Entrepreneurial education’s and entrepreneurial role models’ influence on career choice

Orientation: Little research has been done into the impact of entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial role models on entrepreneurship as a career choice, especially in developing countries. Research purpose: The purpose of the study is to firstly explore the differences in entrepreneurial intentions between entrepreneurship students and non-entrepreneurship students, and secondly to investigate the relationship between entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial intentions as well as between role models and entrepreneurial intentions. Motivation for the study: There is a need for stakeholders, such as training authorities and training providers, to understand the influence of entrepreneurship education and role models on entrepreneurial career choice. Knowing this could assist in developing and implementing more effective entrepreneurial education programmes. Research design, approach and method: The study was conducted amongst a convenience sample of 269 final-year students, of which 162 (60.2%) were entrepreneurship and 107 (39.8%) non-entrepreneurship students from a higher education institution in Johannesburg. The entrepreneurial intentions of entrepreneurship students were compared with those of non-entrepreneurship students. The findings of the study suggest that entrepreneurship students have stronger entrepreneurial intentions than non-entrepreneurship students, and that there is a positive relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions and between role models and entrepreneurial intentions respectively. Practical/managerial implications: Entrepreneurship stakeholders can use the findings of the study to improve curriculum design, delivery methods and assessment strategies in their efforts to advance entrepreneurship. Contribution/value-add: The findings of the study suggest that entrepreneurship education and role models can influence students’ entrepreneurial intentions in a developing country