ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETENCY REQUIRED BY BUSINESSES EDUCATION STUDENTS IN ESTABLISHING SMALL-SCALE ENTERPRISES IN ESAN NORTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA IN EDO STATE.

This research explores the entrepreneurial competencies necessary for Small Business Education students to successfully establish and manage small-scale enterprises in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State. The study is driven by the recognition that entrepreneurship plays a vital role in economic growth, job creation, and innovation, yet many graduates continue to face challenges in translating theoretical knowledge into practical business success. Employing a descriptive survey design, data was collected from 50 students using a validated questionnaire to assess their awareness and possession of core entrepreneurial skills, including opportunity recognition, business planning, financial literacy, marketing competence, problem-solving ability, and resilience. The findings reveal that students generally recognize these competencies as essential; however, their current levels of practical application and mastery are only moderate, highlighting a significant gap between knowledge and real-world entrepreneurial readiness. The study also identifies critical challenges hindering students’ acquisition and application of entrepreneurial competencies. Students face substantial obstacles such as limited access to practical exposure, inadequate access to financial and technological resources, and insufficient emphasis on experiential learning within the existing entrepreneurship curriculum. These issues contribute to learners’ moderate competency levels and their inability to confidently initiate and sustain small-scale businesses. The research emphasizes that current entrepreneurship education predominantly focuses on theoretical instruction, which is insufficient for fostering the practical skills required in the dynamic and resource-constrained local business environment. Consequently, students are often ill-prepared to navigate market complexities, leading to low venture success rates and issues such as waste of resources and increased unemployment