Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on the Career Aspirations of Nigerian Para-Professional Librarians-in-Training:- Chizoba Doris Nnadozie

Abstract

 One of the aftermaths of the on-going curriculum innovations in Nigeria's Polytechnic sector is the introduction of entrepreneurship education in all programmes/disciplines. The need to ascertain the impact ofthese entrepreneurship courses on the career aspirations ofpara-professional Librarians-in-Training (LIT) provided the promptingfor this paper.A customized research instrument titled “Questionnaire on Effect ofEntrepreneurship Education on Career Aspirations of Would-be Library Para-professionals" was used to elicit information from respondents selected through availability sampling fromfinal year National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) students ofLibrary and Information Science in selected Nigerian Polytechnic. From thefindings, it was evident that majority of the graduating students, who were the respondents, perceive entrepreneurship education as usful (84.6%) and innovative (82.5°o) notwithstanding that only afew ofthem (8.4%) saw the programme as being librarianship-spccific. However, an overwhelming majority ofthe respondents agreed that these courses broadened their knowledge (50.5%) and widened their employment options (71.2%). It was therefore, not surprising that the result ofthis survey showed a paradigm shift in the career aspirations ofLITs as many ofthe respondents preferred to be selfcmploicd or work in the private sector instead of waitingfor the scarce traditional/conventional library-based employment. Recommendations were made to remedy certainflaws observed in the design and implementation ofentrepreneurship education as part ofthe Library and Information Science discipline. Keywords: Entrepreneurship Education, Library Education, Librarianship, Para-prqfessionals, Nigeria