Entrepreneurial Skills Required of Adult Education Graduating Students for Venture Creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

Entrepreneurial Skills Required of Adult Education Graduating Students for Venture Creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

WAMI, Kevin Chinweikpe Ph.D

Department of Adult Education & Community Development, Faculty of Education, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.9020212

Received: 02 February 2025; Accepted: 06 February 2025; Published: 12 March 2025

ABSTRACT

The study examined the entrepreneurial skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted the descriptive research design. The population of the study consisted of 1,046 respondents comprising 96 adult education lecturers and 950 final year students of adult education in three public tertiary institutions in Port Harcourt Metropolis. A sample of 523 respondents obtained through proportional stratified random sampling was used for the study. A questionnaire tagged Entrepreneurial Skills Required of Adult Education Graduating Students for Venture Creation was used for data collection. The questionnaire was structured in the 4-point rating scale response option of Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. The questionnaire was validated and its reliability established at 0.87 using Cronbach Alpha. Mean and Standard deviation were used in answering the research questions while z-test was used in testing the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study found among others that the ability to pursue goals; develop self-confidence; see opportunities and exploit ideas; motivate oneself to accomplish goals; and meet set standards in the face of challenges are self-motivation skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation. The study concluded that training institutions should provide students with learning opportunities and experiences that would enable adult education graduating students acquire entrepreneurial skills. It was recommended among others that adult education curriculum planners/developers should ensure that adult education programme is reviewed and focused towards imparting in the recipients entrepreneurial skills.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Skills, Adult Education Graduating Students, Venture Creation

INTRODUCTION

Studies on venture creation have been a broad research area in contemporary societies, and there have been varying methods that have been advanced to create business ventures. This is probably because business venture ownership has been as old as man and forms a critical part of every society (Bukola, 2011; Osakwe, 2011; Tende, 2017). A venture is a business project or activity, especially one that involves taking risks (Hornby, 2010). Thus, venture creation is the starting up of a business project or activity that involves risk taking. That is why adult education graduating students require business start-up courses to reinforce the ambitious goal of students and help them to start-up business ventures after graduation. It is the start-up that ensures that they can be self-sustaining upon graduation from formal adult education institutions. Thus, venture creation education allows students to build up the capacity to detect viable opportunities and analyze the opportunities and critically determine the time to make a move.

Entrepreneurship has been increasingly recognized globally for its role in job creation, economic growth, and increasing the competitiveness of a region, state, or country. Entrepreneurship provides students with business start-up schemes that enable the students to make efforts toward starting their own business ventures and managing them in their interest (Ekweme, 2022). Entrepreneurship is a career opportunity with. New business start-ups simultaneously increasing job opportunities in an economy such as Nigeria. It is associated with national socio-economic advancements, innovation, new venture creation, employment opportunities and wealth (Ikpesu, 2020). Agbaruga (2019) opined that entrepreneur is a term given to an individual who has innovative ideas and transforms them to profitable activities. Thus, entrepreneurship is a process of bringing together creative and innovative ideas and coupling them with management and organizational skills in order to combine people, money and resources to meet an identified need and create wealth. In this vein, entrepreneurship is the willingness and ability of an individual to explore and exploit investment opportunities, establish and manage a successful business venture.

A skill is habit of doing a particular thing competently. It is the ability to do a task expertly. According to Foster in Godspower and Ekpo (2021) and Abraham-Ibe (2021), a skill is the art of possessing the ability, power, authority or competence to do a task required of an individual on the job. A skill does not depend solely upon a person’s fundamental, innate capacities, it must be developed through training, practice and experience acquired by an individual, skills are acquired or developed through training, education, apprenticeship, coaching and experiences (Koontz, Cannice & Weihrich in Jaja, 2021). Skill is used in describing the level of a person’s capabilities and performance with respect to spread, accuracy and precision in executing a particular task or job. It is a standard or a prerequisite for efficient performance of a particular task or duties. Skills are measured by what can accomplish and the skill for performing a particular task depends on the task for which it will aid to accomplish (Drucker in Jaja, 2021).

