DEVELOPING ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET AND SKILLS THROUGH INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAMMES

Abstract

This paper examined developing entrepreneurial mindset and skills through Industrial Work Experience Programmes (IWEP). There has been an increase in the rate of unemployment and economic downturn in Nigeria and recently she embarked on re-engineering her economy by introducing entrepreneurship education in the curriculum of the educational institutions to enable learners acquire skills for self-employment. However, despite the introduction of entrepreneurship education, massive graduate unemployment still persist and this could be due to the theoretical oriented method of teaching the subject. Industrial Work Experience Programme (IWEP) is one of the pedagogy practices to enhance the acquisition of entrepreneurial mindset and skills for self-employment and self-reliance. Through this programmes (IWEP), learners are exposed to practical experience that would enable them acquire the mindset and relevant skills for self-employment. The papers concludes that industrial work experience programmes is one of the best strategies to inculcate entrepreneurial mindset and skills among learners and therefore recommends it to be incorporated into entrepreneurship education curriculum as well as be adopted for teaching and learning of entrepreneurship education.