Impact of Business Skill Acquisition on Business Performance of Business Education Graduates in Nigeria

Abstract

The researchers investigated the impact of business skill acquisition on business performance of business education graduates in Nigeria. Analytical survey design was adopted for the study involving 200 business education graduates with at least, 5 years of cognate practical experience in business using purposive sampling technique. The research questions were answered using percentages and frequencies while the hypotheses were tested using Chi-square statistics. The finding revealed that Business Education Graduates in Nigeria acquire business skills and also, the business skills acquired influence their business performance positively. The findings further revealed that the differences in the expected and observed business skills acquired by the business education graduates and the expected and observed influence of the business skills acquired on their business performance are significant at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that business education graduates in Nigeria acquired relevant business skills such as management skills, business plan and project development skills, problem-solving skills, innovation and creativity skill, accounting and record keeping skills, customer loyalty and retention skills, among others. These skills have significant positive improvement on the skills expected of them. More so, the skills are evidently seen in the business performance of business education graduates as indicated by the results from the analyses and findings. Based on the findings, it was recommended that adequate empowerment for business expansion in area of material resources and legal support should be granted to business education graduates by the Federal, State and Local Government to encourage total diligent and full commitment in business establishment and growth..