THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILLS ACQUISITION AND JOB CREATION AMONG GRADUATING STUDENTS OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA

Boma, Dambo Isabella , Godpower, Yiraodi Joel and Kire, Charles Gilmour

Department of Business Education, Rivers State University, Port-Harcourt

Department of Business Education, Federal College of Education, Yola

Email:damboboma@yahoo.com, viraopianyiraodian@gmail.com, kire.charles@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the relationship between entrepreneurship skills acquisition and job creation among graduating students Business Education programs in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The research focuses on final year students of Business Education, Rivers State University. Three research objectives and one research questions were raised and the researchers used the survey research design for the study. The population of the study consists of 266 Business Education Students in four different options in Rivers State University. Purposive simple sampling technique which is a non probability sampling technique was adopted, which means that the total population was used for this study. The instrument used was Entrepreneurship skills acquisition and job creation questionnaire. A modified likert scale was used and  the responded were requested to select or tick one of the four (4) options ,  Strongly Agree(SA),Agree(A),Disagree(DA) and Strongly Disagree(SD).Mean and standard deviation scores were used to analyzed data collected from the research questions and Analysis of variance statistical tool was used to test the hypothesis. The hypothesis was designed to test Entrepreneurship skills acquisition and job creation. The test conducted shows that there is a significant relationship between entrepreneurship skills acquisition and job creation. And the findings shows that Entrepreneurship skills acquisition will help students to be productive, effective ,efficient in the labour market, since organization can employ them without training and retraining them and the skills will make them to be job creators rather than job seekers after graduation. The study recommended that the Government, Nigeria University Commission, tertiary institution and nongovernmental organizations in the country should encourage both practical and theory before establishing entrepreneurship in our various tertiary institution, Credit facilities should be granted to students that has what it takes to be future Entrepreneurs and practical  laboratories’ should be build for students to be acquainted with a particular Entrepreneurial skills before graduation in other to help solve the problem of graduates seeking for white collar jobs when they should be the white collar job themselves.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship Education, Skills Acquisition, Job Creation, Business Education