Developing 21st Century Entrepreneurial Skills in University Students for Optimum Competence in Oyo State

Abstract

The emphasis on entrepreneurship education becomes heightened in the wake of mounting unemployment of teeming youths and graduates of tertiary institutions across the country. Curbing this problem calls for the adoption of a sound and realistic education policy promoting the integration of entrepreneurial skills into the institutions’ curriculum. This study examines the concept of competence, entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial skills, and the impact of such skills like creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy skills, learning and innovation skills, problem-solving, collaboration, career and life skills on the level of student’s competence in selected public universities in Oyo State. The study adopted a descriptive research design and three research questions were raised and answered in the study. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 240 respondents from two universities in Oyo State. A 16–item structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The instrument was validated through experts’ opinion and scrutiny from the fields of Educational Management, and Test and Measurements. A reliability coefficient of 0.79 was obtained through test-retest technique.  Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, frequency counts, and standard deviations. Findings from the study revealed that entrepreneurship education is crucial to the acquisition of 21st-century knowledge and skills such as digital literary skills, problem-solving, learning and innovation skills, career life skills, etc., which are currently needed for gainful or self-employment. Hence, the study recommended among others, that the curriculum of the nation’s tertiary institutions should be reviewed in such a way to enhance the functional competence of graduates and meet with global best practice. The study also called for the provision of an enabling environment to encourage effective teaching and learning and practical manifestation of learned skills.