Entrepreneurial Inquisitiveness of Under Graduate Mechanical Engineering Students

Abstract

State-of-the-art technologies have changed engineering education and the manufacturing industry over the past few years. Now, the markets in electronics and information science arena have variety of products and are easily accessible for the customers through e-commerce. Mostly the start-up companies are wont these online platforms for their business. The start-ups have a potential to flourish their products in the market. The number of student's start-ups in the mechanical engineering stream is relatively less when compared to the ones spawned by other engineering streams. Products from pure mechanical engineering stream is less in the market but has a huge potential that is waiting to be explored. Promotion of mechanical based start-ups can be made only by paving the seed of entrepreneurial culture, which has to be sprout among engineering students through the campus start-up activities. This study analyses the entrepreneurial inquisitiveness of under graduate mechanical engineering students in the state of Kerala, India, in terms of their attitude, involvement in entrepreneurial programs in the campus, policies of universities, influence of Government organizations, barriers faced by the students and the different components behind campus start-ups. A sample of 380 mechanical engineering students from various engineering colleges across Kerala participated in survey through both direct and online methods. The questionnaire for the data collection was prepared based on literature, feedback and market research. A seven-point Likert scale was used to record their responses. The data was analysed using a multiple regression approach, with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results from this research are aimed at providing insights to State Governments in their start-up policy, to the Universities in their curriculum revision and to the Higher education department in the states to sire an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the engineering campus. Educated youth have to fortify as an industrialist for the economic growth of their nation.