Entrepreneurial skills have become increasingly important in the Nigerian economy in recent times, as the business environment is becoming competitive and rapidly changing particularly with advances in technology. To meet the challenges brought by the rapid change, it becomes imperative that formal adult education institutions provide graduating adult education students with entrepreneurial skills necessary for participating in venture creation. Adult education graduating students are increasingly required to acquire entrepreneurial skills and abilities to survive in the Nigerian economy. The complexities of the Nigerian economy demands that graduates of adult education possess entrepreneurial skills and competencies to keep up with the rapidly changing business environment. This is largely the fact that having knowledge of an academic subject, in the present harsh economic condition in Nigeria, is no longer sufficient for a new graduate (Ekweme, 2022).

Entrepreneurial skill is the dexterity of an individual to exploit an idea and create an enterprise that is not only for personal gain but equally for social and developmental gain. It is the ability to have a passion, empathy, boldness, tenacity, self-belief, readiness to take expert advice, desire for immediate result and ability to recognize opportunities (Olagunju, 2004 & Salgado-Banda, 2005 in Olorunfunmi & Kayii, 2019). Ubulom in Olorunfunmi and Kayii (2019) averred that entrepreneurial skills are vocational business skills, which an individual acquires to enable him function effectively in the tumultuous business environment, as an entrepreneur of a self-employed or self-reliant. Ubulom in Olorunfunmi and Kayii (2019) identified some of the entrepreneurial skills to include the ability to:

1. Plan, organize and manage small-scale or medium scale business.
2. Source for fund for running small-scale business.
3. Develop skill of keeping accounting records of small-scale business.
4. Develop human and public relation skills.
5. Develop the skills for the maintaining of law relating to the registration and running of small-scale business and coordination of both human and material resources.
6. Acquire the skills for effective supervision and coordinating of both human and material resources.
7. Develop the skills for effective utilization of the profit for the growth and development of the firm.
8. Apply integrating business skills.
9. Acquire proprietorship and productivity skills.

Similarly, Ubulom and Enyoghasim (2012) have identified entrepreneurial skills to include the ability to initiate strict guidelines for tardiness, business exploration and discipline; express work value through entrepreneurship activities; encourage self-esteem in the customers; promote and acquire timeliness, effort, responsibility and other values; and use the available tools to illustrate the importance of entrepreneurial skills development. Okolie and Ogbaekirigwe (2014) identified entrepreneurial skills to include innovative skills, self-motivation skills, marketing skills, administrative skills, information and communication technology (ICT) skills, and secretarial skills. In this study, three basic entrepreneurial skills have been identified for the study. They are self-motivation skill, financial skill, and information and communication technology (ICT) skill.

Self-motivation is the capability of hard work and effort without the need for encouragement (Hornby, 2014). It is the capability to be self-confident with commitment and drive to make sure essential steps are taking towards making dreams of successful business a reality (Umunadi, 2010). Self-motivation is the quality possessed by an individual that enables him see opportunities where others see failure and exploit the ideas extensively to achieve different tasks ( Olorunfunmi & Kayii, 2019). Thus, self-motivation skill is the skill that deals with the ability to move in such a way that the innovative skills required can be put to production of goods and services. It includes confidence in oneself and one’s ideas, internal locus of control, self-starter with clear desired goal in mind, diligent and hardworking, and extra drive and commitment to set goals (Okolie & Ogbaekirigwe, 2014); Odia & Odia, 2013). Individuals with self-motivation skills have the ability to motivate themselves to find strength to do some-things without being influenced by anybody. They always find reasons and strength to complete challenging tasks relentlessly without been controlled or persuaded (Warner, 2013).

