Graduate Work Readiness: An Insight into Entrepreneurship Education, Skills and Intention

Abstract

The issue of graduate unemployment has received a long-standing debate on whether the education program offered by the university, particularly entrepreneurship courses, can promote graduate work readiness in the gig economy. This paper investigates whether university programs can engage students' entrepreneurial intention by effectively improving their capability skills and knowledge to prepare them for work readiness (GWR) in the relevant field. This study reveals that entrepreneurship education provided by the university could impede the student's entrepreneurial intention if the courses offered cannot accommodate changes in the business and economic environment. Nevertheless, this study argued that developing and preparing students with entrepreneurial skills, ability, and knowledge cannot be the sole responsibility of the universities as students, too, must play a significant role in enhancing their GWR skills, competency, and knowledge, which are expected to be able to accommodate them for any forms of future employment. This study provides fresh evidence on the student's perception towards entrepreneurship courses offered by their university by investigating the cognitive measurements of intentions of the students. This study also provides some insights on improving entrepreneurship courses which are important for the young generations in preparing them for work readiness in the gig market.