INTERNSHIP AND CAREER MENTORSHIP AS PREDICTORS OF EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS AMONG BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The paper examined internship and career mentorship as predictors of employability skills among business education students in tertiary institutions in Anambra State. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. The study adopted correlational research design. The population of the study comprised 237 final year Business Education students in tertiary institutions in Anambra State. The study adopted census sampling technique since the population was manageable. The instrument for data collection was a validated questionnaire structured on a four-point rating scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient which gave an average value of 0.861. Simple linear regression was used to analyze the data. The study revealed that internship experience and career mentorship play significant roles in enhancing employability skills among business education students in tertiary institutions in Anambra State. Conclusively, these factors collectively contribute to developing critical competencies needed for the labour market vis-a-vis their importance in curriculum and programme development. The study recommended among others that tertiary institutions should strengthen and expand internship opportunities for business education students by collaborating with industries to provide hands-on experiences that enhance employability skills.