Assessment of Entrepreneurship Skills Possessed by Educational Management Undergraduates to Reduce Unemployment Rate in Rivers State

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess entrepreneurship skills possessed by Educational Management undergraduates to reduce unemployment rate in Rivers State. To achieve the purpose of the study, the researchers formulated three (3) specific objectives, research questions and hypotheses respectively to guide the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised of 80 Educational Management lecturers in Rivers State owned universities. The study used the entire population because it was manageable. A structured questionnaire titled “Assessment of Entrepreneurship Skills Possessed by Educational Management Undergraduates to Reduce Unemployment Rate Questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. The instrument was designed on a four-point rating scale of agreement and was used to elicit responses from the respondents. The instrument was face and content validated by experts in the Department of Educational Management and Measurement and Evaluation Department in Faculty of Education, Rivers State University, Port-Harcourt. Test-retest reliability method was used to establish the reliability coefficient of 0.84. Mean and standard deviation was used to analyze the research questions, while z-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that Educational Management undergraduates in Rivers State owned universities possess innovative, financial management and risk-taking skills to reduce unemployment rate in Rivers State. The researchers therefore recommend that Rivers State owned universities should; empower Educational Management undergraduates to think outside the box, identify opportunities, and come up with innovative solutions to societal problems, improve on the students’ knowledge and financial management skill to effectively manage finances, allocate resources, and plan for the financial sustainability of their ventures by incorporating financial education into the curriculum and empower students to develop the confidence to pursue entrepreneurial ventures by providing them with opportunities to practice risk-taking in a supportive environment.