Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as “one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods.
It can also be defined as an individual who, rather than working as an employee, runs a small business and assumes all the risk and reward of a given business venture, idea, or good or service offered for sale.
The entrepreneur is commonly seen as a business leader and innovator of new ideas and business processes. Dan Sullivan Says that: “An entrepreneur is someone who does not expect compensation until he has created value for someone else.” Jean-Baptist Say, Says that: “Entrepreneur is someone who takes resources from a lower level of productivity and raise them to a higher level.”
Entrepreneurship can create new organizations or develop a strategy to revitalize mature organizations in response to a perceived opportunity.
The most obvious form of entrepreneurship is that of starting a new business also called a “startup Company”. More recently, the term has evolved to include other types of entrepreneurship such as:
Social entrepreneurship that applies the “entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change” and- Political entrepreneurship or “starting a new political project, group, or political party.” No society can exist without entrepreneurship. Every society depends on entrepreneurs.
There are various types of entrepreneurship, to include:
- Administrative Entrepreneurship
- Opportunistic Entrepreneurship
- Acquisitive Entrepreneurship
- Incubative Entrepreneurship
- Imitative Entrepreneurship
- Private Entrepreneurship
- Public Entrepreneurship
- Individual Entrepreneurship
- Mass Entrepreneurship
- Small Business Entrepreneurship
On the other hand skill is an ability to perform an activity in a competent manner. Skills can be classified into three main types: Transferable/Functional, Personal Traits/Attitudes, and Knowledge-based.
- Transferable/functional – Action taken to perform a task, transferable to different work function and industries.Based on ability and aptitude
Examples:
1.oganize
2.promote
3.Analyze
3.Write
2.Personal Traits/Attitudes – Traits or personal characteristics that contribute to performing work. Developed in childhood and through life experience
Examples:
1.Patient
2.Diplomatic
3.Results-oriented
4.Independent
3.Knowledge-based – Knowledge of specific subjects, procedures, and information necessary to perform particular tasks
Acquired through education, training, and on-the-job experience
Examples:
1.personal administration
2.Contract management
3.Accounting
There are other type of skill acquisition and empowerment program and are therefore divided into four broad areas:
PRODUCT BASED SKILL ACQUISITION
SOAP MAKING (LIQUID AND BAR, PERFUME MAKING, COSMETICS (HAIR, BODY, SHAMPOOs) AIR FRESHNER, PAINT MAKING, DISINFECTNANTS (DETTOL, IZAL), PETROLEUM JELLY (VASELINE).
This sort of skill acquisition leads to release of products and ultimately can be regarded as quick wins and are tangible nature
VOCATIONAL SKILL ACQUISITION
The vocational skill acquisition is the process of acquiring skills that don’t require excessive mental intelligence. There are lots of certain vocational skills that are very profitable to acquire, and I will be listing them out in details.
BARBING, FASHION DESIGN, AUTOMOBILE REPAIRS, CAR SPRAY, TILING, P.O.P, HARDWARE ENGINEER, CATERING
WHITE COLLAR SKILL ACQUISITION PROGRAM
This is a type of skill acquisition and empowerment program that allows educated people get the skills that would help them become experts in certain fields. There are lots of skills under this category, and I will group them according to their sectors.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – COMPUTER HARDWARE ENGINEERING, NETWORK ENGINEERING, WEB DESIGN, WEB APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT, GRAPHICS DESIGN, SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, CYBER-SECURITY AND MANY MORE OTHERS., MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
Skills acquired under this sector are for those who are interested in the management and administration in PROJECT MANAGEMENT, MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITES USAGE, DATABASE MANAGEMENT,COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND MANY OTHERS
MEDIA SKILLS
CINEMATOGRAPHY, VIDEO EDITING, SCRIPT WRITING, SOUND EDITING, GRAPHICS DESIGN, CONTENT WRITING
Understandably, everyone needs a reason to do something. When it also comes to the issue on ground, there is also a reason for skill acquisition.
The following are the reasons why you should consider acquiring a skill;
MEANS TO WEALTH
In 1999 when Jeff Bezoz started off a software engineer in his garage, little did he know that he would later create an empire that would make him the richest man on earth? With his skill, he was able to create an online marketplace where people can be able to buy and sell. It isn’t the first, but I guess his idea was unique.
If you want something that would help you start a business, create wealth, and diversify your income, then you should focus on skill acquisition.
YOU STAND A GREAT CHANCE OF GETTING A JOB
When you think you don’t feel like creating your own business, you can also get hired easily. When you focus on acquiring useful skills as an unemployed graduate, there is a great chance of you getting a job.
While skill acquisition helps you get a job easily, it would also help you remain on your job. When others are getting fired due to company downsizing, it would surely not affect you.
YOU AREN’T DEPENDENT ON ANYONE FOR SURVIVAL
This is also one of the reasons for skill acquisition; you tend to live off the skills you’ve acquired. But it also depends on the type of skill acquisition program or the skill you acquired. When you have acquired the right skill, every other thing falls in place. You no longer beg for money just like others will do.
I therefore urge you today to consider entrepreneurship as away forward
Write-up by:
Ogbene Daniel Iye
Head Training & Enterprise Development – GCONSULTING INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LTD
Additional Contribution by Godfrey Ajayi Sunday Group Managing Director (GMD)