IMPACT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERUNDERGRADUATE STUDENT OF UNIVERSITIES IN KWARA STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Entrepreneurship education is a programme or part of a programme that prepares individuals to undertake the formation and/or operation of small business enterprises which also includes franchise operations for the purpose of performing all business functions relating to a product or service with emphasis on social responsibilities, legal requirements and risks for the sake of profit involved in the conduct of private business enterprises. Entrepreneurship education entails a philosophy of self-reliance such as creating a new cultural and productive environment, promoting new sets of attitudes and culture for the attainment of future challenges (Arogundade, 2011). It involves combination of various resources to increase value and introduce change and innovation into the production process for creating wealth and employment opportunities. Acoording to Osuala (2010), entrepreneurship education could turn around the economic fortune of any society by providing jobs and reducing the unemployment rate in such society. Entrepreneurship could aid people in identifying investment opportunities and also help them to harness untapped natural resources in the environment in order to produce the goods and services needed in the country. These will no doubt reduce or eliminate poverty and help to increase per capita income in the country which is one of the cardinal points of the entrepreneurship ventures.

Entrepreneurship education seeks to prepare people (particularly the youths), to be responsible enterprising individuals who become entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial thinkers by immersing them in real life learning experience thereby taking risks, manage results and learn from the outcome of the entrepreneurial activities (Suleiman, 2010). Through entrepreneurship education, people come to know that they can either take or create jobs which make them to be self-employed. Entrepreneurship education could be given to interested undergraduates in Kwara State through workshops, classes, and conferences thereby learning basic ideas of starting their own entrepreneurship businesses and keeping it running.

In the view of undergraduates, Brogen and Hiebert (2016) revealed that career choice indecision is regarded as an inability to choose a career. Newly admitted undergraduates are faced with many challenges, including adapting to higher educational standards and overseeing the transition from secondary school to Higher institution. According to Morgan and Ness (2013), many newly admitted undergraduates experience career indecision designed as a construct that characterizes the challenges undergraduates face in making career choice. Some students may be more decisive than others, but those struggling with making a career choice will find it difficult to harness the challenges faced in careers.

An intensive career choice process could help lower the job hopping rate as the current job meets employee expectations. In this way, instead of constantly carelessly changing their professions, people should shape their talent successfully and can influence their individual execution. Career planning has helped the individual become aware of their intentions and dreams. This process is one of the most important elements in every individual's life. However, wrong career choices can open the door to life-long consequences (Mashige & Oduntan, 2011). This is due when a person makes the wrong career decision. This has an impact on his individual performance, the future and also on organizational performance. As time goes by, people who have made the wrong career choice will feel very dissatisfied, stressed and unhappy, dissatisfied while doing the task or job. Still, individuals need to narrow down their job search and opt for some professions that best suit their own needs. A good career choice enables individuals to look for work effectively and thus can lower the unemployment rate in that country (Chai et al., 2013).

More so, Ezeilo (2005) in her view, believe that entrepreneurship education equips individuals particularly youths in selecting suitable job positions, and occupations; as well as upgrading skills for those who are already employed in selected occupations. She further commented that re-training programmes suppose to be designed to prepare youths for gainful employment as skilled workers in agriculture, home economics, trade, and industrial occupation .In support of his opinion , Ubah (2013) emphasize that it is through entrepreneurship education that most rural and urban youths are sensitized and made aware of income generating activities such as; poultry management, mechanized farming, cassava processing,, soap making, basket weaving, and among others. Thus, Agboeze (2012) also emphasize that there are many entrepreneurship education programmes where undergraduates are empowered. For instance, there are sociological and technological entrepreneurship education programmes, and more specifically, agricultural/agro-allied activities where there are foodstuffs, restaurants, fast food vending etc. In the area of solid minerals, there are quarrying, polishing and crushing engineering. In power and transport, there are power generations, Haulage business (cargo and passengers). In the area of information and telecommunication business, there are manufacturing and repairs of GSM accessories and the printing and selling of Recharge cards. In hospitality and tourism business, there are hotels, accommodation, film and home video production; in oil and gas business, there are construction and maintenance of pipelines, drilling, refining bye products.

Like every other aspect of education and empowerment programmes in Nigeria, entrepreneurship education faces a lot of challenges which inhibits its effectiveness on undergraduate career development such as poor and lack of accessible road network, inadequate funding, irregular power supply, lack of security, in-depth corruption and lack of basic technological skills. Hence, the need for this study, which seeks to assess the impact of entrepreneurship education on career development of undergraduate student of Universities in Kwara State.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The present rate of unemployment in Kwara state is threatening. The desire to provide employment in the state is one of the major aspirations of the government. The government has over the years evolved measures of providing job opportunities both at the federal and state levels. The jobs being provided seems not to be enough as a result of the teeming population in the state. The inability of the government to provide adequate job opportunities has rather made some youths (undergraduates) take to armed robbery; kidnapping; prostitution and other social vices, which have made them become deviants in the society, and has in turn led to insecurity in the nation. This may be because the undergraduates are not informed on the types of entrepreneurship programmes to be embarked upon, and therefore, calls for entrepreneurship education programme.

The Nigerian youth suffers from a high unemployment rate. As at the second quarter of 2020, Nigeria unemployment rate was indicated to be 27.1%. Showing that about 21.7 million Nigerians remain unemployed (Narametrics, 2020). This statistical rating has also been attributed to poor career choices among students and improper guidance by parents in the path of career because most unemployed youth in our society today were not given proper guidance by parents and guidance on career choices (Moses and Obi, 2020).

