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ASSESSMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS NEEDED BY BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS TO BE SELF-RELIANT IN COLLEGES OF
EDUCATION IN LAGOS.
BY
FALOBI, Oluwole Victor Ph.D
Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education (Business Education Unit), Faculty of Education, University of Lagos
[email protected] 08035818698
2 ABSTRACT
The study was poised to carry out the assessment of entrepreneurial skills needed by business education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs in colleges of education in Lagos state. In attempt to achieve the purpose of the study, three research questions were raised. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study with the population which comprised six hundred and thirty-six (636) 300 level Business Education students from the three Colleges of Education in Lagos State from which three hundred (300) Business Education graduating students were randomly selected from the three Colleges of Education in Lagos State. In Federal College of education (Technical), Akoka, one hundred and twenty (120) students were sampled, in AdeniranOgunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, one hundred (100) students were sampled while in Michael Otegbola College of Primary Education, eighty (80) students were sampled giving a total of three hundred respondents. A structured questionnaire titled Entrepreneurial Skills and Self-reliance Questionnaire (ESSQ) was developed and used to elicit information from the respondents during working hours. All the data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for research questions so as to achieve the objectives of the study. The study found out that communication skills, keyboarding skills, shorthand skills, Microsoft skills, marketing skills, power point skills, business plan writing skills, desktop publishing skills, accounting skills and web design skills are the entrepreneurial skills needed by business education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs. Further, the findings revealed that, there is lack of adequate infrastructure and equipment to teach entrepreneurial skills; there is also lack of adequate course lecturers compared to the number of admitted students in business education and that, entrepreneurial skills for self-employment through Business Education is not realistic when compared with real business world. The study recommended that, business education programme in colleges of education should be reviewed in terms of contents and facilities used for teaching and learning with a view of making it entrepreneurially oriented and relevant to the current world of work so that graduate of business education can find it easier to establish something on their own and become employers of labour.
Keywords:
Assessment, Entrepreneurial Skills, Self-reliance, Business Education
3 INTRODUCTION
The vision of National Policy on Education document and various reform movements are to address the issue of imbalance in the provision of education in different parts of the country with regards to access and quality of education offered. Federal republic of Nigeria (2004) revealed vocational technical education (which business education is an integral part) as an aspect of the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relative to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life. Manfred and Jenifer (2004) advocated that vocational and technical education comprises all more or less organized or structured activities that aim at providing people with knowledge, skills and competencies necessary to perform a job or a set of jobs whether or not they lead to a formal qualification. These definitions show that the relationship between VTE and employment is undeniable.
Business Education is an essential element of general education. It is concerned with the impartation of business orientation and knowledge for personal and national development which can lead to self-reliance as noted by Okoli (2010) who opined that Business Education is an important part of the general education which emphasizes on skills and competencies acquisition for use in offices and business related occupations. Falobi (2018) opines that Business Education is education for self reliant and economic development. Similarly, Nwanewezi (2010) describes Business Education as encompassing education for office occupations, business teaching, business administration and economic understanding. In all, Adulkadir (2011) noted that one remarkable important characteristics of Business Education programme is that, its products/graduates can function independently as self-employed and employers of labour. To this end, the tenet of Business Education embraces basic education for
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teaching career, entrepreneurship, business understanding, office environment and vocational practices.
For business education graduates to be self-reliant entrepreneurs in the business world of work, several entrepreneurial skills are required which are paramount to the success of any established business enterprise. Entrepreneurial skill can be defined as the ability to create something new with value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction and independence (Hisrich& Peters, 2002). Entrepreneurial skill is the ability to of an individual to exploit an idea and create an enterprise (Small or Big) not only for personal gain but also for social and developmental gain. Formal descriptions/definitions characterize entrepreneurial skills as ability to have self-belief, boldness, tenacity, passionate, empathy, readiness to take expert advice, desire for immediate result, visionary and ability to recognize opportunity. Falobi and Ishola (2018) opine that implementation of entrepreneurial skills in Business Education programme entails adequate resources.
Becoming your own boss and an entrepreneur is the new coveted career choice of the 21st century. People are fed up with working jobs that leave them underpaid and unfulfilled.