Finance is all about money. It is the activity of managing money (Hornby, (2010). Akpotowoh and Amahi in Okah (2024) asserted that financial skills include knowledge of accounts, knowledge of costing, ability to interpret financial statement, ability to acquire the skill of preparing financial statements, ability to understand payroll and various deductions, ability to know gross and net profit. There are two basic financial skills namely financial reporting and financial statement analysis skills. Financial reporting is the act of communicating to interested parties, information on the resources obligation and performance of the enterprise (Asuquo, 2013). It is the communication of financial information, like financial statements, to the financial statement users. It involves the disclosure of financial information to the various stakeholders about the financial performance and financial position of the firm over a specific period. These stakeholders include investors, creditors, the public, debt providers, governments and government agencies (Vimal, 2015).

Financial statement analysis is the critical evaluation of the financial information in the financial statements to understand and make decisions regarding the operations of the firm. It is the study of the relationship among various financial data in a set of financial statements, and the interpretation thereof to gain an insight into the profitability and operational efficiency of the firm to assess its financial health and future prospects (Vimal, 2015). Financial statements are prepared for decision-making purposes. Financial statement analysis skills have to do with establishing a meaningful relationship between various items of the financial statements with each other in such a way that a conclusion can be drawn to aid the decision-making purpose. Abdullah and Shabbir in Okah (2024) affirmed that financial statement analysis is the process by which analytical tools and techniques are applied to financial statements and related data to drive estimates and hints, which are necessary to make important business decisions.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, comprising radio, television, cellular phones, projectors, computer and network, hardware and software, satellite systems, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as video conferencing and distance learning (Wami & Kobani, 2021). ICT refers to technologies that are used for collecting, storing, editing and passing on information in varied forms. They are electronic technologies used for accessing, processing, gathering, manipulating, presenting, communicating, storing and retrieving of information (Kundishora in Abali, 2018); Bema and Uwaezuoke, 2011; Yusuf in Wosowei, 2014; Camilus, 2015). It is, therefore, required of everyone to have ICT skills and competence to survive in this technology-driven age (Bema & Uwaezuoke, 2011; Ogbuechi & Olawole, 2011).

Developing digital competence involves a person’s ability to confidently and critically use ICT for work, private and social life, and communication. The key elements of digital competence are basic ICT skills and abilities to use a computer to search, assess, save, create, present and exchange information as well as to develop collaboration network via the internet (Ferrari in Okah, 2024). Information and communication technology skills are the ability to use of ICT to define one’s information problem clearly, access information efficiently, evaluate the reliability, authority, and bias of the sources, and organize and synthesize one’s new ideas effectively and responsibly and communicate one’s new ideas effectively and ethically with the appropriate ICT tools available. They are the abilities that help you use computers and its equipment such as accessing presentations, and more (Aker, 2022).

Aker (2022) have identified the following as ICT Skills:

1. The ability to switch on a computer, login and connect to the appropriate platform and programmes.
2. The ability to use popular software packages such as Microsoft, to create, edit and source documents.
3. Ability to identify and use ICT hardware to scan, print and copy documents.
4. The ability to use a digital camera to capture photographs or video footage.
5. The ability to edit images using computer software Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, etc.
6. The ability to use a search engine (such as Google, Bing) to find information.
7. Browsing and posting on social media accounts (such as Facebook, WhatsApp, or YouTube).
8. The ability to use computers and the internet safely, for example, keeping personal information private, and avoiding viruses, identify theft, and other online threats.
9. Possessing typing and editing skills, formatting skills, graphics designing skills, proof reading skills etc., presentation skills, spreadsheet skills, etc.
10. Sending and receiving information using data-sharing applications and cloud storage systems, for example, Email, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

Statement of the Problem

Nigerians have expressed considerable worry over unemployment of willing graduates in the country. They believe that graduates produced by the educational institutions in Nigeria do not have the requisite entrepreneurial skills for venture creation and self-reliance. Adult education graduates are not different in this regard and this study is worried about the trend.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to examine the entrepreneurial skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to:

