Entrepreneurial intention in advanced undergraduate students

Abstract

This study was undertaken within a university that was historically designed to develop students for the intermediate level of the economy through replication of industrial processes. This was the main form of employment and accessing the economic activity. With unemployment rate amongst youth reportedly so high even in those with post-matric qualifications, the broadening of access to the economic activity has become urgent and relevant in undergraduate students. The reality is that until very recently with some few exceptions, the experience of the majority of the undergraduates was that they were effectively barred from meaningful access to entrepreneurial opportunities. There is a general contest that the current undergraduate programmes are orientating students as job-seekers and not job-creators. It is the assertion, therefore, of this study that Universities had to play a pivotal role in re-orientating undergraduates toward entrepreneurship. The study surveyed 210 undergraduates’ students of Business Studies at a University of Technology to determine their degree of entrepreneurial intention. In this article, I share the results of the survey and attempt to map out a way forward for universities with respect to fostering entrepreneurship in undergraduate studies.