ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION ON ACQUISITION OF SELF-EMPLOYMENT SKILLS AMONG BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITIES, KWARA STATE

Abstract

This research examined entrepreneurship education on acquisition of self-employment skills among business education students in universities, Kwara State. The objective of the study is to evaluate the level of entrepreneurship education on the self-employment prospects of Business Education students at universities in Kwara State; what is the level of entrepreneurship education on the cultivation of self-employment competences among Business Education students at universities in Kwara State? A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of 281 400-level business education students at three selected universities in Kwara State. Al-Hikmah University, a private institution; Kwara State University, a state institution; and the University of Ilorin, a federal university. The research used a census sample to examine the whole population of 281 participants. A questionnaire was designed by the researcher and was validated by three lecturers who are experts in business education to determine the face and content validity of the instrument. The reliability of the instrument was also tested using Cronbach alpha, which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.78, which indicated the instrument is good for the study. The research questions were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, while independent sample t-test and ANOVA were used to test the hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that entrepreneurship education significantly impacts the development of self-employment skills and increases confidence among business school students. The comments from male and female students in business education about entrepreneurship education on the improvement of self-confidence for self-employment indicated significant differences (t267 = 0.986, P < 0.05). This study's results indicate a substantial impact of entrepreneurship education on the development of self-employment skills, the augmentation of self-confidence, and the enhancement of negotiation ability among students in Kwara State. Based on the findings and conclusion of the study, it was recommended among others that educational experience would enable students to develop, oversee, and maintain their firms, and to maintain the importance of entrepreneurship education, students need to use the information and skills they have gained.