CHAPTER ONE
 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
It deserves no doubt that office environment has witnessed great technological advancement in recent years. This is unlike some years back when all correspondence was handwritten with the pen that was dipped in an ink.
Information then moved around, in and out of the office at a rate of extremely slow by todays standard. Most business transaction was trust to memory. But within the few decades the office environment has been under going drastic changes. Alozie (1998) was of the opinion that these changes in office operation came as a result of expansion in organizational sizes, complexities and insatiable need for timely and more accurate information for decision making. Kalaus (185) while commenting on the changing in office equipment observed that the office takes on new responsibilities and performs many new and exciting task as it expands towards the future into uncharted areas. This in essence means that the role of the secretary is no longer restricted to typing and writing in of shorthand. The secretary now becomes involved in other aspect of the organization, which qualifies her to function like the other management team.
In fact, office automation has become the talk of the day in our business offices. This, according to Ahukannah (2000) is the use of self-regulatory machine to execute office tasks formerly performed by manual or semi-mechanical means. As of mechanization of office function, the worker required to possess the office technological skills to meet with the challenges posed by office automation to be able to retain the job.
It is quite obvious that most of the office workers affected in day-today retrenchment exercise are those that do not possess the essential skills like computer literate, which is one of office technological skills. It is therefore relevant for all secretaries and other office in general to acquire the necessary skills that will enable them retain their jobs. According to Anyaduba (1991), Ohakwe (1996) were of the view that for the worker to cope with the myriad and the ever involving entrepreneurial opportunities brought about by science and technology, she the secretary need to possess the knowledge, attitude and skills to operate the telex machine, fax machines, computers, word processors, and the reprographies. The knowledge of the most relevant aspect of computer in the world today known as the Internet in not left out.
Offices technological skills are those abilities that enable a worker perform office duties most effectively and efficiently with the use of automated machines and equipment and help her to be easily employable. Ina society that is in a technological flux such as our, it is compelling monitor the skills that employers of labor want so as to achieve maximum productivity. To achieve this, every work or production process required special skills and competencies. According to Anyaduba (1991) advised that future workers would need higher education in business skills to be able to cope with the rapidly increased volume of production.
In the height of the above, this research work assessed the different kinds of skills required of secretaries in the use of office machines and equipment available in the modern office in some selected business organizations in Abia state; The office technological skills and the general skills they possess to be efficient and effective.