Explaining Entrepreneurial Intention of University Students: The Role of Entrepreneurial Education

The article is aimed at the establishment of the impact of entrepreneurial education promoting entrepreneurship among young people. The results of the research confirmed that the main factors of entrepreneurial intention are personality traits (self-efficacy, risk-taking, need for achievement, proactiveness, attitude towards entrepreneurship, behavioural control and internal locus of control), and they can be developed during the study process. With reference to the research results, it was established that in spite of the chosen study program, young people studying in the higher education institution (Kaunas University of Technology) are inclined to seek for entrepreneurship after completion of the studies – it was stated by 77 per cent of the students of economics and 70 per cent of the students of mechanical engineering. It also appeared that the chose study program differently impacts students’ intentions to seek for entrepreneurship. The students of economics are of the opinion that economic education not only provides useful knowledge about business start-up, but also contributes to the development of the personality traits mentioned above (mean values vary in the interval from 3.16 to 4.07), while the opinion of the students of mechanical engineering is opposite – education does not provide useful information about business, does not encourage young people’s creativity for business start-up, does not contribute to the development of particular personality traits (favourable attitude towards entrepreneurship and the initiative to start-up business) (mean values are lower than 3). In general, studies in a higher education institution should develop entrepreneurial abilities, so the programs designed for the students with technological specialization should be supplemented with the subjects enabling to form entrepreneurial knowledge and skills.