Accounting Software Competencies and Job Market Readiness of Postgraduate Business Education Students in Rivers State Universities
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between accounting software competencies and job market readiness of postgraduate Business Education students in Rivers State Universities. Specifically, the study determined the relationship between Sage Business Cloud accounting software competency, QuickBooks accounting software competency and job market readiness of postgraduate Business Education students. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population consisted of 70 postgraduate Accounting Education students from Rivers State University and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education during the 2023/2024 academic session. Census method was adopted because the entire population was manageable. Data were collected using two self-structured questionnaires titled Questionnaire on Accounting Software Competencies (QASC) and Questionnaire on Job Market Readiness of Postgraduate Business Education Students (QJMRPBES). The instruments were validated by experts and their reliability coefficients were 0.83 and 0.76 respectively. Seventy copies of the questionnaires were administered, while 62 copies were retrieved and found usable for analysis. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance using SPSS. The findings revealed a significant moderate positive relationship between Sage Business Cloud accounting software competency and job market readiness (r = 0.404, p = 0.008). The study also revealed a significant weak positive relationship between QuickBooks accounting software competency and job market readiness (r = 0.274, p = 0.031). The study concluded that accounting software competencies are significantly associated with job market readiness of postgraduate Business Education students. It was recommended thatuniversities strengthen practical training in accounting software through hands-on workshops, simulations and curriculum integration.
