CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Education is a learning and training process as well as a tool for change and development. Every nation’s socioeconomic progress and development begins with education. It equips a person to live in a dynamic or continually changing society, to contribute to those changes, and to continuously advance the society’s survival, growth, and progress (Nwaham, 2010). Since the dawn of time, education has been a social process that has aided in the maintenance of a dynamic community. As a result, Onyeachu (2006) observed that cultural heritages are passed down from generation to generation through schooling. Education is the most powerful tool in the world since no country has ever achieved fame or reached a certain level of growth without it. As a result, Onwumere (2006) saw education as a springboard for socio-political, economic, and cultural growth, which helps to increase the generation of skilled workforce for national development. There are two types of educational systems: informal and formal. The formal framework of education should be encouraged. Obtaining a credential without equivalent creative and mental power, on the other hand, has no meaningful bearing on the aim of education (Uloko, 2010). Education, as a metric, measures the rate of change in every society, as well as the speed with which it transforms (Akpojena, 2010). In Nigeria, there is a great need for education at all levels, which promotes the development of skills for survival in society; similarly, it is via such education that learned skills can be turned into business.
Despite the fact that entrepreneurship has been recognized as having the potential to reduce unemployment among Nigerian youth, and entrepreneurship education has been introduced into Nigerian universities, about 80% of Nigerian youth are unemployed, and 10% are underemployed, with 7 out of 10 graduates remaining unemployed or underemployed (Dike, 2009). “The greatest difficulty confronting government now remains widespread unemployment, which has served as a breeding ground for anti-social vices,” as former Minister of Labour and Productivity Adelokunbo Kayode put it (Olayinka, 2010).
Many countries are confronting major difficulties of graduate unemployment in today’s competitive and challenging global world with different demands (Adesina, 2013).
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Since the year 2000, the NUC has made a course on entrepreneurial development (CED) mandatory for all Nigerian graduates, regardless of their fields. The national policy’s strategic objectives are to: (1) strengthen youngsters’ ability to develop positive autonomous and innovative thought processes, as well as an overall entrepreneurial mindset, and (2) build occupational skills to encourage future graduates to venture and create wealth. According to a recent poll of university undergraduates on their perceptions of CED conducted by one of the authors, these goals may be difficult to attain under the current traditional approach. However, because of the global prevalence and dimension of entrepreneurial programs, Volkmann (2004) predicts that entrepreneurship will become “the dominant academic field for business.”
Nigerian postsecondary schools yearly produce millions of graduates into an already overcrowded sector, hence increasing unemployment. On this note, the government, in collaboration with its agencies, has begun to implement a skills acquisition program in order to address this anomaly and ensure that these freshly graduated students become self-sufficient and prepare for a future that will rid the economy of criminals.
As a result of a dearth of work options, seventy percent of these graduates end up wandering the streets. As each year passes, the unemployment rate in the country (Nigeria) continues to rise as a result of the constant influx of graduates looking for work.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The research includes both broad and specialized objectives. The study’s overall or primary goal is to look into the impact of skill acquisition on entrepreneurial growth at Nasarawa State University in Nigeria. The following are the precise goals:
I To determine the influence of skill acquisition on entrepreneurial growth among Nasarawa State University students.
ii) To determine the grounds for the adoption of a skill acquisition program in Nigeria’s higher education institutions.
iii) To investigate the difficulties of skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development in Nigeria’s higher education institutions.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following are some of the questions that this research will attempt to address:
I What are the effects of skill acquisition on entrepreneurial growth among Nasarawa State University students?
ii) What are the reasons for the introduction of skill acquisition programs in Nigeria’s higher education institutions?
iii) What are the hurdles to skill acquisition and entrepreneurial development in Nigeria’s higher education institutions?
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
The following research hypotheses will be tested:
I There is no statistically significant link between entrepreneurial education and self-employment.
ii) There is a strong link between entrepreneurship education and the lowering of unemployment.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research will be useful in emphasizing the relevance of entrepreneurial education and its impact on the reduction of unemployment in Nigeria. Education (training) is highlighted as a vital aspect in eliminating poverty and dependency in one of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) targets. Allow for the identification of the entrepreneurship concept and framework. It would also help with development and its contribution to the Nigerian economy, as well as raising awareness among tertiary institutions about the need of having effective and practical techniques for gaining entrepreneurial skills.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research will be conducted among Nasarawa State University students in Nigeria. The information gathered from these workers will be subjected to further analysis, with the outcomes being final.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The project will confront numerous problems, one of which is the issue of funding. There will be insufficient funding to produce surveys and transport the researcher to the needed respondents. Another factor is time; the researcher is currently occupied with academic demands. The researcher has a lot of assignments to complete, which he can combine with his desire to read and study at the same time. These are the study’s main difficulties.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
During the research, the following terms were used:
Entrepreneurship education aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and drive to help them succeed as entrepreneurs in a range of situations. Entrepreneurship education is available at all levels of education, from elementary and secondary schools to graduate university programs.
The government’s job creation plan is the process of creating new jobs, particularly for those who are unemployed.
The ability to learn or gain abilities is referred to as skills acquisition. It entails the acquisition of a new skill, as well as the repetition of a method of doing things that is normally acquired through training or experience.
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