ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS POSSESSED BY BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS FOR SELF-EMPLOYMENT IN EDO STATE. (A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN)

ABSTRACT

One of the goals of Business Education Programme is the acquisition of both physical and intellectual skills which will enable individuals to be self- reliant and useful members of the society. In spite of available business opportunities, and conducive environment for businesses to thrive in Edo State, Business Education graduates are yet to maximize these opportunities by using their creative abilities in establishing jobs for themselves and others. Instead, the Business Education graduates go about the streets in search of jobs which are either few in supply or not available leading to high rates of unemployment, which has led to frustration and low self-esteem, and other vices amongst graduates. It was on this note the study was conducted to determine the entrepreneurial skills possessed by Business Education Students for Self-Employment in Edo State (A case study of the University of Benin). This research adopted a descriptive survey design and was conducted in the University of Benin, Benin City. The population for this study consists of the entire 200 (two hundred) full time 300 level and 400 level Business 11 Education students in the Department of Vocational and Technical Education, Faculty of Education, University of Benin. The research instrument used to collect data for the study was a structured questionnaire. The validity of instrument was ascertained by the researcher’s supervisor and two lecturers in the Department of Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) and the questionnaire was analyzed using Simple Mean (𝑥̅) and Standard Deviation (SD). The study made use of the Cronbach Alpha reliability method to determine then internal consistency of the instrument. The findings indicate that Innovation, Self-Motivation, Marketing and Administrative Skills are skills required for effective Self-Employment. Based on this findings, the researcher recommends that Entrepreneurial education in tertiary institutions should be practically oriented rather than theory as this will expose the students to various lucrative skills.