Entrepreneurship education in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Globally, countries have come up with strategies to assist nascent entrepreneurs in gaining and creating employment. The role played by stakeholders in supporting opportunities for self-employment is an important effort for venture creation. This study analyses the impact of entrepreneurship education curriculum with specific reference to business success and venture start-ups in the Midlands Province (Zimbabwe). The goal, however, is to determine the influence that entrepreneurship education plays in encouraging polytechnic graduates to start their enterprises during their studies and after graduating. Data was collected through a qualitative exploratory study design, with 20 participants being purposively selected for the study. Four lecturers and six students participated in face-to-face in-depth interviews. The data saturation point was arrived at the tenth interviewee and the other ten members finally participated in the interactive focus group discussions. The study discovered that entrepreneurship education curricula could not entirely modify students’ mindsets to embrace new business start-ups. Poor curriculum implementation, incompetent educators, and inadequate resources were cited as some of the reasons for failure to pursue new business ventures following graduation. Graduate students might be motivated to venture into actual business start-ups if adequate support is entirely offered. If the government of Zimbabwe offers holistic support to entrepreneurship education curriculum through a budget, it could contribute to the achievement of feasible self-employment after graduation.