1   BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Entrepreneurship is the process of creating something new of value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction and independence. Entrepreneurship is seen as any novel activity which creates organizational change and economic value. Mazuyka and Birley (2002) explained that entrepreneurship is the process of:

i. Identifying and developing an opportunity in the form of a vision

ii. Validating and conceptualizing a business concept and strategy that help and attain the vision.

iii. Marshalling the required resources to implement the concept.

iv. Implementing the business concept or venture.

v. Capturing the opportunity through the growth of the enterprise

vi. Extending the growth of the enterprise through sustained entrepreneurial activities

vii. Capturing greater value in the market place.

Entrepreneurship is the process by which individuals either on their own or inside organizations- pursue opportunities without regard to the resources they currently control. Their main focus is in the process of entrepreneurship which involves, development of a new business or innovation strategy and the writing of a business plan, activities that are sometimes considered as surrogate for the entrepreneurship process itself.

Entrepreneurship is an acquisition of skills and ideas for the sake of creating employment for one’s-self and also for others. It also involves the development based on creativity. Entrepreneurship leads to the development of small, medium and sometimes large scale businesses based on creativity and innovation. 

Diabelen, et al, (2000) suggested that the process of innovation is actually of spontaneous “undeliberate learning”. This means that the necessary characteristics of entrepreneur is alertness, and no intrinsic skills, other than that of recognizing opportunities and exploring them. Some individuals apply the concept of entrepreneurship to the creation of any new business, while others may focus on intentions. Still, others tend to confuse managing a small business such as roadside auto mechanic or furniture cabinate maker as entrepreneurs.  Allawadi (2007), tied entrepreneurship to the creation of five basic “new combinations” of introducing a new product, a new method of production, opening a new market, conquest of new source of supply and creating a new organization, creativity which is emphasized in Home Economics promotes the birth of new firms which is critical to economic developmental efforts. 

Entrepreneurship is the act and art of being an entrepreneur or one who undertakes innovations or introducing new things, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods. This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response to a perceived opportunity, Onyemah, (2011). In line with the spirit of entrepreneurship, Onyido (2011) reported that the Federal Government of Nigeria has directed the establishment of entrepreneurship centers in the universities and other higher institutions of learning so as to enhance entrepreneurship education. These centers are to be funded by the education trust fund and student are expected to channel the knowledge and energies acquired at devising creative strategies and learning skills to function as entrepreneurs. 

Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in economic development through creation of utilities and generation of employment within a short period. The above definitions have much relevance to the philosophy of Home Economics which is centered on imparting knowledge and skills that can be applied for purposeful living. Home Economics Education enables the youth to carefully determine and analyze un-met needs through creatively certifying those needs by bearing the related risks. By combining the above thoughts, it can be generalized that entrepreneurs are risk bearers, coordinators, organizers, gap-fillers, leaders, and innovators or creative initiators. These qualities are expedient in wealth creation and self-reliance through Home Economics for national development.

Skill, is the ability to do something expertly and well. It is an organized sequence of actions. To possess skill is to demonstrate the habit of acting, thinking and behaving in a specific activity in such a way that the process becomes natural to the individual through repetition or practice.

Bolt-Lee and Foster (2003) see skills as the art of possessing the ability to have power, authority or competency to do the task required of an individual on the job. Ezeani (2012) stated that skills are not a person’s fundamental, innate capacities but must be developed through training, practice and experience. Skill acquisition is the process of acquiring or gaining effective and ready knowledge in developing one’s aptitude and ability in a particular field (Kikechi et all, 2013). The preparation of students for skill acquisition in order to be self-reliant is dependent on the acquisition of basic knowledge about employment opportunities, requirements and trends as well as the possession of marketable skills. According to Ogundele, et all, (2011) skills acquired by students would aid job creation, youth empowerment and poverty alleviation, which in turn has the capacity to solve various social problems. Students who acquire adequate work-skills have better options to become entrepreneurs after graduation. In support of this, Kikechi, et all, (2013) maintain that skill acquisition provides a platform for technological excellence in the face of globalization of the world economy. Akpotowoh and Amahi (2006) confirm that the skills acquired through business related subjects promote training in entrepreneurship as well as equip students with the requisite skills to establish and run small businesses of their own.

 The development of skill is an important function of educational institutions, especially among tertiary institution students. 

Home Economics as one of the arms of vocational and technical education, is a multi-disciplinary subject that embraces a very large area and draws from other disciplines such as arts and sciences in solving physical, social, economic and political problems of families, individuals and society. It is a very comprehensive and all-embracing discipline whose contributions to humanity and politics are unquantifiable.

Home Economics is defined at the tertiary level as; a broad field of study that is primarily concerned with the improvement of welfare of individuals and families. It deals with all aspects of family life. It draws knowledge from many disciplines such as biology, physical and social sciences, humanities and arts. It unifies the knowledge drawn and uses it to teach people how to:

1.  Determine the needs of individuals and families for food, shelter and clothing,

2.  Seek the means of satisfying these needs,

3.  Improve the goods and services used by families and

4.  Become responsible and effective members of family and community, through effective home-making and gainful employment. As a skill-oriented course, Home Economics is capable of equipping individuals with saleable skills that could make for employment. Usman (2010) agreed that Home Economics education aims at improving the quality of family life through effective development and utilization of human and material resources of a society. Thus the primarily concern of this study is to evaluate the entrepreneurial skills among Home Economics student in Abia State.