Integrating Entrepreneurship Education into TVET Curricula for Self-Reliance, Employability, and Sustainable Job Creation in Africa

The paper has explored the integration, impact, challenges and strategies of improving entrepreneurship education in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in North Central Nigeria. Tertiary education on entrepreneurship is now being considered as one of the most critical elements in improving the self-reliance of graduates and ensuring the creation of sustainable employment. An analysis of recent literature demonstrated the moderate incorporation of entrepreneurship courses in TVET programs in Africa and the ongoing issues associated with funding, instructor qualification, and low level of practical exposure. The research was of a descriptive survey design. The sample consisted of students and staff members of the polytechnics in North Central Nigeria and 50 questionnaires were distributed and 47 responses were received thus making a response rate of 94%. The data was analyzed based on the frequency counts, percentages and graphical analyses (stacked bar and pie charts) to report the findings in comparison with the study objectives. Findings revealed that entrepreneurship education is moderately incorporated in TVET programs with 53.2% of the respondents indicating moderate level of incorporation. A large percentage (55.3%) of them confirmed that entrepreneurship-oriented TVET has a positive effect on self-reliance and employment. Nevertheless, insufficient funding (31.9%), unqualified instructors (42.6%), and exposure to practice (14.9%) are some of the challenges that make effective implementation difficult. The strategies that were recommended by respondents were workshops, better funding, practical training, and supportive institutional policies to help improve the effectiveness of programs. To conclude, entrepreneurship education positively influences graduate employability and innovation but the effects of the latter are constrained by the structural and resource limitations. The research suggests the improvement of the curriculum, instructor training, more investments, hands-on experience, and policy initiatives to improve entrepreneurship performance within the Nigerian TVET facilities.