Entrepreneurship Education as Correlate to Acquisition of Business Skills by Business Education Students in Tertiary Institution, Taraba State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between Entrepreneurship Education and the acquisition of business skills among Business Education students in tertiary institutions in Taraba State, Nigeria. Guided by five research questions and hypotheses, the research is grounded in David McClelland's Psychological Theory (1961) and Joseph Schumpeter's Innovative Theory of Entrepreneurship (1934). The study's population consisted of 266 students from three institutions: Peacock College of Education (74 students), Taraba State University (97 students), and College of Education Zing (95 students), with the entire population included in the sample. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire, the Entrepreneurship Education and Skills Acquisition Questionnaire (EESAQ), which demonstrated reliability with a Cronbach Alpha of 0.71.  Findings indicate a positive correlation between Entrepreneurship Education and acquiring various business skills, including productive, processing, marketing, consultancy, and advertising skills. The study recommends that the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other regulatory bodies incorporate practical vocational training into the entrepreneurship education curriculum. It concludes that a positive relationship exists between Entrepreneurship Education and skills acquisition, emphasizing that such skills are essential for successful entrepreneurship, aiding in time management, organization, problem-solving, and adaptability. Data analysis employed mean and standard deviation to address the research questions, with a benchmark mean score of 2.5 for decision-making. Pearson Correlation was utilized to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level.