ENTREPRENEURIAL PERSONAL SKILL AS PREDICTOR OF PERCEIVED JOB SELF-RELIANCE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN NORTH EAST NIGERIA

This study investigates the entrepreneurial personal skill as predictors of perceived job self-reliance among university students in North East Nigeria. Entrepreneurship is seen as a key driver of economic growth, job creation, and self-sufficiency, making it crucial for students to acquire relevant entrepreneurial skills that foster independence and employability. One research objective and one research question together with one hypothesis were formulated for the study. The study used a predictive correlational design with a sample of 500 students using 10% out of the population of the study of (5003) from six universities in the North East, applying proportionate stratified sampling. Data was collected using a questionnaire (EPSQ) designed and Cumulative Grade Point Average from their 300 level session were used for data collection to assess entrepreneurial personal skills. The EPSQ was validated by experts while Cronbach’s alpha method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and a reliability of 0.79 was obtained. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question while, the hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance using linear regression analysis. Results showed that while students demonstrated a high level of entrepreneurial skills in areas like problem-solving and creative thinking, the entrepreneurial skills and perceived job self-reliance was weak, explaining only 0.5% of the variability in perceived self-reliance. The findings recommend that while entrepreneurial personal skills are valuable, other factors such as socio-economic and cultural influences may significantly impact the development of self-reliance in this context. The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to enhance entrepreneurial skills and promote self-reliance among students in North East Nigeria.