Influence of Digital Entrepreneurial Skill Training on the Employability of Business Education Students for 21st Century Economy in Universities in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which Business Education students are trained in digital entrepreneurial skills relevant to the 21st-century industrial economy in South-South Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. Three research questions guided the study, and three hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The population consisted of 107 final-year (2024/2025 academic session) Business Education students from public universities in Delta State offering Business Education programmes. The entire population was used since the size was manageable, making the study a census. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire based on a four-point Likert scale. The instrument’s validity was confirmed by three experts, while reliability was established through a test–retest procedure using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation method, yielding a coefficient of 0.73. Mean and standard deviation were employed to address the research questions, while the null hypotheses were tested with an independent sample t-test at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that the exposure of Business Education students to digital entrepreneurial skills training and its influence on their readiness for participation in the 21st-century economy remain low. Based on these findings, it was recommended that Business Education lecturers in universities should intensify efforts to equip students with practical digital entrepreneurial competencies, such as digital marketing, content creation, data analytics, and social media management—to enhance their employability in the 21st-century workforce.