Entrepreneurial skills in technical, vocational education:A tool for sustainable self-reliance

In this rapidly changing world, the quest for self-reliance through education has always been the desire of many nations especially in the present face of global economic challenge. This paper examined the needfor entrepreneurship education to be integrated in technical and vocational education (TVE) curriculum, to enhance the managerialskill of Nigerian youths in their quest to set up their own businesses aftergraduation. To achieve this, the study among other things examined TVEin the context of the National Policy on Education (NPE), EntrepreneurshipEducation and the rationale for it integration. It was revealed from thestudy that for every Nigerian youth to acquire basic technical andvocational skills and translate them into sustainable self-employment,entrepreneurship education should be given immediate attention by allstakeholders. Consequently, the study concluded with recommendationsthat Entrepreneurship Education should be made mandatory to allTechnical and vocational education students at all levels with properfunding by government and also with materials and financial support fromother agencies like Educational Tax Fund (ETF) and Non-GovernmentalOrganizations (NGOs).

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Technical Education, Self-Reliance, Youth, Sustainability