Publication Details
Abstract
This study investigated the technological and entrepreneurial competencies required of Business Education graduates of Colleges of Education for sustainable employability in NorthEast Nigeria. Persistent graduate unemployment and a widening mismatch between curricular content and labour-market demands provided the impetus for the inquiry. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study, which adopted a descriptive survey design. The population comprised Business Education graduates and their employers across the six states of the North-East geopolitical zone. A structured questionnaire, validated by experts and yielding a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.86, was used for data collection. Mean and standard deviation answered the research questions, while the independent-samples t-test tested the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that both technological competencies (such as digital literacy, spreadsheet and database handling, and e-business operations) and entrepreneurial competencies (such as opportunity recognition, business planning, and risk management) were highly required for sustainable employability. The t-test results showed no significant difference between the mean responses of graduates and employers on the competencies required. The study concluded that integrating these competencies into the Business Education curriculum is indispensable for sustainable employability. It recommended curriculum review, capacity building for lecturers, and stronger industry partnerships.
Keywords
Technological competencies
Entrepreneurial competencies
Business Education
Sustainable employability
North-East Nigeria