Entrepreneurship education in the technical vocational education and training college sector

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are essential for helping young people receive vocational training in a variety of trades, thereby boosting economic expansion and reducing unemployment. Thus, TVET colleges play a crucial role in preparing South African youths for entrepreneurship. This study sought to analyse the supply side of entrepreneurship education in the TVET college sector. The study adopted a quantitative, descriptive research design to collect data from a random sample of 106 lecturers. Given that entrepreneurship is a component of most business courses offered by colleges, the results demonstrate that TVET institutions were well-positioned to invest in entrepreneurship courses. Additionally, the faculty who taught business studies and entrepreneurship were well-equipped, with capable administrators and the necessary instructional materials at their disposal. The results also revealed that TVET institutions, despite their having capabilities, faced certain challenges. These include, among other things, available funds, management support, and a lack of passion among certain students, which hinders the effective delivery of entrepreneurship courses and limits student engagement and success. The study suggested that rather than considering entrepreneurship as a quick course or a single module, it would be necessary to introduce the subject at the elementary level of post-secondary education. Therefore, TVET colleges must consider integrating entrepreneurship into their core curriculum rather than merely adding it to existing business courses. This could be accomplished by undertaking a consultative process with external experts in entrepreneurship and by establishing terms of reference that include researching the course material for entrepreneurship courses offered by accredited institutions.