Title: The Role of Entrepreneurial Education in Fostering Innovation and Job Creation among Youth in Developing Economies
Authors: Sunday Musa Onalo & Leonard Achile Ogwuche
Volume: 9
Issue: 10
Pages: 140-152
Publication Date: 2025/10/28
Abstract:
: Entrepreneurial education has become a central policy instrument for promoting innovation and youth employment in developing economies. This study investigates how entrepreneurial education initiatives influence innovation capacity, self-employment intentions, and actual job creation among youth in Nigeria. Using a mixed-methods design, the research integrates a cross-sectional survey of 400 youth participants exposed to university and nonformal entrepreneurship education programs with 25 semi-structured interviews involving graduates, educators, and innovation-hub managers. Quantitative analyses include descriptive statistics, factor analysis, multiple regression, and structural equation modeling. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically to contextualize and explain statistical patterns. Findings indicate that quality entrepreneurial education significantly predicts entrepreneurial intentions, innovation-oriented behaviors, and early-stage job creation outcomes. Program design features that emphasize experiential learning, mentorship, and market linkage strongly correlate with higher rates of venture creation and short-term hiring. Institutional supports such as access to finance, accelerator services, and digital infrastructure moderate the education-employment linkage. Notably, practical entrepreneurship training that embeds digital skills and business model experimentation yields larger employment multipliers for youth than classroom-only approaches. Gender-sensitive pedagogies and targeted support for disadvantaged youth enhance inclusivity in employment outcomes. The study contributes empirical evidence to debates on education-led employment strategies in developing economies and offers policy recommendations for aligning curriculum design, ecosystem support, and financing mechanisms. It underscores the need for integrated interventions that combine pedagogical best practices with ecosystem development to realize entrepreneurship education's promise of sustainable job creation among youth.