Several studies show that undergraduates face a dilemma when making a career choice in their lifetime (McMahon and Watson 2015; Macgregor, 2017; Issa and Nwalo 2018; and Cherian 2019). In a study by Salami (2019) on the career choices among Nigerian undergraduates, he found out that many undergraduates made wrong career choices because of inexperience, ignorance, advice from friends, peer pressure, teachers and parents. Therefore, the concept of career choice development involves creating a career goal, career decision, career value and life roles (Herr, Cramer & Niles, 2004). Undergraduates are usually faced with the dilemma of choosing which career goal to major or develop for the future (Guerra & Braungart-Rieker, 2019). Regardless of the efforts put in by teachers, families, counsellors and agencies, many undergraduates still have difficulties in making the transition from school to work (Muthukrishna and Sokoya, 2018).

Also, Shortage of skills remains a serious problem in Kwara State. Over 80% of the youths in Kwara State are unemployed simply because they do not have the required skills (Akukwe, 2009). The skill deficit undergraduates are considered to be constraint to a long-term economic growth and a contributing factor to incidence of youth unemployment.

Also, the ability to produce, use knowledge and market products has become major factor in development, and they are critical to a nation’s comparative advantage. Education for a knowledge economy should cultivate the highly skilled, flexible and human capital needed to compete in global markets. With the continuous shift to knowledge-based economy that affects virtually every nation in the world and makes for a more competitive landscape, it is imperative than ever before that we prepare our undergraduates for the challenges ahead through entrepreneurship production and marketing skills. It is therefore, against this background that the researcher examines impact of entrepreneurship education on career development of undergraduate student in Kwara state.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurship education on career development of undergraduate student of Universities in Kwara state. Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Identify the types of entrepreneurship education programmes for undergraduate career development in Kwara state.

2. Determine the extent to which entrepreneurship education enhanced production potentials of undergraduates of Universities in Kwara State.

3. Determine the extent to which entrepreneurship education enhanced skill acquisition among undergraduates in Kwara state.

4. Determine the extent to which entrepreneurship education enhanced marketing potentials of undergraduates of Universities in Kwara State.

5. Ascertain the factors militating against the provisions of entrepreneurial education for undergraduate career development in Kwara state.
6. Examine the strategies for enhancing entrepreneurship education provision for undergraduate career development in Kwara State.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study:

1. What are the types of entrepreneurship education programmes for undergraduate career development?
2. To what extent does entrepreneurship education enhance production potentials among undergraduates in Kwara state?

3. To what extent does entrepreneurship education enhance skills acquisition of undergraduates of Universities in Kwara State?

4. To what extent does entrepreneurship education enhance marketing potentials of undergraduates of Universities in Kwara State?

5. What were the factors militating against the effective provisions of entrepreneurial education for undergraduate career development in Kwara State?
6. What are the strategies for enhancing impact of entrepreneurship education on career development of undergraduate student in Kwara State?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be of both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, the study is anchored on human capital theory, propounded by Schultz in 1960s. This theory is of the idea that humans are indispensable factors of production in any business. It is a factor of production along with certain other factors such as land, labour, and capital. But these factors are being activated and utilized by human abilities for maximum productivity. So, without career development, other factors and resources in the society will not be harnessed. This theory is in line with the present study, as the study is geared towards equipping the undergraduates with the relevant skills needed for effective productivity and self-reliance.

Practically, the findings of this study will be of immense benefit to undergraduates, adult education facilitators, curriculum experts, government, further researchers and the entire society. On the side of undergraduates, the findings will assist them to be actively engaged in income generating business establishment; which will in turn alleviate poverty and rate of unemployment among them in Kwara State. It will enable them to be creative, innovative and to develop their dormant potentials for business ventures ahead.

Additionally, the findings of this study will be of immense benefit to adult education facilitators. This study will enable them update their knowledge and teaching methods; so that they can provide entrepreneurship education and economic empowerment for different categories of people, including undergraduates.

This study will also be of benefit to curriculum experts. The findings will assist them to update and reform entrepreneurship education curriculum for undergraduates; from time to time; to meet the dynamism and demands of the national economy and increased productivity. This study will equally ensure that entrepreneurship education are properly infused into the curriculum of all level of education to enable the learners identify viable business opportunities in their area of studies.

On the side of government, the finding of this study will benefit the government by establishing legislation for enhancing entrepreneurship education in for undergraduates. Equally; the findings of this study will motivate government to establish small business schools where interested undergraduates and community members can participate and their skills enhanced for self-reliance.

This study will assist the government to establish an enterprising college aimed at fostering the specific skills such as; marketing skills, production skills and skill acquisition programmes required for effective business management.

1.6 Scope of the Study

Geographically, the study was carried out in Kwara state. The study was focused on impact of entrepreneurship education on career development of undergraduate student in Kwara State. The content coverage of this study was limited to some major areas like; examining the types of entrepreneurship programme for undergraduate career development, extent entrepreneurship education enhance production potentials of undergraduates, extent to which entrepreneurship education enhance the skill acquisition of undergraduates, extent entrepreneurship education enhance marketing potentials of undergraduates, factors militating against the provisions of entrepreneurial education for undergraduates and strategies for enhancing entrepreneurship education provision for undergraduate career development in Kwara State.