Citation:

Nelson Nanteleza Ndala, Fiza Suwadi. "Investigating the Factors Influencing the Intention to Create New Ventures among Young Graduates in Blantyre City of the Southern Malawi" International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 507-516, 2023.

Abstract:

The number of recent graduates knocking on the door of entrepreneurship and intending to launch new businesses has surged due to the fierce competition in the labour market. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the variables affecting young graduates' intentions to launch new businesses in HEIs in Blantyre City, Southern Malawi. The following were the specific research objectives: to identify entrepreneurship courses and training programs that are offered to students in HEIs on Blantyre City; to analyse the traits that affect graduates’ intention to create new ventures; and to examine challenges faced by students when opening new ventures. The sample size of 68 graduates was purposively selected to complete questionnaires. Data was analysed using SPPS. It was established that HEIs in Blantyre City offer generic entrepreneurial courses as a study with many modules which are not entrepreneurial related. The study also established that attitude and education have a positive relationship which influence a desire to open new ventures whereas demographic factors had no significant relationship with intention to open new ventures. Lack of finance was found to be the main challenge that affects graduates to open new ventures upon completion of the program. The study recommends that HEIs in Blantyre City should tailor-make their courses to entrepreneurship so that they can offer pure entrepreneurship courses to students which might motivate more graduates opening new ventures.

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Keywords:

Entrepreneurship, Ventures, Intention, Factors.