Youth Empowerment: A Pathway to Unlocking Employability and Entrepreneurial Skills in Enugu State, Nigeria
Department of Science Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology
odenigbo.veronica@esut.edu.ng
Abstract
This study examines youth empowerment as a pathway to unlocking entrepreneurial skills and employability in Enugu State, Nigeria. Using a descriptive survey design with 103 youths (42 males and 61 females), the study investigated the effects of youth joblessness and empowerment on society. Findings indicated that jobless youths tend to join bad gangs for money, while empowered youths support themselves, their communities, and the nation in bringing human, economic, and social development. Results showed that youth joblessness leads to increased poverty, social unrest, poor healthcare, inability to acquire skills, brain drain, low self-esteem, political hooliganism, and criminality. Conversely, youth empowerment improves entrepreneurial skills development, increases vocational training opportunities, reduces poverty, fosters creativity, brings economic growth, improves employment and job creation, and develops effective leaders. The study recommends that government establish skill acquisition centers with good facilities and qualified facilitators.
Keywords
Introduction
Youth refers to young people between ages 15 and 30 years, a critical stage for personal and professional development that sets the foundation for future success. Youth empowerment is the process of enabling young people to take control of their lives, make informed decisions, and become active contributors to their communities. It involves providing them with skills, knowledge, and support necessary to achieve human development, economic growth, and overcome challenges. Empowering youths is crucial for building a vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous society. By investing in their development, society can unlock their potential, foster positive change, and create a brighter future. The benefits include improved decision-making, enhanced leadership, increased civic engagement, better health outcomes, reduced crime and violence, promoting social justice, fostering creativity and innovation, community development, and improved mental health.
Entrepreneurial and Employability Skills
Entrepreneurial skills are the abilities and knowledge necessary to start and run a successful business, including the ability to take risks, display leadership roles, and manage finances. Youths can form their own enterprises and contribute to economic growth of society. Employability skills are qualities that make an individual attractive to employers and able to source and maintain employment, including communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. It is when youths are empowered through training, education, or mentorship that they can be employable. These skills are essential for youths to thrive in today's fast-paced, ever-changing world. Equipping young people with entrepreneurial and employability skills can unlock their potential, foster innovation, and drive economic growth, enabling them to contribute to societal progress.
Statement of the Problem
Many youths being unemployed or jobless leads to increased criminality in society. In Nigeria today, kidnapping, robbery, money rituals, yahoo yahoo (internet fraud), sexual assault, and stealing are on the increase due to youth joblessness. Many are graduates while others are not, but numerous youths are jobless, unemployed, and lack any means of surviving as things are costly and many cannot afford even two square meals a day. When faced with this frustration and unable to fend for themselves, most join bad gangs which are increasing in Nigerian society. To find possible solutions and establish these youths in different places to prevent involvement in criminality, this study examines how empowering youths could help reduce or totally eliminate criminality in society.
Methodology
The study employed a descriptive survey research design with a population of 103 youths (42 males and 61 females) drawn through random sampling techniques in Enugu city. A structured questionnaire titled "Youth Empowerment a Pathway to Entrepreneurial Skill and Employability (YEPESEQ)" was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts from Enugu State University of Science and Technology and tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha, yielding a reliability index of 0.74, indicating high reliability. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions, while null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-test. The questionnaire items were designed on a four-point scale rating of Very High Extent (VHE), High Extent (HE), Low Extent (LE), and Very Low Extent (VLE).
Results
Research question 1 revealed that the effect of youth joblessness is of low extent, with an overall cluster mean rating of 1.76. This indicates that when youths are jobless, they cannot add value to society and will not bring positive situations. The negative effects include increased poverty and inequality, social unrest and conflict, poor healthcare, inability to acquire entrepreneurial skills, brain drain and talent loss, low self-esteem and depression, political hooliganism, inability to compete globally, lack of fresh ideas and innovation, unemployment making them purposeless, and seeking opportunities through criminality. Research question 2 showed that youth empowerment has high extent effects with an overall cluster mean of 3.14. When youths are empowered, positive effects include improved entrepreneurial skills development, increased vocational training opportunities, reduced poverty, quality education provision, fostering connections among young investors, encouraging creativity, accelerating seed funding, digital marketing skills, reduced hooliganism, economic growth and development, improved employment and job creation, effective leadership development, and sustained community development projects.
Discussion of Findings
The study revealed that youth unemployment has many negative side effects on society including increased poverty and inequality, poor healthcare making them vulnerable to substance abuse, inability to acquire entrepreneurial skills, political hooliganism and touting, and inability to bring fresh ideas and innovation. The results showed that youths can be very vulnerable to criminalities, violence, and hooliganism, easily becoming useful in carrying out crimes for money. Conversely, provision of effective employment, empowerment, or entrepreneurial skills can equip youths to bring out their full potential positively in society. When youths are gainfully empowered, positive effects include improved entrepreneurial skills development, reduced poverty, quality education provision, fostering connections among young investors, encouraging creativity, digital marketing skills, reduced hooliganism, economic growth and development, and improved employment and job creation. Both hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance showed no significant difference between male and female respondents' responses.
Conclusion
Empowering youths with good skills can assist in reducing poverty in society. If youths are engaged in meaningful skills—whether vocational training or professional work like carpentry, hair dressing, barbing, sewing, driving, mechanics, painting, or typing—they will not have time to commit atrocities to survive because they will have hope of getting something good from their work. When engaged and doing well in their businesses, they will expand and involve other unemployed youths, creating many employable and functional youths in society. This will help society be free of insurgency and other criminalities because many youths will be engaged in skills. They will think of bringing in community development projects as a team, driving demographic dividend that leads to economic growth and development. There will be innovation and creativity bringing progress from fresh ideas and perspectives. Empowered youths will become effective leaders who guide others and their peers in communities toward gaining entrepreneurial and employability skills.
Recommendations
The government should establish skill acquisition centers where youths can easily enroll to acquire any skill of their choice with good facilities, infrastructure, and qualified facilitators. After the training period, they should be empowered by establishing those engaged in skills. Government officials, sponsors, and trusted community leaders should monitor the training and all facilities. Due to increased corruption in society, facilities and financial assistance should be monitored and supervised until all graduated participants in skill acquisition programs receive their entitlement as stipulated by the government or sponsor. This comprehensive approach will ensure that youth empowerment initiatives achieve their intended goals of reducing unemployment, criminality, and poverty while promoting economic growth and social development.