Effectiveness of Kenya's Entrepreneurship Training Programs

Abstract

Although entrepreneurial training plays an instrumental role in enterprise performance, there has been a tendency to over-emphasize finance, legal and regulatory aspect and environmental factors. This study examined the effects of entrepreneurial training on Enterprise performance in Bungoma County. It was justified on the basis that Bungoma County was identified as one of the Millennium Districts in 2006 owing to high poverty and unemployment levels. The twin problems of extreme poverty and unemployment have been attributed to undeveloped entrepreneurial culture and lack of entrepreneurial skills among the local people, despite efforts by stakeholders to build entrepreneurs' capacity through a host of training programs. The objective of this study was to investigate these trainings have influenced enterprise performance or not. The study was based on the Kirkpatrick's Improved Model of Training planning and evaluation. Data for the study was analyzed using correlation analysis. Arising from the study findings, it comes out clearly that the trainings led to insignificant improvement in the MSE performance. There was no indication of graduation from micro and small sizes to medium and large sizes along the enterprise continuum, signaling the need to improve to address the specific needs individual of entrepreneurs and small business operators. The government and enterprise development agents need a standard model to evaluate the impacts of training and improve them subsequently so to help the sector grow.