Dr. David Kolawole AYINDE

The unemployment rate among Nigerian youth is rising and it appears that university undergraduates in Nigeria are not aware of the potential of Yoruba vocational skills. This study assessed entrepreneurial awareness, attitudes and skills of Yoruba cultural vocation among university undergraduates in South West, Nigeria.

This study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The sample for this study comprised 602 students studying Yoruba language from five public universities in South-West, Nigeria, using Total enumeration sampling technique. Data were collected using Entrepreneurial Awareness Multiple Choice Questions (EAMCQ, r = 0.82), Entrepreneurial Attitude Questionnaire (EAQ, r = 93), Entrepreneurial Skills Questionnaire (ESQ, r = 0.87) and were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The study reveals that undergraduates are not adequately aware of Yoruba cultural vocations and have low entrepreneurial skills, but they showed a favourable attitude towards the vocation. A positive and significant relationship exists between entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial skills. The results further showed significant gender differences in undergraduates’ entrepreneurial awareness, attitude, and perceived skills in Yoruba cultural vocations. Additionally, career path significantly influences undergraduates’ entrepreneurial awareness, attitude, and skills in Yoruba cultural vocations across South West universities in Nigeria.

The study recommended that there should be urgent curricular reform that will re-introduce Yoruba students to various Yoruba cultural vocations, not only in terms of reading them about in books alone, but should be made practical oriented; Yoruba cultural groups and associations like Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria (YSAN) should engage in massive campaign to popularise Yoruba cultural vocations and informed young graduates on the potentials they possess; the curriculum should be structured to accommodate each Yoruba undergraduate to adopt at least one cultural vocation from one hundred level; and  undergraduate should also be sensitized on the importance of having skill job orientation as against concentrating efforts on only white-collar job, especially in the era of massive unemployment