Critical Examination of the Different Contributions of Specific Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition Programmes to Job Creation and Poverty Alleviation in Ondo State, Nigeria

The study assesses how entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition Programmes (ESAPs) contribute to job creation and poverty alleviation in Ondo State, Nigeria. Specifically, it examined the contributions of specific ESAPs to job creation; assessed the extent to which specific ESAPs alleviate poverty. In achieving the objectives of the study, cross-sectional case study, comparative multiple cases and quantitative descriptive survey research design were adopted. Data were collected using structured questionnaire which were administered to 160 respondents selected from 10 active ESAPs in Ondo State out of the 20 programmes that have existed from the inception of the State to 2021 to source the primary data for the study. The responses from the questionnaire administered were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools which included frequency table; descriptive analysis statistical tables with mean and Analysis of Variance and Pair wise multiple comparisons tests were used to analyze (H01), H01 (no significant difference among ESAPs used for job creation) and Analysis of Variance test was used to analyze H02, (no significant difference among the various categories of ESAPs used for poverty alleviation). The results indicated positive effects of job creation where the impact of investment ( 0.05) and agricultural programmes (> 0.05). This indicated a statistically significant effects of the specific ESAPs on job creation (F2, 157) = 4.056, p 0.05). The study concludes that specific ESAPs have positive impacts on job creation in Ondo State, Nigeria. It suggests the need to improve on vocational and agricultural ESAPs in Ondo State by introducing effective regulations and polices.