Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Entrepreneurship Mindset Development among Postgraduate Students of Vocational and Technical Education in Universities in South East, Nigeria

Abstract

The study determined the socio-economic factors that influence entrepreneurship mindset development among postgraduate students of vocational and technical education in universities in South-east, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study was conducted in three federal universities in South East, Nigeria that offer Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) courses at postgraduate levels. 424 VTE postgraduate students admitted in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 academic sessions in the three universities were studied. A sample size of 206 was selected using proportionate and simple random sampling techniques A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data collected were analysed using Mean, Standard Deviation, t-test statistic and ANOVA. The results found thirteen (13) cultural background factors and nine (9) financial background factors influencing the development of entrepreneurial mindset among postgraduate students of VTE in universities in South-east, Nigeria. It was concluded that postgraduate entrepreneurship development plays a crucial role in job and wealth creation for a sustainable economy. It was recommended that the Nigerian government should encourage entrepreneurship by providing soft loans at affordable interest rates; also, the stringent processes involved in obtaining loans from the various financial institutions in Nigeria should be removed, among others