Although some entrepreneurs say they were born to build a company, it’s never been easier for anyone to learn entrepreneur skills that can propel them into building a successful business.
Here is a list of 12 effective ways to build entrepreneurial skills that matter:
1. Take a different path.
2. Start a business.
3. Stick with challenges.
4. Delay gratification.
5 5. Manage your own finances.
6. Volunteer to lead.
7. Practice communication skills.
8. Learn from a mentor.
9. Work in sales.
10. Get involved with other entrepreneurs.
11. Help others with their businesses.
12. Keep learning.
The array of possible entrepreneurial skills encompasses the perception of economic opportunity, technical and organizational innovations, gaining commands over scarce resources, taking responsibilities for internal management and for external advancement of the firm in all aspects. Some skills needed for business success are
1. Management skills: the ability to manage time and people (both oneself and others) successfully.
2. Communication skills (e.g. the ability to sell idea and persuade others).
3. The ability to work both as part of a team and independently.
4. Able to plan, coordinate and organize effectively.
5. Financially literacy.
6. Able to research effectively (e.g. available markets, suppliers, customers and the competition).
7. Self-motivated and disciplined.
8. Adaptable
9. An innovation and creative thinker 10. The ability to multi-task
11. Able to take responsibility and make decision 12. The ability to work under pressure
13. Perseverance
6 14. Competitiveness
15. Willingness to take risks (or at least not risk averse).
16. Ability to network and make contacts.
Many, if not all of these skills and traits are needed by business education graduates to be self- reliant entrepreneurs. These skills and traits would also benefit all business education graduates who will as well choose to be employees within business organizations where they find themselves. In addition to those more general skills listed above, other more specific or business related skills will be of use to entrepreneurs these may include;
➢ Being able to draw up a business plan for a new venture
➢ Being able to market and sell a new product or idea
➢ Financial skills, such as book-keeping and calculating tax
➢ Awareness of intellectual property and possibly patent law.
Acquisition of these entrepreneurial skills will enable the business education students to become competent, skillful and confident enough to take the risk and the challenges of establishing business ventures on their own amidst business competitors in an un-stabilized economy and become employers of labour, boost the economic system and contribute their quota towards solving the problems of unemployment in the country at large.
Business Education has two main objectives- to educate for business and about business. It is generally believed that Business Education, in the first place, should prepare students for employment in the world of business (education for business). However, education about business is concerned with the area of knowledge and competencies needed by everyone; the knowledge, skills, abilities, understanding, and attitudes that enable students to become worthy entrepreneur and effective member of the business community.
General Objectives of Business Education
7 The main objectives of Business Education by are:
1. To develop individual student to become high caliber professional in business establishment
2. To inculcate skills that will make the individual student to become self-reliant 3. To help students to gain knowledge on what business is through teaching them
various business-related subjects.
4. To teach students how to deal with finances, taxes and other business-related things.
5. To develop the analytic and evaluating skills when it comes to making business- related decisions
6. To inculcate fundamental business skills and interest to the recipients
7. To provide useful life skills that can be applied to other spheres of life other than business (e.g. Soft skills).
8. To engage students in activities that will prepare them for their adult life in the society.
9. To explain the possible problems and pitfalls of having your own business 10. To encourage students to be more interested in business.
11. To develop in all students the ability to choose discriminately and to use wisely the goods and services that business is to offer.
12. To prepare students to become business related courses teacher.
Statement of the Problem
Business Education has always been dedicated to preparing its graduates for employment in the world of work. The students learn job-specifics and employability skills and are given opportunities to use these skills through Student’s Industrial Work Experience Scheme (S.I.W.E.S) that connect them with the business community. In spite of these, the researcher observed that, some of these business education graduates are still found roaming on the streets seeking for paid employment which is rarely there and eventually become unemployed in the process. This situation exposed the needs for entrepreneurial skills which if appropriately taught and rightly acquired in Business Education can lead to trained self-reliant entrepreneurs in business education who will be employers of labour. In an attempt to assess the entrepreneurial skills needed by Business Education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs, the researcher found this study necessary.