1. identify the self-motivation skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.
2. ascertain the financial skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State
3. determine the information and communication technology (ICT) skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. what are the self-motivation skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State?
2. what are the financial skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.
3. what are the information and communication technology (ICT) skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance:

1. there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the self-motivation skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.
2. there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the financial skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.
3. there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the ICT skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

 Methodology

The study adopted the descriptive survey research design, the population of the study consisted of 1,046 respondents (96 adult education lecturers and 950 final year students of adult education) from Rivers State University (RSU), University of Port Harcourt (UPH), and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE). From the population, a sample of 523 respondents (48 adult education lecturers and 475 final year students of adult education) representing 50% of the population constituted the sample size. The sample was obtained through proportional stratified random sampling to have representatives across the three tertiary institutions. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire tagged Entrepreneurial Skills Required of Adult Education Graduating Students for Venture Creation Questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two sections, A and B. Section A was designed to generate demographic information of the respondents while section B contained 15 questionnaire items designed to elicit information on self-motivation, financial, and ICT skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation. The instrument was validated and its reliability established at 0.87 using Cronbach Alpha. Mean and Standard deviation were used in answering the research questions while z-test was used in testing the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. 2.50 was the criterion mean. Items above 2.50 were tagged agreed while items below were tagged disagree. Hypothesis was accepted when the calculated mean value was less than the critical z-value of 1.96 and rejected when the calculated mean value is more than the critical z-value of 1.96.

Analysis of Data and Results

The results obtained in this study after data analysis were presented below:

Research Question 1: What are the self-motivation skills required of adult education graduating student for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

Table 1: Responses of Self-Motivation Skills Required of Adult Education Graduating Students for Venture Creation     

Source: Field Survey Data, 2024

   Data on Table 1 indicated that the respondents in their ratings agreed that items 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 listed on the table are self-motivation skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, hence, the mean ratings of 2.75 and 2.73 for adult education lecturers and students respectively. The aggregate mean set of 2.75 above the criterion mean of 2.50 attest to this finding.

Research Question 2: What are the financial skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Table 2: Responses of Financial Skills Required of Adult Education Graduating Students for Venture Creation    

Source: Field Survey Data, 2024

Data on Table 2 indicated that the respondents in their ratings agreed that items 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 listed on the table are financial skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, hence, the mean ratings of 2.82 and 2.73 for adult education lecturers and students respectively. The aggregate mean set of 2.77 above the criterion mean of 2.50 attest to this finding.

Research Question 3: What are the information and communication technology (ICT) skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

Table 3: Responses on ICT Skills Required of Adult Education Graduating Students for Venture Creation    

Source: Field Survey Data, 2024

Data on Table 3 indicated that the respondents in their ratings agreed that items 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 listed on the table are ICT skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, hence, the mean ratings of 2.86 and 2.77 for adult education lecturers and students respectively. The aggregate mean set of 2.83 above the criterion mean of 2.50 attest to this finding.

Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the self-motivated skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Table 4: Z-Test Analysis of Difference in Mean Ratings of Adult Education Lecturers and Students on Self-motivation Skills

Source: Field Survey Data, 2024

Data on Table 4 indicated that null hypothesis 1 is accepted with z-calculated value of 0.12 less than the critical value of 1.96, at 0.05 level of significance and degree of freedom of 521. This means that null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the self-motivation skills required by adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State is upheld.

Hypothesis 2: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the financial skills required by adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Table 5: Z-Test Analysis of Difference in Mean Ratings of Adult Education Lecturers and Students on Financial Skills

Source: Field Survey Data, 2024

Data on Table 5 indicated that null hypothesis 2 is accepted with z-calculated value of 0.59 less than the critical value of 1.96, at 0.05 level of significance and degree of freedom of 521. This means that null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the financial skills required by adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State is upheld.

