PERCEIVED IMPACT OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AS A TOOL FOR SKILL ACQUISITION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR NATION BUILDING

Abstract

This article investigated the impact of Business Education and its increasing interconnectivity of
skills acquisition and entrepreneurship for undergraduates of business education after graduation.
Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of
significance. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study sample consisted of 130
Business Education Lecturers drawn from 5 Universities and 5 Colleges of Education in the South
East, Nigeria. The main instrument for data collection was a four-point rating scale questionnaire
with 33 items. The findings revealed that the respondents rated positively
all the items of skills acquisition offered by Business Education Programmes and the challenges
facing Business Education students and lecturers in tertiary institutions in the South East, Nigeria.
The result of the test of the two hypotheses revealed that there was no significant difference in the
mean ratings of male and female business education lecturers on the skills acquisition offered by
Business Education Programmes and challenges facing Business Education Programmes. It was concluded that the study would enable Business Education students to succeed in the 21 century and
escape from the peril of economic recession. Based on the findings and conclusion of the study, it was
recommended among others that, the Federal Government should institute tertiary institutions crime
commission to avert the financial irregularities that inhibit the smooth operations of tertiary
institutions including (Business Education Programmes).

Keywords: Business Education, Skill Acquisition, and Entrepreneurship