Purpose of the Study
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The purpose of this study is to assess entrepreneurial skills needed by business education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs in colleges of education in Lagos. Basically, the study will assess the following
1. The entrepreneurial skills needed by Business Education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs
2. Problems of entrepreneurial skills which hinder self-reliance among Business Education students
3. The impact of entrepreneurial skills on Business Education students’ self-reliance
Research Questions
The following research questions shall guide this study:
1. What are the entrepreneurial skills needed by Business Education students to be self- reliant entrepreneurs?
2. What are the problems of entrepreneurial skills which hinder self-reliance among Business Education students?
3. Is there any impact of entrepreneurial skills on Business Education students’ self- reliance?
Scope of the Study
The scope of this study covered all the business education students who are currently in colleges of education in Lagos state. Only the aspect of assessment of entrepreneurial skills needed by business education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs will be covered in this study.
Research Methodology
Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study with the population which comprised six hundred and thirty six (636) 300 level Business Education students from the three Colleges of Education in Lagos State from which three hundred (300) Business Education graduating students were randomly selected from the three Colleges of Education in Lagos State. In Federal College of education (Technical), Akoka, one hundred and twenty (120) students were sampled, in Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, one hundred (100) students
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were sampled while in Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, eighty (80) students were sampled giving a total of three hundred respondents. A structured questionnaire titled Entrepreneurial Skills and Self-reliance Questionnaire (ESSQ) was developed and used to elicit information from the respondents. The biographical information of the respondents was analysed using simple percentage while responses to other items in the questionnaire were coded by the researchers to ensure correctness. However, the data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for research questions so as to achieve the objectives of the study.
Results
Research Question1
What are the entrepreneurial skills needed by business education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs?
Table 1: Responses on entrepreneurial skills needed by business education students to be self-reliant
S/N Statement X SD Decision
1 Business plan writing skills 3.61 0.943 Needed
2 Desktop publishing skills 3.47 1.035 Needed
3 Accounting skills 3.83 0.983 Needed
4 Web design skills 3.04 1.149 Needed
5 Communication skills 4.17 0.810 Needed
6 Keyboarding skills 3.89 0.899 Needed
7 Shorthand skills 3.59 1.109 Needed
8 Microsoft word skills 3.84 0.960 Needed
9 Marketing skills 3.78 0.855 Needed
10 Power point skills 3.40 1.013 Needed
Table one (1) above shows that all the items 1-10 were needed based on the decision that their mean ratings were greater than the cut-off point X = 3.00. This revealed that most of the respondents accepted that, the communication skills, keyboarding skills, shorthand skills, Microsoft skills, marketing skills, power point skills, business plan writing skills, desktop
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publishing skills, accounting skills and web design skills are the entrepreneurial skills needed by business education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs.
Research question 2
What are the problems of entrepreneurial skills which hinder self-reliance among business education students?
Table 2: Responses on the problems of entrepreneurial skills which hinder self- reliance among business education students
S/N Item Statement SA A D SD X SD Decision
11 Lack of adequate infrastructure and equipment to teach entrepreneurial skills
58 137 68 18 2.84 0.825 Accepted 12 Lack of adequate course lecturers
compared to the number of admitted students
65 117 74 25 2.79 0.900 Accepted
13 Entrepreneurial skills for self- employment through Business Education is not realistic when compared with real business world
57 132 70 22 2.80 0.852 Accepted
Table two (2) above shows that all the items 11-13 were accepted based on the decision that their mean ratings were greater than the cut-off point X = 2.50. This revealed that most of the respondents agreed that there is lack of adequate infrastructure and equipment to teach entrepreneurial skills; there is also lack of adequate course lecturers compared to the number of admitted students in business education and that, entrepreneurial skills for self-employment through Business Education is not realistic when compared with real business world.
Research Question 3
Is there any impact of entrepreneurial skills on business education students’ self-reliance?
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Table 3: Responses on impact of entrepreneurial skills on business education students’ self-reliance
S/N Statement SA A D SD X SD Decision
14 Entrepreneurial skills acquired in Business Education will enable me to take the risk and start small business on my own
96 142 38 5 3.17 0.722 Accepted 15 Entrepreneurial skills are well
embedded in Business Education
curriculum to make students self-reliant 72 144 28 37 2.89 0.935 Accepted 16 Most business education students are
exposed to entrepreneurial skills required for business survival
71 173 35 2 3.11 0.628 Accepted 17 My knowledge on business activities in
the world is broadened through Entrepreneurial skills acquired
89 133 28 31 3.00 0.928 Accepted 18 Entrepreneurial skills acquired in
Business Education are enough for me to fit into business World as an employer of labour.
