Teaching Creativity and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education: An Evaluation of Employability of University Undergraduates in Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of teaching creativity and entrepreneurship on employability of undergraduates and determined the difference in the entrepreneurial abilities to create new ventures amongst undergraduates in University of Lagos, Nigeria. It also determined the relationship between the teaching of creativity and entrepreneurship education on adaptability of university undergraduates to the changing Nigerian economy. These were with the view to improving the quality of entrepreneurship in higher education in the country. The study adopted a mixed research approach combining both descriptive survey and focus group designs. The sample comprised of an intact class of 1108 part 3 undergraduate students who registered for a compulsory course in entrepreneurship and corporate governance in the Rain Semester of 2012/2013 session. The instrument was a questionnaire which measured respondents’ ratings of job-relevant skills and elicited suggestions for improving career skills among undergraduates. Data were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that there existed a significant influence of teaching creativity and entrepreneurship on employability of undergraduates, and adaptability to the changing economy. Also, a non-significant difference existed in the entrepreneurial abilities to create new ventures amongst undergraduates in University of Lagos. It was concluded that a practical course involving either hands-on-learning in the classroom or training on-the-job is imperative as a way for undergraduates to learn and continuously update their skills.