Vocational Education and Entrepreneurial Performance of Youths in Uganda

Abstract

This research established the relationship between Vocational Education and Entrepreneurial Performance in Uganda specifically evaluating the effect of curriculum content, mode and duration of training on entrepreneurial performance among Vocational Education graduates. Using correlational cross-sectional design, qualitative and quantitative data was obtained from 177 graduates within Nakawa Division sampled randomly. Descriptive and inferential statistics were obtained by correlation, regression to elucidate the relationship which aspects of vocational education bear on entrepreneurship performance. Results showed a positive and very significant effect of the curriculum content and training duration on the entrepreneurial performance of vocational graduates with which it had weak positive correlation. The training mode was positively correlated with entrepreneurship performance although it had an insignificant influence (P-value = 0.414). Descriptive statistics indicated averages above 3.5 on a likert scale of 5 digits, implying that respondents agreed to most statements the research put across. Given a mean response of 3.7 on a likert scale of 1 to 5 as to whether curriculum content affects entrepreneurial performance and the strong agreement to inclusion of real life projects to prepare graduates with competencies for entrepreneurship, the study recommends school administrators to strictly ensure effective implementation of real life projects by learners at the training institutions at any cost. The findings indicated that longer training durations would be associated with better entrepreneurship performance given a positive and significant effect of training duration on entrepreneurship performance. (β =0.265, p-value = 0.004). Upon this result, the study recommends that the BTVET sector should design longer semesters for training in technical and vocation schools and encourage school administrators to attract and retain trainees throughout the period designed for training. Basing on other descriptive xii statistics, it is further recommended that training institutions should give opportunity to learners to do outside-research in their potential entrepreneurship careers rather than concentrating them on theorised teaching mode oriented to in-class booked academic training