities like Ibadan, Abuja, Ahmadu Bello, Lagos, Ilorin and Uyo provide part time and distance learning programmes to the populace.
In spite of the acceptance of distance education, certain constraints or challenges can be seen in the way it is practiced.Residential education or on-campus education is so developed that not all its programmes could be provided in distance education programme.This restricts the choice of courses by the learners.As Burge and Frewin (1989) point out, the use of highly specific learning objectives can inhibit incidental learning as well as initial intentional learning.Adult distance learners can demonstrate high levels of initiative and responsibility while accomplishing learning.Also, learners will respond to learning activities in accord with the demands of their individual situations.This response may reduce effective control of the tutor, triggers frustration in adult learners and they may not easily tolerate learning activities which they see as tedious, repetitive, and irrelevant.
The NOUN and NTI produce prepared course materials for their learners.While other institutions give room for the facilitators to use textbooks and other materials for the clientele.As stated, some of these materials are seen as tedious, probably because most of the clientele are engaged in one kind of job and they do not have enough time for their studies.Besides, many of the learners may have stayed away from classroom for long and see academic work as difficult.
Furthermore, Agor ( 2004) identifies a number of problems of distance education initiatives in Ghana, which are considered relevant to Nigerian situation.Producing course materials for the clientele was expensive.Besides, the problem of sustainability surfaced as the Institute of Adult Education, which was providing distance education, charged nominal fees from the learners, only to be subsidized by the government.In other words, cost recovery mechanisms were not built into the programme, as it was not run on sound business lines.

Methodology
The survey research design where the phenomena already present in the subjects was utilized for this study.

Population and Sample
The population for the study consisted of academic and non academic staff from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-akoko and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, all in Ondo state, Nigeria.

Sample
Random sampling technique where all subjects had equal probability of being selected was used in the study.This is presented in Table 1.

Instrument
The study was embarked upon purposely to examine the impact of manpower development obtained through distance learning on workers in tertiary institutions.Consequently, structured questionnaire was constructed to provide answers to the research questions generated under introduction.The scores obtained by the respondents on each questionnaire item were weighted in order to get their mean.
Weighted scores refer to the respondents' scores against each questionnaire item multiplied by the scores under Likert Scale point.The products were added together on each column in order to find out the average (mean) using the number of respondents involved.The mean (average) obtained is interpreted as follows: The population of both academic and non-academic staff of Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA) and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic was 2918 (reference to grand total columns 1 and 4, Table 1).The sample obtained from the population from the two institutions amounted to 370 (columns 2 and 5) which represented 12.67%.The breakdown is as follows: One hundered (100) respondents were selected from 672 junior non-academic staff from AAUA.This constituted 14.88% of the population.Their counterpart from Rufus Giwa was 1145.Similarly, 120 respondents were chosen for the study which amounted to 10.4%.Thirty five (35) respondents each were selected from 292 senior non-academic workers from AAUA and 318 from Rufus Giwa.That of AAUA was equaled to 11.99% which was higher than Rufus Giwa's(11.00percent) senior non-academic workers.Members of academic staff from AAUA were 243.Out of this number, 40 respondents were randomly selected.This represented 16.46% of the population.Forty (40) out of 248 members of academic staff of Rufus Giwa was selected for the study.This translated to 16.13% of the population.The study ensured that minimum of 10% of the population was chosen, based on Gay's (1987) and kothari's ( 2004) submission that 10% of population could be a minimum of sample before the study could have a generalisable outcome on the population.
To what extent were workers allowed to further their education through distance learning system?Answer to this question is contained in Tables 2 and 3.The analysis of respondents' view on acquiring further education/manpower development through distance learning obtained in table 3 showed that workers from AAUA and Rufus Giwa unanimously agreed that distance learning required great fund in which the employer had to support before meaningful thing could be achieved by the workforce.All the workers from the two institutions opined that training and development policy of their schools gave opportunity for workers' participation in distance education.However, finding revealed from Table 3 that workers did not explore the opportunity provided by the institutions to obtain manpower development through distance learning.Rather than using distance education, the workers appeared to prefer going to institutions of learning using face-to-face approach.Worse still, most of the Nigerian Universities did not provide distance learning programme to Nigerian citizens.With the exception of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Universities of Ibadan and Lagos, all others provide sandwich programmes.
What were the problems facing workers in the process of improving knowledge and skill through distance learning system?Tables 4 and 5 provide answer to this question In table 5, the respondents' view on problems of workers in patronizing distance learning system was analysed.It showed that workers from AAUA and Rufus Giwa opined that, on some occasions, effort to further education was frustrated by colleagues and management of their establishments.Perhaps, this may be due to non-release of fund meant for the programme by the management or unhealthy rivalry from senior colleagues at workplace.Besides, the respondents from the two establishments expressed the view that courses offered at the National Open University (NOUN) of Nigeria could not satisfy the needs of workers.Apart from Arts, Education, Social and Management Sciences, Courses in Agriculture, Medicine, Engineering and Pharmacy were not offered in NOUN.
On programme of campus education, while respondents from Adekunle Ajasin University agreed that not all courses in residential university could be offered through distance learning system, the respondents from Rufus Giwa Polytechnic expressed contrary view.The dichotomy in their opinion could be traceable to the perception of people about university education which is on the high side; while polytechnic education is seen as lower in value compared to university.Another reason could be the quality of workers; especially academic staff in the university which appears higher than the ones in the Polytechnic.Besides, most of the courses in the polytechnic could be available through distance learning system.
The respondents from both AAUA and Rufus Giwa expressed the view that information and communication technology knowledge was required for distance education programme.In addition, they opined that they need to create enough time for their studies.The table also revealed that the respondents agreed that clientele of distance education could have phobia for academic work after long period of staying away from classroom.Moreover, the respondents expressed the view that course materials for distance education programme were not as expensive as to go beyond the purchasing power of the clientele.This is contrary to what Agor( 2004) found out in Ghana on the expensive nature of distance education programme of the Institute of Adult Education Question 3.
What was the level of attainment of Manpower Development objectives of AAUA and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic?Tables 6 and 7 contain answer to this research question.
The level of attainment of manpower development objectives of AAUA and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic was analyzed in table 6, using frequency (freq) and percentage (%).The percentage of those who held that the objectives of manpower development was somewhat achieved was the highest in AAUA with (45.71%) and 35.89% in Rufus Giwa polytechnic.They were followed by those who held that the objectives were fully achieved in the two organizations; they constituted 28.57% in AAUA and 34.29% in Rufus Giwa.Those who opined that their objectives were achieved in AAUA was 17.14% and 22.86% in Rufus Giwa.Those who were of the opinion that their objectives of manpower development were not achieved were made up of 5.71% in AAUA and 11.43% in Rufus Giwa.Similarly, those who held that they were not certain about the achievement of their manpower development objectives in AAUA were 2.86% and 2.56% in Rufus Giwa respctively.
Summarizing the percentage of attainment levels of achievement, one observes that 91.43% of respondents in AAUA and 87.18% of respondents in Rufus Giwa felt that they achieved the objectives of manpower development programmes as against 8.57% of respondents in AAUA and 12.82% in Rufus Giwa who held contrary view.The implication of this finding is that both educational institutions appear to have attained the objectives of manpower development programmes for their workers.As has been observed, many avenues open to workers in tertiary institution: formal and non-formal approaches.Distance education is just one of the non-formal techniques.Perhaps, some of the workers were exploring other means to further their education.This might include attending residential university/institution, sandwich, part-time and distance education programme.
What was the relationship between manpower development and job performance effectiveness of workers in AAUA and Rufus Giwa?Tables 7 and 8 provide answer to this question.
One observes in Table 8 the analysis of respondents' view on the relationship between manpower development and job performance effectiveness.It is revealed in the table that respondents in AAUA and Rufus Giwa held the view that acquisition of manpower development ensured effective job performance at workplace.Respondents from both organizations opined that acquisition of knowledge and skills developed in them ability to engage in new things.Furthermore, they were of the opinion that competence resulting from manpower development enabled them to reach the standard expected of them at their work place.In the same vein, the workers from both institutions opined that core competence obtained from manpower development had positive effect on their organizations.Perhaps, this may be seen in the productivity of workers and the quality of students coming out from their institutions.In buttressing the findings so far, the respondents in AAUA and Rufus Giwa held that manpower development enabled them to do the job with less effort and precision.All the findings in table 8 support the views expressed by Cedefop (2002) on the impact of manpower development on competence of workers in work place.

