Promoting Entrepreneurship skills in Vocational Technical Education towards Manpower Development for Self-Reliance in Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the strategies for promoting entrepreneurship in vocational
technical education towards manpower development for self-reliance. Three research questions guided the study with a population of 192 vocational technical educators in the three colleges of education in the study area. The sample for the study comprised of 90 vocational educators selected using a multi-stage sampling technique for effective identification. A 40-item validated questionnaire named Promoting Entrepreneurship in Vocational Technical Education Questionnaire (PEVTEQ) was used to collect data from the respondents. Cronbach Apha co-efficient value of 0.86 was obtained for the instrument, indicating good internal
consistency. The data collected was analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings of the study revealed that the students require basic entrepreneurial skills for manpower development which include financial management skills with mean 3.08, marketing skills (3.06) practical/technical skills (2.93), professional skills (2.85), self-motivation skill (2.82) and innovative skills (2.78) among others. Furthermore, among other things, the respondents agreed that strategies such as frequently advertising entrepreneurship through mass and social media (3.36), giving priority to funding technical and vocational education (3.17), giving students appropriate industrial work experience (3.08) and paying more attention to acquiring skills than acquiring certificates (3.02), can promote entrepreneurship in Vocational and Technical Education. Also, the associated challenges to promoting entrepreneurship as identified by the respondent included lack of qualified and
experienced human resources/personnel (3.14), over-emphasis on certificates and
not entrepreneurial skills (3.12), insecurity and insurgency (3.11) and lack of financial and capital resources (3.06). To achieve this there should be frequent training and retraining of VTE educators on the strategies needed in promoting entrepreneurship, and the students should be taught basic entrepreneurial skills as it would help them become self- reliant upon graduation.