Hypothesis 3: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the information and communication technology (ICT) skills required by adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Table 6: Z-Test Analysis of Difference in Mean Ratings of Adult Education Lecturers and Students on ICT Skills

Source: Field Survey Data, 2024

Data on Table 6 indicated that null hypothesis 3 is accepted with z-calculated value of 0.59 less than the critical value of 1.96, at 0.05 level of significance and degree of freedom of 521. This means that null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the ICT skills required by adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State is upheld.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

On the self-motivation skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, results from Table 1 revealed the ability to pursue goals; ability to develop self-confidence; ability to see opportunities and exploit ideas; ability to motivate oneself to accomplish goals; and ability to meet set standards in the face of challenges. This finding is in agreement with the assertion of Umanadi (2010) that self-motivation is the capability to self-confident with commitment and drive to make sure essential steps are taken towards making dreams of successful business a reality. In collaboration with this view, Olorunfunmi and Kayii (2019) averred that self-motivation is the quality possessed by an individual that enables him see opportunities where others see failure and exploit the ideas exclusively to achieve difficult tasks. Thus, self-motivation skill includes confidence on oneself and one’s ideas, internal locus of control, self-starter with a clear desired goal in mind, diligent and hardworking, and extra drive and commitment to set goals (Okolie & Ogbaekirigwe, 2014).

On the financial skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, results on Table 2 revealed the ability to prepare financial statements; ability to interpret financial statements; ability to prepare payroll and compute various deductions; ability to calculate gross and net profit; and ability to identify cash transaction from credit transactions. This finding is in agreement with the position of Akpotowoh and Amahi in Okah (2024) that financial skills include knowledge of accounts, knowledge of costing, ability to interpret financial statement, ability to acquire the skill of preparing financial statements, ability to understand payroll and various deductions, ability to know gross and net profit.

On the ICT skills required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, results from Table 3 revealed the ability to master keyboard, type quickly and correctly; ability to create and save documents; ability to work with numbers and perform calculations; ability to perform online banking transactions; and ability to carryout basic online transactions such as cash transfer, pay bills etc. this finding is in agreement with the assertion of Ferrari in Okah (2024) that developing digital competence involves a person’s ability to confidently and critically use ICT for work, private and social life, and communication. The key elements of digital competence are basic ICT skills and abilities to use a computer to search, assess, save, create, present, and exchange information as well as to develop collaboration networks via the internet. Collaborating the above assertion, Aker (2022) posited that ICT skills are the ability to use tools of ICT to define one’s information problem clearly, access information efficiently, evaluate the reliability, authority, and bias of the sources, and organize and synthesize one’s information with the best ICT tools available.

The result from Table 4, 5, and 6 produced 0.12, 0.59, and 0.59 z-test analysis of difference in ratings of adult education lecturers and students on the entrepreneurial skills (self-motivation, financial, and ICT skills) required of adult education graduating students for venture creation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State. This implied that there are no significant differences in the mean ratings of adult education lecturers and students. This discovery agrees with the assertion of Ubulom in Olorunfunmi and Kayii (2019) that entrepreneurial skills are vocational business skills which an individual acquires to enable him function effectively in the tumultuous business environment, as an entrepreneur of a self-employed or self-reliant.

CONCLUSION

Within the confines of the study, it is concluded that adult education graduating students require entrepreneurial skills for venture creation after graduation. These skills include self-motivation, financial and information and communication technology (ICT) skills. Therefore, training institutions should provide the students with learning opportunities and experiences that would enable adult education graduating students acquire these skills.

RECOMMENDATION

Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made by the researcher:

1. Adult education curriculum planners/developers should ensure that adult education programme is reviewed and focused towards imparting in the recipients entrepreneurial skills.
2. Administrators of adult education programmes should allocate sufficient time and resources to those adult education courses capable of imparting self-motivation skills in students of adult education.
3. Adult education lecturers should ensure that adult education graduating students acquire financial skills for venture creation and become self-sufficient after graduation.
4. Seminars and conferences on acquisition of information and communication technology ((CT) skills should be organized for adult education students regularly.

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