Mechanical Engineering Craft Practice as a Veritable Tool for Entrepreneurial Development Amongst Students of Technical Colleges in Rivers State

Abstract

The study examined mechanical engineering craft practice as a veritable tool for entrepreneurial development amongst students. The study was guided by three objectives, three research questions, and three hypotheses. The study used a descriptive survey design and was carried out in Rivers State. The population for the study was 32 respondents, comprised of 23 teachers and 9 instructors. No sampling was performed due to the small number of the population. The instrument's internal consistency was evaluated using the Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient approach, resulting in an overall internal consistency of 0.82. The instrument titled "Mechanical Engineering Craft Practice as a Veritable Tool for Entrepreneurial Development" was validated by two experts chosen from the Department of Industrial Technical Education at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.  The data gathered from the study was examined using descriptive and inferential statistics, namely the t-test. The statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. It was found out that the teachers and instructors agreed that the drilling skills, milling skills and turning skills of mechanical engineering craft practice are veritable tool for entrepreneurial development amongst students of technical colleges in Rivers State. Based on the findings of the study it recommended that technical colleges in Rivers state should focus on providing students with more hands-on training in mechanical engineering craft practice, technical colleges should incorporate entrepreneurship education into their curriculum and Technical colleges should establish turning skills mentorship programs and encourage networking opportunities for students