In Sub-Saharan African countries, youth unemployment is a result of a lack of jobs in communities, worsened by a lack of entrepreneurial skills for the youth to become innovative employees or self-employed in micro-enterprises. In this regard, entrepreneurship training (ET) has been promoted in TVET colleges to help students acquire entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, competencies and mindset to empower students to become involved in business ventures after graduating. This paper aims to examine how lecturers manage to deliver ET to prepare students for self-employment in South African TVET colleges. The researchers used the qualitative research approach to conduct the study. The data collection process consisted of semi-structured interviews and document analysis. A total sample of 15 participants consisting of students, graduates, lecturers and local business owners was drawn from three TVET colleges in the Gauteng Province. The findings revealed that the lack of industry experience of lecturers affected the delivery of ET through experiential learning, as they could not link ET delivery approaches to the real world of work. Lecturers predominantly rely on a textbook-based teaching method. The authors conclude that the lack of lecturers’ industry experience impacted negatively on them by not linking their teaching practice to industry, hence preparing students for self-employment. In the South African context, lecturers at TVET colleges come from the basic education system, some directly from universities and a few from industry. Furthermore, partnerships with local businesses are valuable in providing real workplace-based training, which accelerates the acquisition of students’ entrepreneurial skills.

Authors:
Celestin Mayombe, North-West University, South Africa
Alucia Mabunda, North-West University, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Celestin Mayombe is a senior lecturer in curriculum studies at North-West University. He completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. His area of research is in vocational skills training for disadvantaged youth.

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