Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

In recent years, Competency-Based Curriculum Design has emerged as a critical factor shaping relevance of curriculum to labour market needs across organizations operating in and around Selected States in South-East Nigeria. As institutions grapple with the pressures of globalization, regulatory reform, and shifting stakeholder expectations, understanding how competency-based curriculum design relates to relevance of curriculum to labour market needs has become an important area of both scholarly and practical concern.

Selected States in South-East Nigeria presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite a growing body of literature on competency-based curriculum design, there remains limited consensus on the precise nature of its relationship with relevance of curriculum to labour market needs, particularly within Selected States in South-East Nigeria. Many organizations continue to make decisions about competency-based curriculum design without a clear, evidence-based understanding of how those decisions ultimately affect relevance of curriculum to labour market needs. This gap between practice and empirical understanding is the central problem this study seeks to address.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Competency-Based Curriculum Design on relevance of curriculum to labour market needs in Selected States in South-East Nigeria.
2. To assess the extent to which competency-based curriculum design influences relevance of curriculum to labour market needs within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with competency-based curriculum design in relation to relevance of curriculum to labour market needs.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing competency-based curriculum design in order to improve relevance of curriculum to labour market needs.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of competency-based curriculum design on relevance of curriculum to labour market needs in Selected States in South-East Nigeria?
2. To what extent does competency-based curriculum design influence relevance of curriculum to labour market needs within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with competency-based curriculum design in relation to relevance of curriculum to labour market needs?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize competency-based curriculum design in order to improve relevance of curriculum to labour market needs?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its academic contribution to the field of curriculum studies, this study has practical value for management teams within Selected States in South-East Nigeria seeking to understand how competency-based curriculum design translates into measurable outcomes around relevance of curriculum to labour market needs. It is equally useful to students and future researchers looking for a localized empirical reference on this relationship.

1.6 Scope of the Study

In terms of scope, this study confines itself to Selected States in South-East Nigeria, focusing specifically on how competency-based curriculum design relates to relevance of curriculum to labour market needs within that setting. Findings are interpreted within these boundaries rather than as universal claims applicable to every organization or market.