Empowering The Female Undergraduates With Practical Entrepreneurial Skills Development For Curbing Social Economic Challenges In Rivers State

Ukata, Philip Festus & Nmehielle, Edith Luke

Department of Office Technology and Management, Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The unjustifiable constants neglect to empower the women in Nigeria called for; “Empowering the female undergraduates with practical entrepreneurial skills development for curbing social economic challenges in Rivers State.” The study was directed by two research questions, and two null hypotheses were developed. The study design used was a descriptive survey. There were 79 lecturers in the population, and a census sampling technique was used. Three experts verified a four-point response options questionnaire that was used to gather data. Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the instrument’s dependability; the result was a coefficient of 0.89 and 0.88. The mean was employed to address the research questions, and the null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that there was a high level of improvement in the practical entrepreneurial abilities required to enable female undergraduates to address social and economic challenges. Also, there was a significant benefit on reducing social and economic challenges from equipping female undergraduates with real-world business skills. Consequently, it was determined that Nigeria’s social and economic problems would be significantly reduced if our postsecondary institutions sufficiently equipped female undergraduates with useful entrepreneurial abilities. In addition to other crucial recommendations, Nigeria’s female students and women in general should be equipped with high-demanding, lifelong skills for the rapidly evolving workplace by means of sufficient funding for the development of practical entrepreneurial abilities. In addition to government subsidies, the money should be consistent, steady, and could come from other sources as well.

Keywords: Empowering the female undergraduates, practical entrepreneurial skills development, and curbing social economic challenges.

Impact Statement

The study, empowering the female undergraduates with practical entrepreneurial skills development for curbing social economic challenges in Rivers State, has impacted positively by revealing challenges such as poverty, armed bandits, kidnapping, restlessness, hooliganism, prostitution, early marriage, and high levels of marginalization faced by female undergraduates.  It has exposed the practical entrepreneurial skills development areas such as E-related initiatives, Metal work, Pastry-Bakery, Audio and telecommunication, Horticulture development, Pastry-Bakery, and Animal husbandry necessary for empowering the female undergraduates. These practical entrepreneurial skills development areas have impacted on employment opportunities, wealth creation, and poverty alleviation among others. Furthermore, the study has provided a remedial data for stakeholders to handle the social economic challenges identified as recommendations, and filled a gap in the body of knowledge as well served a source of information to new researchers in different areas.

About Author

Dr. Philip Festus Ukata is currently a lecturer at the department of Office Technology and Management, Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rivers State Nigeria.  He is a member of the following eight (8) different professional bodies; 1. Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria, 2. Association of Vocational and Technical Education of Nigeria, 3. Association of Business Educators of Nigeria, 4. European Centre for Research Training and Development, UK, 5. Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria, 6. Association of Business Specialists and Entrepreneurs of Nigeria, 7. National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Offences, and 8. Fellow, Institute of Policy Management Development, Nigeria.

He has diligently as a single and co-author published fifty (50) articles in learned local, national and international journals with over 70 percent of them accessible in Google Scholar and ResearchGate. I have ten (10) chapters of books contributions, and five (5) single author books, two were sponsored by Federal Government of Nigeria (Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TET fund).  One of his books had been translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese and Russian) (Selling Online). 

References

1. Abiodun, O. Y. & Bukki, A. O. (2018). Empowering Nigerian women through entrepreneurship education. Journal of Business, 7 (1), 1-10. 

2. Deebom, M.-B. T.-B., & Zite, N. B. (2020). Assessing Technical Vocational Education Training Skills Needed for Graduates Employment in a Post-Oil Boom Economy, Nigeria. International Journal of Modern Innovations & Knowledge (IJMIK), 1(1), 27–37.

3. Igberaharha, C. O. (2021). Improving the quality of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for sustainable growth and development of Nigeria. Journal of Education and E-Learning Research, 8(1), 109–115.

4. Kprschools, (2020, May 10). Poverty, Socio-Economic Issues. Retrieved fromhttps://www.kprschools.ca/en/staff/wellness/equity/povertysocioeconomicissues.html on the 10th May, 2021.

5. Mukhtar, S. Gwazawa, G. G. & Jega, A. M. (2018). Entrepreneurship development for diversification of Nigerian economy. Journal of economics, management and trade, 21(6), 1-11.

6. Okoye, K. R. E., & Okwelle, P. C. (2013). Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Nigeria and Energy Development, Marketing and National Transformation. Journal of Education and Practice, 4(14), 134-138.

7. Okwelle, P. C. & Deebom, M. T. (2017). Technical Vocational Education and Training as a Tool for Sustainable Empowerment of Youths in Niger Delta, Nigeria. International Journal of Innovative Social & Science Education Research 5(1), 29-38.

8. Onwusa, S. C. (2021). The issues, challenges and strategies to strengthen Technical, Vocational Education and Training in Nigeria. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 5(5), 48–59.

9. Scholars, (2013, February 14). Why Experienced Teachers are Important: What can be done to Develop Them? Retrieved fromtehttps://scholars.org/contribution/why-experienced-teachers-are-important-and-what-can-be-done-develop-them, on August, 10, 2021.

10. Top Education Degrees (2020, January 25). What is Educational Leadership? Retrieved from https://www.topeducationdegrees.org/faq/what-is-educational-leadership/retrieved, on September 4, 2021.

11. Ukata, P.  F. & Udeh, C. P. (2022). Utilization of new technologies by business education lecturers for teaching accounting courses in tertiary institutions in Rivers state.  International Journal of Innovative Information Systems & Technology Research, 10(2), 29-38

12. Ukata, P. F. & Nmehielle, E. L (2021). Dealing with the Socio-Economic Challenges of Nigeria through Office Technology and Management Teachers` Professional Competencies. International Journal of Innovative Development and Policy Studies, 9(4), 128-138.

13. Ukata, P. F. & Okpokwasili, P. N. (2024). Mainstreaming TVET for Employability Skills Development of Undergraduates in Tertiary Institutions as a Solution to Social Economic Challenges. ISRG Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 2 (1), 1-8.

14. Ukata, P. F. (2019). Practical entrepreneurship education as a sustainable economic diversification and development in Nigeria: a case of rivers state tertiary institutions. International Journal of Development and Economic Sustainability, 7 (7), 1-26.

15. Ukata,P. F. (2017). Practical entrepreneurship skills development.  In Enyekit, E. O., Ubulom, W. J., & Dambo, I. B. Contemporary issues in business and administrative studies. Port Harcourt: Valdas & Sons Nig. Ltd.

16. Muhammad, A. I., Sawaba, A. Y., Jogana, M. A., & Haruna, R. (2023). Quantitative validation of entrepreneurial opportunity competency model: AMOS-SEM approach. Shodh Sari-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 02(04), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.59231/sari7621

17. Zite, B. N. & Deebom, M. T. (2017). Enhancing Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a Tool for National Development in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Strategies. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, 21 (4), 1-9.