ASSESSING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION AS A STRATEGY FOR MITIGATING GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT: EVIDENCE FROM CEVTED, FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), AKOKA

Abstract

The study assessed entrepreneurship education as a strategy for mitigating perceived graduate unemployment among graduates of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, with particular attention to the activities of the Centre for Vocational and Technical Education Development (CEVTED). A survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 1,173 NCE graduates of the College, including unemployed graduates and graduates undertaking direct-entry programmes in tertiary institutions within
Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State. A sample of 100 respondents was selected through proportionate sampling. Data were collected with a researcher-developed questionnaire titled Entrepreneurship Education and Unemployment Questionnaire (EEUQ). The instrument comprised two sections and used a four-point Likert scale. Experts in the College validated the instrument, while a reliability
coefficient of 0.73 was reported. Data for the research questions were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Respondents generally perceived entrepreneurship education and practical skills acquired through CEVTED as useful for entrepreneurial skill development and possible improvement in employment prospects. The reported correlation for the first hypothesis was r = .960, which is statistically significant at p < .001 when evaluated with n = 100 and df = 98. The second reported correlation, r = .148, is not statistically significant at p = .142. The findings therefore provide evidence of strong perceived association in the first analysis but do not support a statistically significant association in the second. The study concludes that CEVTED has potential value as a practical entrepreneurship-development initiative; however, its actual unemployment reduction has not been fully established in this study. It is therefore recommended that strong partnerships should be established among CEVTED, relevant industries, successful entrepreneurs and financial institutions to provide graduates with mentorship, industrial exposure, market information, business support and access to appropriate financing opportunities.