Exploring the role of entrepreneurship education in boosting innovation among students : a case study of two KwaZulu-Natal universities

Abstract

The South African unemployment rate currently is at 32.9%. The labour market is struggling to create opportunities and failing to counteract unemployment with relevant skills. The covid-19 pandemic resulted in more people losing jobs which then contributed to the increase in unemployment. There have been calls for the government to implement strategies that would reduce poverty which include developing innovative entrepreneurs at the tertiary level. The article therefore focused on how to expand entrepreneurship education in South African universities to strengthen the economy and create job opportunities in the country. The research paper utilised a mixed-method approach. The quantitative data was collected using questionnaires on postgraduate students, whereas the qualitative data was collected from academics. The findings were analysed using the latest version of SPSS. The sample was made up of 368 postgraduate students, 4 academic staff from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, 346 postgraduate students, and 4 academic staff from the University of Zululand. The findings revealed that expanding entrepreneurship education will stimulate entrepreneurial mindset and innovation in students. However, students argued that universities do not have adequate infrastructure and resources to support innovation and entrepreneurship education. On the other hand, academic staff believed that higher education must have an active role in introducing and promoting entrepreneurship education. The paper recommends entrepreneurship education must be introduced across all colleges, this was noted from the contribution made by academic staff and postgraduate students. This paper provides strategies for stakeholder engagement in encouraging entrepreneurship to curb the increasing unemployment rate in South Africa.