Extensiveness of Probono Entrepreneurship Program in Promoting Entrepreneurial Business Ventures Among Secondary School Students in Tanzania

Youth in Tanzania are still struggling with transforming entrepreneurial knowledge into viable business ventures, despite the increasing emphasis on entrepreneurship as the pathway to economic advancement. This challenge raises concerns about the extensiveness of school-based entrepreneurship initiatives, thereby necessitating the evaluation study, on the extensiveness of Probono Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) in promoting entrepreneurial business ventures among secondary school students in Tanzania. The study aimed to assess how PEP contributed to developing entrepreneurial capacities among students. The evaluation was guided by CIRO evaluation model, employing a convergent design within a mixed-methods approach. The target population comprised 1,162 participants, including 790 students, 11 Club Lead Teachers, one program consult, and 360 program alumni. Probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used; the Census sampling technique, proportional stratified random sampling technique, total population and snowball sampling technique were applied to obtain 10 schools, 260 students, 10 club lead teachers, 10 program alumni and 1 program consultant. The students sample size was determined through the use of Crejcie and Morgan table (1970). Data were collected through a questionnaire, an interview guide, and an observation guide. Face and content validity was ensured by research experts from Mwenge Catholic University (MWECAU). A pilot study involved 1 secondary school with 26 students and 1 club lead teacher. The reliability of the Likert-type items from the questionnaires was ensured using Cronbach’s Alpha, where r = 0.845. The trustworthiness of the qualitative data collection instruments was ensured through triangulation and member checking. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The study found there is significant and positive relationship between training offered in PEP and students’ entrepreneurial business ventures. The study concluded that training offered by PEP has successfully achieved its goal of promoting entrepreneurial business ventures among secondary schools’ students to a high extent. It was recommended that PEP should diversity and expand the program to more schools in order to amplify its impact on youth entrepreneurship.