ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETENCY SKILL REQUIRED BY BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS FOR SMALL SCALE BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS IN ANAMBRA STATE

ABSTRACT

The study was designed to examine the entrepreneurial competencies required by business education students in establishing small scale business in Anambra State. In order to achieve the intended objectives of this study, five research questions were raised and answered. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of this study comprises of nine hundred and seventy-eight (978) employers of labour in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State while the sample of this study comprises of one hundred and ninety-five (195) employers of labour in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State. This was done using simple random sampling technique. Data for the study was collected with the use of the  questionnaire. The face and content validity was used to determine the validity of the instrument while a test-retest reliability method was used to ascertain the reliability of the research instrument which yielded a coefficient of 0.72. The researcher administered the instrument personally together with some research assistants. Data was analysed using frequency count, simple percentage and mean score analyses. Findings from the study revealed that business education students have a negative perception of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial competencies required by business education students in establishing small scale businesses are communication, orgnisational, problem solving and decision making skills and factors hindering the establishment of small scale businesses among business education students are lack of start-up capital, unconducive business environment, personal view of entrepreneurship and lack of mentorship. Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that business education students have a negative perception of entrepreneurship and that the extent to which management skills are required for small scale business establishment is high and entrepreneurial competencies required by business education students in establishing small scale businesses are communication, orgnisational, problem solving and decision making skills. In view of the findings and conclusions arising from this study, it was recommended among others that lecturers in the field of business education should assist the student to develop positive perception towards entrepreneurship by concretizing what they teach, Business education students should dispose themselves to acquire these very important skills if their businesses must grow and become sustainable and that Anambra state government should provide avenues for small scale businesses to acquire little or low interest loans.