DefinePK

Abstract

In the past, people regarded education as a solution to overcoming poverty. Regrettably, new graduates in Nigeria still have difficulty securing jobs after graduating due to many factors, including overpopulation, poor political administration, conflicting government policies, and an education framework not tailored and adjusted to industry needs. Studies have shown that one of Nigeria's educational system shortcomings is that schools fail to prepare graduates for independent work (Odia & Omofonmwan, 2007). The study's focus was to understand the role played by the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) program in fostering positive experiences and employment outcomes for Nigerian graduates through the assessment of the effectiveness of the SAED program on graduate employment through post-project employment status and participants' development of other entrepreneurship skills and attributes (Almlund, Duckworth, Heckman, & Kautz, 2011; Premand et al., 2015; Propstmeier, Picot, & Schaller, 2012). Findings indicate that the SAED program positively impacts Nigerian graduates by providing alternative entrepreneurial paths, promoting awareness, and helping them start small businesses, despite not improving unemployment rates.
Keywords: Nigeria, SAED, Graduates, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Policy.