A review of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills among students at a South African Higher Education Institution

Entrepreneurship are regarded as a key element in fostering economic growth and job creation. However, growth of a country?s economy rely on developing future leaders with the right skills and knowledge to be entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial knowledge and skills are key attributes for students if they consider self-employment. In South Africa entrepreneurship is common in higher education, however young individuals in South Africa urgently need to be trained, educated and equipped with the necessary entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to foster an entrepreneurial activity in their complex environment. The purpose of this paper is to determine students at a South African HEI perception of their level of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills. A descriptive research design approach was followed. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from a convenience sample of 338 students at a South African public HEI situated in the Gauteng Province. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability and validity analysis and a one-sample t-test. The findings infer that at this specific HEI, students feel they have the necessary knowledge and skills to be entrepreneurial. This study contributes by implementing initiatives to equip students with the knowledge and skills they may lack in becoming active individuals in economic growth.