DETERMINATION OF COMPETENCIES NEEDED BY BUSINESS EDUCATION GRADUATES FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The need to ensure adequate preparation of business education graduates for self
employment necessitated this study. The study was to determine the entrepreneurial
competencies needed by business education graduates for entrepreneurial success in
Anambra state. The study considered 237 business education graduates working in
Anambra State. Tworesearchquestions guided the study and two hypotheseswere tested at
0.05 level of significance. Survey research design was adopted for the study. Data were
collected using a 47 item questionnaire validated by three experts from the Faculty of
Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The test re-test reliability method and the
Pearson Product Moment Coefficient were used to obtain the overall reliability coefficient
of 0.85. The data collected using the questionnaire were analysed using mean values to
answer the research questions while the null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of
significance using z-test and ANOVA. The findings revealed that business education
graduates need conceptual, organizing, strategic and human relation competencies for
entrepreneurial success. It also revealed that respondents' gender, qualifications and
working experience did not affect their mean ratings on conceptual, strategic and human
relation competencies but type of institution significantly affected their mean ratings on
organizing competencies. It was recommended among others that tertiary institutions
should encourage business education lecturers and students to organize workshops and
conferences with a view to keeping them abreast of contemporary issues and needs ofthe
business world and world of work.