SKILLS AND COMPETENCE NEEDED FOR SELF RELIANCE IN ELECTRICAL COIL REWINDING FOR STUDENTS OF ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT IN GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL COLLEGES
ABSTRACT
This research was on the skills and competence needed for self reliance in electrical coil rewinding for students of electrical department in government technical colleges in the study area. The important or necessary literature was reviewed, it employed the use of a survey research method and seventy senior technical (ST 2) students from all the technical colleges across the state where randomly selected.
A twenty four (24) structured questionnaire items was employed, while mean and standard deviation were used as a statistical tool for data analysis. A reliability coefficient of 0.86 was obtain for the instrument using cronbach’s alpha formula = k/k-1[1-∑S2i / St2] the result shows that skills and competence can be acquired through the appropriate means, instructional material are at the disposal of the teachers and they are very competent in coil rewinding vocation as expected. It was commended that teachers should lay more emphasis in practical than theories.
Skills and Competence Needed For Self Reliance in Electrical Coil Rewinding for Students of Electrical Department in Government Technical Colleges
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
Electrical engineering is divided into electrical electronic and electrical power; coil rewinding is a trade or vocation under electrical power where students can specialize to earn a living; that is, to be self reliance. It is one of the courses students are offering in technical college under electrical trade or vocation.
Thomas (2010) define coil as a number of turns of wire wound around a core to create magnetic field for an electric circuit. One or more turns usually roughly circular or cylindrical of current carrying wire designed to produce electrical resistance or inductance; coil is also called a choke (inductance) that is a soft iron core placed within a coil produces an electromagnet.
Rewinding motor simply means to replace a damaged coil in a damaged induction motor, choke or transformer. Most electrical motor develop their mechanical torque by the current in a direction at right angle to the magnetic flux. Coil rewinding is therefore a process of replacing a damaged or burnt coil from either an induction motor, choke and a transformer for the successful production of induced electromotive force to enable current pass through the load. For it to be effective, adequate skills and competence must be strictly adhered to.
Coil rewinding is usually undertaken in a workshop. Hornby (2000) define a workshop as a room or building in which things are made or repairs is carried out using tools or machinery. There are two major type of workshop for schools, the specialized workshop and the general workshop. The specialized workshop are those that are design specially for one type of trade or the other, while the general workshop are built to cater for more than one vocation or trade (Ezema, 2014).
Coil rewinding workshop is a specialized workshop where by only one trade is being practices with specialized tools and machineries for recoiling. Electrical workshop on the other hand is also a specialized workshop where most of the electrical gadget such as electric motor, electric fan, electric cookers and transformers are brought for maintenance and repairs as well. Such a workshop has to be well equipped with firefighting equipment (fire extinguisher).
According to Datol(2012), skills is an aspect of physical involvement as well as the mind, it involves the individual sense if coordination that is, the entire body of the individual or the learner. Skills emphasize performance and should be in the individual as a habit; skills represent particular ways of using capacities in relation to environmental demand with human being and external situation put together to form a functional system. Udofia (2015) added that skills are a manual dexterity through the respective performance of an operation. Skills is based on the development of physical and mental manipulation, once the two are combined together properly, student can perform better in specific and broad occupational situation. Competences indicate sufficiency of knowledge and skills that enable someone to act in a variety of situation. (Encyclopedia Britannica 2010).
Thomas (2010) define competence as the ability to do something well or quality or state of being competent. It can also be seen as a set of defined behavior that provide guide enabling the identification, evaluation and development in individual. Competence as a combination of practical and theoretical knowledge, cognitive skills, behavior and value use to improve specific role (Gilbert 1978). Competences are also what student needs to be successful in their jobs. Job competence are not the same as job tasks, it also include the related knowledge, skills abilities and attributes that forms a person (Udofia, 2015).
Alternating current and direct current generators, motors, chokes, transformers (step up and step down), to mention but a few cannot function without adequate coil or winding. Society, state or nation cannot succeed well with the absent of electricity.
Coils enable current to flow to any load. Following its importance in the society, any break or cut in the coil needs to be rewind since new one might not be easily purchased as a result of this present economic recession. Students in technical colleges need to be taught with adequate skills and competencies for successful coil rewinding operation.
Electric motor and transformers when burnt or damaged are taken to road side technicians for repairs; this is due to in-competencies in teachers and instructors in technical schools. Therefore, there is the need for government to train and employ competence teachers and instructor so as to impact the necessary skills and competent in the students.
1.2. Statement of the problem.
Lack of essential equipment and training materials in technical colleges’ workshop causes a lot of in-competence to students of technical colleges in their field of specialization after graduation, (Ogwo and Oranu, 2006). Technical colleges are not provided with modern coil rewinding machines in the electrical workshop, those available are obsolete and also electrical technicians or instructors available has no or less knowledge of rewinding coil.
Electric motors and transformer that are burnt are taken to roadside technicians, some being abandon thereby causing wastage and continues lack of machine in electrical workshop. Lack of well trained personnel to handle coil rewinding is one of the key factor to which students’ developmental skills is not well achieved in coil rewinding trade. It is hoped that if the above will be looked into to encourage students and technical teachers, students will be self reliance in coil rewinding trade.
Skills and Competence Needed For Self Reliance in Electrical Coil Rewinding for Students of Electrical Department in Government Technical Colleges
1.3. Purpose of the study.
The purpose of this work is on skills and competencies needed for self reliance in coil rewinding for students of electrical electronic in government technical colleges in Plateau state. Specifically the study aimed to;
- Determine the skills and competencies required in the rewinding of transformer coil.
- To find out whether electrical workshop in technical colleges are provided with coil rewinding machine and instructional materials.
- Find out whether there are competent instructors for rewinding trade in technical college.
- Find out whether coil rewinding is taught as a subject in colleges in technical colleges.
1.4. Significance of the study
This study will be helpful to the students as they will acquire skills and competencies in the field of coil rewinding during their learning period and as a graduate from technical college.
Technicians and instructors will be happy to see their students carrying out coil rewinding operation successfully in a correct and proper way. The school administration will be happy seeing their student being self employed and also an employer.
Skills and Competence Needed For Self Reliance in Electrical Coil Rewinding for Students of Electrical Department in Government Technical Colleges
1.5. Research questions
- What are the skills and competencies required for transformer coil.
- Are instructional materials and coil rewinding machines enough in the workshop for students practical?
- Are instructors competent for coil rewinding vocation in technical colleges?
- Do coil rewinding taught as a single subject in technical college?
Lawson Peter – Chief Editor in Projectvilla Nigeria. A writer and academic researcher.