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This paper focuses on employee engagement in a sector that transitioned from a fully governmentowned to a privatized entity while retaining the majority of the legacy staff and bringing in new employees. The electricity sector has always piqued the interest of investors due to its strategic importance to the growth and development of other sectors, particularly in developing countries. This paper investigates some of the factors that influence employee engagement in the Nigerian power and electricity subsector. The study includes 824 employees from Nigeria's downstream electricity sector. Descriptive and ordinal regression analyses were used to determine the relationships between the variables. The study reveals that parameters such as office ambiance, clear communication, tool availability, health, and safety have relationships with or impact employee engagement. As a result, organizations' management must pay attention to and improve on them in order to retain their employees and provide their best discretionary effort. This research expands on theories of engagement in the post-privatization era and investigates the influence of key drivers on employee engagement in Nigeria's downstream power sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional certification, a proficiency to validate employees' competency and readiness for career development, has recently become a subject of inquiry among researchers. There are concerns about employers' demand for foreign in place of local professional certifications in employment decisions, especially in developing countries. Therefore, this study examines the impact of indigenous and foreign professional certifications on employee career development in developing countries like Nigeria. A survey questionnaire was designed to collect data from certified and non-certified human resource professionals in Nigeria. A structural equation modelling analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between the exogenous and homogenous constructs. Findings revealed that local and foreign certifications influence the career development of the sampled employees. However, the model's explanatory power shows that foreign certification has a greater influence on career development than local certification. The study report suggests that both certifications benefit career development, thus, are relevant in career development and employment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper broadly examines learning in informal settings and seeks explicitly to determine the modes of learning among automobile mechanics in the Lagos Metropolitan Area (LMA). The study relies on qualitative data extracted from the responses of 28 interviewees. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data carefully. The deductions led to novel findings, which reveal that the dynamics of learning among automobile mechanics is non-linear, requires a strong will and positive attitude, and involves taking personal responsibility for one's learning goals. Implications of the findings for practice and policies for improved learning and innovation in informal settings include, first, the study affirms that there are four learning modes among the informal automobile experts under review: generation of new ideas, information sharing, the wealth of experience, and reflection. Also, skills-upgrading and employment generation top the list of priorities among policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting innovative capabilities in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) is crucial if African countries are to progress in terms of being active in the Global Value Chain (GVC) and achieve inclusive development. Enhancing innovative capabilities in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector has been identified as strategic to Nigeria tapping into the GVC and deepening industrial sustainable development. Despite increasing awareness that enhanced innovative capabilities can foster the integration of SMEs into the GVC, there still exists scanty evidence of SMEs' innovative capabilities, especially in the ICT sector and software sub-sector in Nigeria. This paper broadly explores SMEs' innovative capabilities in the ICT–Software Incubator sub-sector in Lagos metropolis. Specifically, the paper seeks to understand what limits SMEs' innovative capabilities and the kinds of government support required to mitigate the effects of these factors. The study used 200 SMEs and 10 key incubator hubs operating in the sub-sector as a case study as well as in-depth interviews with the owners/managers. Our findings show that there is improvement in the software sector's knowledge and development and its value chain in the country; most businesses copy innovative concepts from abroad, adopting about 30% local innovation content due to the high demand for foreign software innovations by clients; overall most incubation hubs are underperforming in their core services to incubating firms; and poor educational infrastructure, brain drain and poor support from the government are key challenges facing the sector. We recommend a strong peer review among the innovation hubs and a check on the brain drain in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- As the 4th industrial revolution (4IR) unfolds, there is an increasing awareness that its implications for workforce transformation and shifts in workforce demand will profoundly impact the future of work. Specifically, the paper seeks to answer the following research questions: i) how does Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) equip young people for the real world of work, especially in the era of the third industrial revolution?; ii) does SIWES support the exposure of young people to the world of digitalization?; and iii) what are the effects of the SIWES exposure on the employability of young people? This paper aims to evaluate the University Internship system and preparation of young people for the world of work in the 4th industrial revolution. Design/methodology/approach -- This paper used a mixed method to unravel the objectives of this study, that is, quantitative and qualitative methods. For the former, structured questionnaires were used to elicit a response from 249 young people drawn from tertiary institutions across Lagos State, Nigeria. The latter used an in-depth interview method conducted among 45 respondents (25 employers of labor and 20 lecturers). Findings -- The findings reveal that: SIWES contributes meaningfully to the advancement of knowledge and capacity building among young people; SIWES exposes young people to the world of digitalization, depending on the organization where the internship takes place; and SIWES pays little attention to financial rewards and more attention to the acquisition of skills that are relevant to the world of work. The practical and policy implications of the findings are critically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]