Analysis of personal entrepreneurial competencies possessed by students for establishing small and medium scale enterprise in FCT, Abuja

Abstract

This study investigated Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PEC) Possessed by technical College students for establishing small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs). Two research questions and 2 hypotheses were developed for this study. A survey research design was used for the study. The population comprised of 234 students of Federal Science Technical College Orozo and Government Technical College, Garki in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The subjects responded to 28-item questionnaires. The questionnaire was validated by 3 experts in entrepreneurship education from Federal University of Technology Minna, Niger State. The reliability of the instrument was found to be 0.68 using Cronbach Alpha formula. Mean and Standard Deviation were used to answer and analyze the research questions, while the hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics at 0.05 level of significant. The study revealed that entrepreneurial competencies such as opportunity sensing, persistence, commitment to contract, risk-taking and information seeking among others are PEC possessed by technical college students in FCT. The findings also showed that PEC such as opportunity sensing, persistence, commitment to contract, risk-taking and information seeking, self-confidence, appraise the performance of the enterprise among others are being utilized by the student. The study further revealed that there was no significant difference between the mean response of male and female students on the PEC possessed by Technical College Student for establishing an enterprise. It was recommended among others that all the competencies discovered to be possessed by students in the study should be packaged and included in curriculum of Technical College programme. Teachers should assist students to identify their PEC for establishing an SME.