Enhancing entrepreneurial self-efficacy through vocational entrepreneurship education programs

The purpose of this study is to report the results of a longitudinal evaluation of a vocational entrepreneurship education programme (EEP) using entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) measures. An empirical, mixed methods longitudinal and effectuation scale was used to measure ESE scores. Results indicate that participation in the programme had a positive significant effect on the ESE scores of all participants. In particular, the increase in scores for women, participants aged more than 40, and participants who did not have business-owning relatives was greater. We contribute evidence of the value of vocational EEPs and entrepreneurial learning in increasing the ESE of participants, a finding of practical use to vocational entrepreneurship education institutions and programmes, economic policy makers and nascent entrepreneurs. The value of this work lies in its responsiveness to calls in the academic literature for longitudinal evaluation measures of entrepreneurial learning and vocational EEPs and demonstrates to funding bodies the value inherent in such education.