ABSTRACT

The ways of promoting clothing and textile entrepreneurial skills/opportunity among Home Economics graduates and managers of clothing establishments in Ebonyi State was examined The specific objective of the study were to examine the entrepreneurial skills in clothing and textile for Home Economics graduate and managers of clothing establishment in Ebonyi State. To ascertain the factors hindering the acquisition of clothing and textile skills by Home Economics graduates and Manager of clothing establishment in Ebonyi State and to find out the strategies for promoting and sustaining entrepreneurial skills opportunity in clothing and textile among the Home Economics graduates and manager of clothing establishment in Ebonyi State. The study adopted convenient and purposive sampling techniques. The reason for adopting convenient techniques is to ensure that all the graduates and managers of clothing and establishment will have an equal chance of being selected The population for this study comprised 191 graduates of Home Economics from Ebonyi State University for a period of ten years (2006-2016) and 75 registered members of Clothing Establishments in Ebonyi State. Making it a total population of 266. The sample size for the study was 160. The statistical tools used for data analysis were frequency, mean and percentages (%). Frequency was used to organize the data collected. Percentage (%) was use to organize the demographic data of the students while mean was used to analyze the responses lo research question. The major findings of the study include that; 14 Entrepreneurial skills were identified to be available for Home Economics graduates and managers of clothing and textile business owners in Ebonyi State. These Among others include: designing skill, dress making/clothing construction skills, dry cleaning and laundering skills, tie-dying and batiking skills. I 1 Factors are hindering the acquisition of clothing and textiles skills of Home Economics graduates and clothing and textile business owners {managers) in Ebonyi State. These among others include: lack of interest, incompetent skills, inadequate laboratory equipment, lack of adequate tools. LI strategies were identified for promotion and sustenance of entrepreneurial skills in clothing and textiles among Home Economics graduates and managers of clothing establishment. These strategies among others include: include formulation of specific goals/objectives, developing special interest in the business, change of societal Attitude, creation of awareness. The study recommended that Clothing and textiles entrepreneurial education should be pursued with vigor in all colleges of education and other tertiary institutions where Home Economics is offered The teaching of clothing and textiles in Home economics should be practical oriented as this will help to improve student's creativity and innovativeness during their years in tertiary institutions. Department of Home Economics should be established in all universities and other tertiary institutions in country because they have so much to offer students.

Keywords: Clothing and Textile, Entrepreneur Skill, Managers of Clothing Establishment