Assessment of Green and Smart Electrical Installation Skills Required for Sustainable Building Practices among Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work Students in Technical Colleges in Rivers State

Abstract

The study examines the assessment of green and smart electrical installation skills required for sustainable building practices among electrical installation and maintenance work students in Technical Colleges in Rivers State. Three research questions were answered to guide the study. The study employed the descriptive research survey design and was carried out in Rivers State. The population of the study was 168 respondents comprised 13 Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work teachers in Technical Colleges and 155 electrical industry professionals. The sample for the study was 109 respondents consisting of 13 teachers and 96 training instructors that was purposively selected from 33 registered electrical industries in Rivers State. The sampling respondents were selected based on relevant qualifications and practical experience in electrical installation and sustainable building technologies. The instrument for data collection was researchers - developed questionnaire tagged “Green and Smart Electrical Installation Skills Questionnaire (GSEISQ)” design after Likert – 5-point rating scale of requirement. The instrument was subjected to face and content validation by three experts. The reliability of the instrument was established as 0.86, 0.89 and 0.84 for different sections of the instrument with an overall reliability coefficient of 0.86 through Cronbach Alpha. Data collected were analysed using Mean with Standard Deviation to answer the research questions while real limit of numbers were used for decision. The study found that green and smart electrical installation skills are Highly Required (HR) for sustainable building practices among Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work students in Technical Colleges in Rivers State. The study also found that strategies identified are Highly Required (HR) for integrating green and smart electrical installation skills into the Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work curriculum for sustainable building practices in Technical Colleges in Rivers State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and curriculum development agencies should review the Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work curriculum to incorporate identified green electrical installation skills such as solar photovoltaic systems, battery energy storage systems, energy-efficient wiring, and electrical energy management. Technical College administrators and instructors should integrate practical training on smart electrical installation technologies - including smart meters, home automation systems, programmable logic controllers (PLC), Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices, and electric vehicle charging systems into workshop instruction to improve students' practical competencies.