CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA

Abstract

Developing desired knowledge, skills and abilities of the employees to utilize their full potential is
imperative for all human resource professionals. This study examines the effect of career
development on performance of public universities in North-Central Nigeria. The study
specifically examines the effect of career planning, career mentoring, career advancement and
career counselling on the performance of public universities in North-Central Nigeria. A sample
of 389 was determined using Taro Yamane’s formula from a population of 13,784 staff of thirteen
(13) public universities in North-Central Nigeria. A survey design was adopted for the study and
questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. A pilot test was carried out to ensure
validity and reliability of the instrument. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were
used for presentation of research questions. The study employed correlation statistics and
regression analysis for data analysis and test of formulated hypotheses with the aid of the
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 23). Result of the correlation analysis
showed significant relationship between the variables. Results of tested hypotheses indicated that
all independent variables (career planning, career mentoring, career advancement and career
counselling) have a positive significant effect on performance of public universities in North-
Central Nigeria. The study concludes that the quality of human resources in an organization
depends on effective career development practices which lead to improvement in organizational
performance. It recommends amongst others that management of public universities in Nigeria
should always provide workshops and seminars that will help academic and non-academic staff
make appropriate career decisions in their institutions.