X-RAYING THE BOUNDS OF THE IGBO APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM (IAS): IMPLICATIONS FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION AND JOB CREATION IN EMERGING ECONOMIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/1sfpvg80Keywords:
Entrepreneurship Education. Emerging Economies. Imu-Ahia. Job creation. Government Programmes.Abstract
The overall aim of this study is to provide contextual evidence and deepen understanding of how
the Igbo Apprenticeship System, anchored on the Theory of Experiential Learning (TEL), can
enhance the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education and practice in Nigeria and other
emerging economies. The research design/approach adopted in this study is the Model approach
for designing conceptual studies.This approach involves identifying new connections between
phenomena, building of theoretical propositions that uncover new constructs and/or connections
between constructs, and explaining the reason behind the outcome from a sequence of events.A
functional and viable entrepreneurial development system with almost a century-long evidence
of job and wealth creation exists to addresscritical macroeconomic issues such as rising
unemployment, widespread poverty and economic stagnation. The proposed adapted IAS
significantly reduces rate of startup failures, increases rate of business startups and ultimately,
facilitates national economic growth and development. These arguments are not simply based on
the observable evidence of the socioeconomic impact of the IAS among the Igbo ethnic group,
but also on grounded theory of learning (Experiential Learning Theory) and emerging evidences
from empirical studies in entrepreneurship education and practice
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