CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.2     Background to the Study
The role of a secretary is indispensable in every organization especially in public sector.(Azih,2013)  A secretary according to Mayer cited in Azih (2013) is an executive assistant who possess a mastery of office skills, demonstrates the ability to assume responsibility with or without supervision, exercises initiatives and judgment and makes decision with the scope of assigned authority. The secretary is a public relations expert, a staff assistant, the boss’s office memory. The secretary is responsible for much of the detail work of the office and is expected to carry out the duties with a minimum of supervision and direction. According to Nwosu as cited in Azih (2013) A Secretary is expected to represent the organization and the employer attractively to the public and generate good human relations in working with all employees in the organization. This explains that a qualified secretary should have a wide knowledge of business acumen, be versatile in office practice, communication and knowledge of the operation of all departments within the organization where he works, unlike a half-baked secretary who possesses only knowledge of shorthand, typewriting and basic office practices (Azih,2013).
Duniya (2011) observed that due to the introduction of sophisticated technological (electronic) office equipment into today’s office and the role secretaries need to play in ensuring accuracy and efficiency in their jobs, the secretaries need to meet the challenges by acquiring new skills and competencies for efficient operations in the electronic office. There is continuous advancement in technology which has affected the secretarial profession in terms of the quality, speed and accuracy of works performed. This has led to the introduction of various electronic facilities to ensure adequate secretarial practice in organization. It is essential that secretaries are properly trained on the usage of these modern facilities to enhance their level of productivity. The proficiency level of a secretary is highly determined by the availability and usage of modern office technology provided in the office environment as well as the acquired skills and competencies of the secretary (Nwaokwa and Okoli, 2012). This is based on the fact that modern offices are automated. Automation is a collection of methods for controlling machinery and production processes by mechanical method, usually with electronic equipment (Akpomi and Ordu, 2009). Automation entails an integration of work station where the secretary would have access to the electronic equipment needed to create, process, store, retrieve and disseminate information. The advent of automation has ushered in an electronic era whereby human works are done by machines.
The introduction of modern Information Communication and Technology equipment has affected the demands of the modern secretary (Nwaokwa and Okoli, 2012). The duties of secretaries have been revolutionized especially in the areas of communication, telecommunication, micrograph and reprography. The technology has replaced mechanical technology; new technologies are replacing the old ones. Typing, keyboarding and voice processing are now used in place of dictation and carbonizations. In the area of reprography stencil duplication has been replaced by computer print outs and Xeroxing systems. In the area of micrograph and telecommunications, horizontal suspension and other systems are now replaced by compact disc run and d-base computer systems. Telephones have gone digital while teleconferencing, internet and networking are currently used. The modern office unlike the traditional office makes use of e-mail, fax and other telecommunication equipment. It is imperative to note that currently there is a high demand for skilled and technological trained workers. Regrettable, most secretarial graduates acquire theoretical knowledge which does not match well with the demands of work place.
However, there is acute shortage of trained personnel in the application of software, operating system, network communication and local technicians to service and repair computer facilities. However, the secretaries today are not only required to have theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in ICT computer operations, but to be exposed to the use of some computer packages like excel, data base management, etc. They should be conversant with the issue of interconnectivity, ecommerce, skills in browsing the website, skills in data protection techniques and security and adequate knowledge of how to use search engines to gain access to lots of educational resources. In a study carried out by Ntukidem (2000), he found out that advancement in technology has continued unabated and has enriched and widened the scope and practice of the secretarial profession in terms of work quality, speed, accuracy and variety. He also concluded that today, the secretarial profession is faced with array of telecommunication tools and facilities based on modern technology.