SOFT SKILLS TRAINING NEEDS OF OFFICE TECHNOLOGY/SECRETRIAL STUDENTS FOR SUITABILITY IN THHE BANKING INDUSTRY (A STUDY OF ACCESS BANK PLC)

ABSTRACT The research will focus on soft skills training needed for office Technology/secretarial students in the banking industry. Office technology/secretarial students aiming for suitability in the banking industry require a combination of technical expertise and soft skills to excel in their roles. The Secretary plays a very important role in the efficiency of an organization. The effectiveness of these functions depends largely on the availability, the needed competencies and skills acquired by the secretary in the Modern Office Practice. The problems encountered by secretaries have been characterized by a lot of phenomenal changes in recent times. Further, it has been noticed that the secretary is faced with a lot of problems such as inadequate provision of facilities, inadequate remuneration, abuse of roles of the secretary and over/under utilization of the secretary. The performance of Secretarial Graduates will be significantly dependent on the impact of Office Technology management, and the performance of job-tasks in banking sector will be significantly dependent on the competencies acquired by Secretarial Students. It concluded that the role of secretaries in the banking industry cannot be overemphasized neither could it be underrated and addressing soft skills training needed alongside technical competencies, office technology/secretarial students can enhance their suitability for roles in the banking industry and contribute to the success of their organizations. The following recommendations were made: there is need for the Federal and State Ministries of Education to provide facilities/equipment for development of office Technology in Institutions of learning so that Secretarial Students can be trained and equipped to face the banking sector in future.