ENTREPRENEURIAL CAPABILITIES OF PARTICIPANTS OF SKILLS-BASED PROGRAMME IN BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING SKILLS TRAINING CENTRES IN YOBE STATE, NIGERIA
Keywords:
Entrepreneurial capabilities, skills-based programme, product evaluation, CIPP model, self-reliance, BESTC, Yobe StateAbstract
Despite the entrepreneurial focus of the Skills-Based Programme operated by Business and Engineering Skills Training Centres (BESTC) in Yobe State, evidence on whether participants actually acquire usable entrepreneurial capability remains limited and mixed, creating uncertainty about whether the programme's product-level objectives are being met. This study evaluated the entrepreneurial capabilities of participants of the Skills-Based Programme in BESTC, Yobe State, Nigeria. Anchored on the Product component of Stufflebeam's Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) evaluation model, the study was guided by one objective, one research question, and one null hypothesis. An evaluative survey design was adopted, drawing on a total population of 158 respondents (11 principals and 147 instructors) across the eleven BESTC in the state, studied through total population sampling. A structured, expert-validated, five-point Likert-scale questionnaire (Cronbach Alpha = 0.81) was used for data collection, and data were analysed using mean and standard deviation, with a cut-off mean of 3.00. Findings revealed that both principals and instructors agreed on all twelve assessed items relating to trainees' entrepreneurial capabilities, with mean ratings ranging from 3.64 to 4.93, covering trade areas such as furniture design, electrical installation and maintenance, welding and fabrication, computer craft practice, automobile technology, bricklaying, tailoring, and leather work. The study concludes that participants of the Skills-Based Programme in BESTC in Yobe State have acquired requisite entrepreneurial capabilities enabling them to establish and operate their own trade-based enterprises. It is recommended that government and stakeholders provide targeted financial assistance and business-support services to graduates of the programme to help them translate acquired competencies into sustainable self-employment.
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