Developing Entrepreneurship Skills for Self-Reliance among Tertiary Institution Graduates in Kano State, Nigeria

This study investigated Developing entrepreneurship skills for self-reliance among tertiary education graduates in Kano State, Nigeria. The study also examines how entrepreneurship programmes in institutions affect students’ entrepreneurship intentions, career readiness and skills acquisition. A mixed methods approach was employed, combining survey data from 273 male and 111 female students from three tertiary institutions making a sample of 384 students and an in-depth interview with 20 entrepreneur educators at the colleges and universities selected for the study. The instruments for data collection are self-developed questionnaire and focus group discussion FGD with reliability coefficient of 0.62 and 0.69 respectively. The result of the study revealed that; There is significant gender difference between Male and female students in perceived entrepreneurial education and skill acquisition among tertiary institutions graduates in Kano state. No significant difference between rural and urban students in perceived entrepreneurial education and skill acquisition was observed among tertiary institutions graduates in Kano state. No significant difference in perceived entrepreneurial education and skill acquisition among tertiary institutions in Kano state. Based on the findings major recommendations were offered; educators and policy makers should emphasize integrating entrepreneurship education into curricula, promoting experiential learning and supporting mentorship initiative. Gender inclusiveness should be enhanced to ensure gender equality in entrepreneurial training. State and Federal governments should support students with loan that will promote entrepreneurship and skill acquisition among graduates of tertiary institutions, among others.