10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

This study investigated the influence of entrepreneurship education and mentorship on graduate employability and venture creation at Kwara State University, Malete in Nigeria. The research examined how entrepreneurship education and mentorship impact graduate employability and venture creation in a Nigerian university setting. The study used a descriptive survey research design and sampled 83 postgraduate students using stratified and simple random sampling. A structured questionnaire was used as the primary data collection instrument. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the research questions, while simple linear regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings indicated entrepreneurship education has a positive and significant effect on graduate employability (R = 0.545, p = 0.000) and venture creation (R = 0.523, p = 0.000). Mentorship also had a significant positive impact on employability (R = 0.510, p = 0.000) and venture creation (R = 0.568, p = 0.000). The study finds that entrepreneurship education and mentorship operate synergistically in support of each other as entrepreneurship education offers basic knowledge and skills required for entrepreneurial activity, while mentorship enhances their practical relevance and application. The study suggests the institutionalisation of mentorship through structured mentorship programs in entrepreneurship education, more practical and experiential learning, and greater institutional support through entrepreneurship incubators and industry partnerships, in order to enhance graduate employability and foster sustainable entrepreneurship in Nigerian universities.