Abstract
The study was conducted to examine innovative approaches to developing entrepreneurial skills through vocational and technical education (VTE) in universities in South East Nigeria. Four specific purposes of the study, four research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. The descriptive survey research design was employed. The study covered a population of 281 VTE lecturers from three federal universities in South East Nigeria: University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (UNIZIK), and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI). Due to the manageable size of the population, total sampling was used. A 42-item questionnaire titled "Innovative Approaches to Developing Entrepreneurial Skills in Vocational and Technical Education in Universities in South East Nigeria" was developed and validated by experts in the field. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for the research questions, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. The results indicated that lecturers agreed on the relevance and impact of innovative teaching approaches such as project-based learning, digital tools, mentorship, and industry collaboration in enhancing entrepreneurial skills among VTE students. However, challenges such as outdated curriculum, limited funding, and lack of teacher training in new methods were identified. It was concluded that integrating innovative strategies into VTE is essential for fostering entrepreneurial competence among graduates. It was recommended amongst others that lecturers be regularly trained in innovative teaching methods.
Keywords: Innovative Approaches, Entrepreneurial skills, Vocational and Technical Education
Publication Date: 2025-07-15