68 164 45 4 3.05 0.677 Accepted
Table three (3) above shows that item 14-18 were accepted based on the decision that their mean ratings were greater than the cut-off point X = 2.50. This means that most of the respondents agreed that entrepreneurial skills acquired in Business Education will enable them to take the risk and start small businesses on their own, broadened their knowledge on business activities and survival in the world and that, the entrepreneurial skills acquired are enough for them to fit into business World as employers of labour in the business world. Most of the respondents agreed that, entrepreneurial skills are well embedded Business Education curriculum to make students self-reliant.
Discussion of Findings
Based on the analysis of the data collected, the following findings are made:
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The findings revealed that most of the respondents accepted that, the communication skills, keyboarding skills, shorthand skills, Microsoft skills, marketing skills, power point skills, business plan writing skills, desktop publishing skills, accounting skills and web design skills are the entrepreneurial skills needed by business education students to be self-reliant entrepreneurs.Hisrich& Peters, (2002)referred to these skills as the abilities to create something new with value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction and independence. These findings are also supported by Ademiluyi (2007) who revealed the following marketing skills and competencies, which are needed for effective entrepreneurship by business related graduates: salesmanship; negotiation, sales record keeping; sales promotion; stock record keeping; pricing; advertising channels; advertising media; consumer behaviour appreciation; and transportation.
The findings also revealed that, most of the respondents agreed that there is lack of adequate infrastructure and equipment to teach entrepreneurial skills; there is also lack of adequate course lecturers compared to the number of admitted students in business education and that, entrepreneurial skills for self-employment through Business Education is not realistic when compared with real business world. Kiboss and Ogunniyi (2003) added that, inadequate and limited teaching method tends to negatively affect the learner’s views of practical concepts and associated methods. Unless urgent measures are taken to curb the problem, the poor performance on Business Education in Nigerian educational system will continue to persist.
Lastly the researcher found out that, most of the respondents agreed that entrepreneurial skills acquired in Business Education will enable them to take the risk and start small businesses on their own, broadened their knowledge on business activities and survival in the world and that, the entrepreneurial skills acquired are enough for them to fit into business World as employers of labour in the business world. Most of the respondents agreed that, entrepreneurial skills are
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well embedded Business Education curriculum to make students self-reliant. These findings were supported by Ademiluyi (2007) who opined that entrepreneurship skills are simply business skills which individuals acquire to enable them effectively function in the turbulent business environment as an entrepreneur or self-employed. Akinola (2001) pointed out that it takes special skills to succeed as an entrepreneur. Erhurum (2007) also noted that most entrepreneurial skills come by learning and practicing. Nevertheless, the various skills embedded in business related programmes need to be explored and learn by it prospective graduates for them to succeed as later entrepreneurs.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made:
• Business education programme in colleges of education should be reviewed in terms of contents and facilities used for teaching and learning with a view of making it entrepreneurially oriented and relevant to the current world of work so that graduate of business education can find it easy to establish something on their own and become employers of labour
• Secondly, retraining, seminars and workshops should be provided for students of business which will practical sessions aside the normal lectures on how to successful entrepreneurs and cope with the kind of business environment Nigerian economy offers. This will enable the graduates of business education to develop the skills of strategizing and re-strategizing their business operations and breakeven amidst all odds to maximize turnovers and make more profits
• Finally, the department of business education in colleges of education should create a good and viable relationship with some financial institutions which give credit facilities
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with low interest rates so as to assist business education students with marketable ideas and business proposals.
Conclusion
The role of business education in raising successful entrepreneurs cannot be overlooked. The business trends in Nigeria often shift due to government policies, monetary capitalization, economic instability and emergence of foreign competitors and investors nation’s business environment. Therefore, necessary skills needed for business survival should be developed and taught to business education students before graduation so as to adequately empower them for any business eventually.
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