IMPACT OF ENTREPRENEUR EDUCATION ON ACADEMIC STAFF BUSINESS STARTUP IN FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, BAUCHI
Abstract
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the impact of entrepreneurship education on academic staff business startups, with a specific focus on the influence of mentorship, business networking, and financial resources at the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was employed, utilizing a structured questionnaire to collect data from a stratified sample of 102 academic staff, from which 93 responses were valid for analysis. Data were analyzed using both descriptive (mean, standard deviation) and inferential (linear regression) statistics to answer the research questions and test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that mentorship, business networking, and financial resources all have a significant positive influence on academic staff business startup success. Mentorship emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.824, p < 0.001), explaining 73.5% of the variance in startup success, followed by financial resources (β = 0.802, p < 0.001), which explained 68.6%, and business networking (β = 0.786, p < 0.001), accounting for 62.4% of the variance. The high mean scores across all variables (Mentorship: 4.60; Financial Resources: 4.50; Networking: 4.47) confirmed a strong consensus among respondents on their critical importance. The study concludes that a synergistic combination of structured mentorship, robust networking platforms, and accessible financial capital is essential for fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem among academic staff. It recommends that Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, should institutionalize expanded mentorship programs, create formal networking forums, and establish partnerships with financial institutions to provide tailored funding schemes. These interventions are crucial for enhancing academic staff entrepreneurial capabilities, ultimately contributing to institutional dynamism, graduate employability, and regional economic development.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship Education, Academic Staff, Business Startup, Mentorship, Business Networking, Financial Resources, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi.
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