UNIVERSITIES-INDUSTRIES COLLABORATION IN BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR EFFECTIVE CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIVERSITIES IN ENUGU STATE

Abstract

The study sought to determine the universities-industries collaboration in Business Education programme for effective curriculum implementation in universities in Enugu State. The study was guided by three research questions and three null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised of 288 respondents (28 Business Education lecturers from public universities in Enugu State and 260 SME owners in Enugu metropolis). The population was adopted entirely for the study due to its manageable size. A 15 items structured questionnaire validated by two experts in the field of Business Education and one expert in measurement and evaluation was used for the study. The reliability of the instrument using Cronbach alpha yielded an overall reliability co-efficient of .82. The copies of the questionnaire were administered personally by the researcher with the help of two (2) research assistants. Data were analysed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. Findings showed among others that finance for purchase of instructional tools; field trips engagement; Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme; undergraduates involvement in business board meetings, are some of the possible areas of collaborations between universities and industries. It was also found that university-industry collaborations help train students to handle equipment effectively; provides opportunities for transfer of knowledge from classroom to field; prepare students for real world business experiences; and help students acquire business acumen. Finally, lack of political will, cultural differences between universities and industries, infrastructure deficit, poor staff training were identified as factors hampering the collaboration between universities and industries. It was recommended among others that universities managements should devise strategies to help their Business Education programmes explore the identified areas of possible collaboration with industries.

Keywords: Universities, Industries, Collaboration, Business Education, Small and Medium Enterprises, Curriculum Implementation