Recommendations
The following recommendations were made based on the findings of the study.
(i) Workers should be encouraged to patronize distance learning system to further their education.The opportunity to combine work with study will be enjoyed by the workers (ii) More opportunity should be created for workers to patronize distance education by allowing more institutions to provide their programmes in form of distance learning system.
(iii) As there is no shortcut to acquisition of knowledge and skill except through institutions of learning, management should encourage their workers to further their education through distance learning system.
(iv) Management in tertiary institutions is encouraged to organize ICT programmes for their workers in order to fit in the 21st century institutions.
(v) Workers who are pursuing one programme or the other in institutions of higher learning need to be properly counseled, especially when they have stayed away long time from classroom.
(vi) The management of tertiary institutions is enjoined to formulate policies on manpower development programmes for their workers because of its positive influence on their organizations.

Conclusion
The opportunity provided for workers of AAUA and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic to further their education through distance learning was not fully utilized.Workers from both institution reported that they faced frustration from management and colleagues in pursuing their education.That may perhaps explains why the opportunity provided for them was not used fully.Besides, not all courses were available in the distance learning system.In spite of these, workers from both institutions opined that they achieved the objectives of manpower development of their organizations (AAUA, 91.43% and Rufus Giwa, 87.18%).The respondents from AAUA and Rufus Giwa held that there was relationship between manpower development and job performances effectiveness of workers.They reported that core competence obtained through manpower development had positive influence on their organization.
Thus far, one observes that benefits derivable from engaging in manpower development of workers are enormous.It is a form of building the capacity of workers so as to perform their job effectively and efficiently.The requirements of job place in this 21 st century are great.Workers should engage themselves in learning continually in order to keep abreast of time.
The data were analyzed by using rating scale, especially Likert type as follows: was also used to analyze some of the data collected.In using the percentage, the opinions of respondents were grouped into five levels, namely:

Table 3 .
1. Analysis of Respondents' View on Obtaining Further Education Through Distance Learning System Using Weighted Scores A.A.U.A