Abstract
This study investigated youths’ perception of their acquisition and application of
entrepreneurial skills for self-employment: a case study of Vocational and Technical
Education (VTE) students in Enugu State. Specifically, this study determined: the
extent to which students have acquired entrepreneurial skills, the extent to which
students can apply entrepreneurial skills acquired, challenges encountered by
students in the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills, and the challenges encountered
by students in the application of entrepreneurial skills. Four research questions
guided the study. The population for the study was 102 students from UNN and 28
students from ESUT. Questionnaire was used for data collection, consisting of 83
items. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The
findings revealed that: students have acquired entrepreneurial skills to a high
extent, students can apply entrepreneurial skills to a high extent, students
encounter challenges in the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills which includes:
inadequate equipment, education and among others, students encounter challenges
in the application of entrepreneurial skills which includes: productivity,
entrepreneurial attitude and among others. Recommendations were made which
includes: building in students the ability to withstand the challenges ahead,
equipping students with the ability to apply all the knowledge and skills acquired
and among others.