Green Entrepreneurship Education in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Researchers such as Othman et al., Frontiers in Psychology (376:738729, 2022) have recently published a number of academic papers in an effort to demonstrate how green entrepreneurship may be used to increase sustainable green jobs and lower the rising unemployment rate around the globe. Accordingly, the purpose of this chapter is to examine the role of green entrepreneurship in reducing graduate unemployment in Zimbabwe. Green entrepreneurship remains poorly understood mainly in developing countries. The study focused on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Zimbabwe. Data collection and analysis were conducted using a mixed-methods approach that was integrated with an explanatory study design. Structured questionnaires were answered by randomly sampled respondents, while the participants in the qualitative study component were purposively recruited. One hundred and forty-five respondents in total completed the structured questionnaire, and five participants took part in the in-depth interviews. Thematic data analysis was used in analysing qualitative data sets while descriptive statistics were used in analysing quantitative data. Findings revealed that green entrepreneurship plays an important role in promoting opportunities for sustainable green entrepreneurship jobs. The study also revealed poor implementation of green entrepreneurship. The concept is not yet given high prominence because it is a new concept in developing countries. However, green entrepreneurship can be learnt and stimulated, positively influencing entrepreneurial green jobs in Zimbabwe. Thus, these results are particularly interesting for policymakers, higher education institutions, and students. This study recommends that green entrepreneurship must be given high prominence in TEVT institutions in Zimbabwe in order to ensure that upon graduation, graduates can be self-employed and create jobs that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. The Zimbabwean government should make an effort to boost all of its support, including by creating a budget expressly for environmentally friendly business ventures. This could contribute to the achievement of feasible sustainable self-employment of graduates.