A preliminary study of the awareness and applications of green skills: students' perceptions

Abstract

Sustainability remains a global issue from 1987, after the Brundtland meeting, to date. This is as a result of the existence of environmental degradation, societal problems and economic downturns across countries across the world. In relation to this, this paper presents the results of a preliminary survey study conducted among Nigerians students in the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) about their awareness of green skills and their applications across various occupations, with a view to achieving sustainable development. The data for the study were qualitatively collected. Participants were requested to provide answers to a series of questions regarding their awareness of green skills and their applications, after a brief introduction and explanation about green skills. To obtain a fair distribution, 27 respondents were purposely selected for the study based on their regions in Nigeria and their courses of study in UTM. The respondents were from the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of the Built Environment, the Faculty of Computing, the Faculty of Geoinformation and Real Estate, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Management. The data collected were transcribed and inductively analysed using an exploratory content analysis technique with the aid of the Nvivo statistical tool. The findings include, among other things, that Nigerians are aware of green skills and their applications, especially when related to sustainability/sustainable development. It was recommended that green skills should be integrated into Nigerian educational institutions' curriculum, with the emphasis on secondary schools.