TY - JOUR

T1 - How action-oriented entrepreneurship training transforms university students into entrepreneurs: Insights from a qualitative study

AU - Melyoki, Lemayon Lemilia

AU - Gielnik, Michael

N1 - We thank the three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments. We particularly thank the associate editor, Étienne St-Jean for thoughtful advice. We are also grateful to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for funding this research. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Journal of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship/Conseil Canadien de la PME et de l’entrepreneuriat.

PY - 2023/5/1

Y1 - 2023/5/1

N2 - This paper provides insights into how action-oriented entrepreneurship training transforms university students into entrepreneurs. Understanding the process through which students become re-orientated to change their mindsets from expecting to get formal employment to embracing self-hire and actually starting their own businesses is important for motivating researchers and policy-makers to support action-oriented training. We qualitatively explored the effect of STEP (Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion), an action-oriented training program delivered to university students. We conducted seventeen semi-structured interviews with STEP recipients. We applied an inductive approach to the analysis of qualitative data. Findings revealed that transformation occurred through a step-by-step process with participants first experiencing empowerment due to the human and psychological capitals developed during the training. This empowerment coupled with appreciation of entrepreneurship and confirmation of its do-ability motivated recipients to adopt of a new career perspective and ignited in them a commitment to stay the course. We conclude that action-oriented training can transform recipients into real entrepreneurs through empowerment, appreciation, and confirmation of do-ability. The implication is that action-oriented training should be emphasized as an integral aspect of a strategy to address the problem of youth unemployment and general expansion of economic activity. Suggestions for future research are given.

AB - This paper provides insights into how action-oriented entrepreneurship training transforms university students into entrepreneurs. Understanding the process through which students become re-orientated to change their mindsets from expecting to get formal employment to embracing self-hire and actually starting their own businesses is important for motivating researchers and policy-makers to support action-oriented training. We qualitatively explored the effect of STEP (Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion), an action-oriented training program delivered to university students. We conducted seventeen semi-structured interviews with STEP recipients. We applied an inductive approach to the analysis of qualitative data. Findings revealed that transformation occurred through a step-by-step process with participants first experiencing empowerment due to the human and psychological capitals developed during the training. This empowerment coupled with appreciation of entrepreneurship and confirmation of its do-ability motivated recipients to adopt of a new career perspective and ignited in them a commitment to stay the course. We conclude that action-oriented training can transform recipients into real entrepreneurs through empowerment, appreciation, and confirmation of do-ability. The implication is that action-oriented training should be emphasized as an integral aspect of a strategy to address the problem of youth unemployment and general expansion of economic activity. Suggestions for future research are given.

KW - Entrepreneurship

KW - Entrepreneurship

KW - human capital

KW - Business psychology

KW - psychological capital

KW - empowerment

KW - tanzania

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d589f212-4014-3bf9-b9e2-7aec9449c013/

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095752974&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/08276331.2020.1832831

DO - 10.1080/08276331.2020.1832831

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 35

SP - 787

EP - 814

JO - Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship

JF - Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship

SN - 0827-6331

IS - 5

ER -