COUNSELLING FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS WITH TARGET CLIENTS (THE NIGERIAN ADOLESCENTS AND YOUTHS)

ABSTRACT: This study was carried out on counselling for sustainable livelihoods with target clients using the Nigerian adolescents and youths in Ganjuwa local government area as case study. To achieve this 3 research questions were formulated.  The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprise of youths and adolescents in Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi State. In determining the sample size, the researcher conveniently selected 125 respondents while all were validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency tables and percentage. The result of the findings reveals that unemployment contribute to unsustainable livelihoods among Nigeria's adolescents and youths, the study also revealed that counselling will play a significant role in establishing sustainable livelihoods among Nigerian adolescents and young people. And in other to achieve sustainable livelihoods among Nigeria's adolescents and youths the following needs to be considered for implementation; access to quality education, adequate implementation of poverty alleviation programs, adequate functionality of the DFID Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and counseling/supporting the youths to engage in self employment ventures. In regard to the findings, the study recommends that career guidance should be provided for youths and young once in other to assist them make career choice in areas of manpower needs. As a matter of urgency, there should be introduction of formal vocational education right from the basic education level. Additionally, empowerment of the youth is a must to enable them make their own contribution to national development, this can only be achieved through direct guidance that prepares the youth as creator of employment rather than being consumer of labour, and education curriculum and standards of education should be reviewed from time to time to reflect the needs and aspirations of the society. More so, career orientation should be given to assist the young ones to have clear and worthy information about the world of work and what is required from individuals to enter into any job. And parents should only guide and not impose career on their children as interest, and personality are factors in career success. Lastly, entrepreneurial skills should be developed in young ones to make them think along the path of entering into vocations relevant to the needs of the society, as they create and sell their own ability.