Madikane, ThandekileTondi, Nonkululeko Mamphela2024-06-132024-06-132023http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12585Dissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2023It is challenging not to include the direct impact on the economy and the dependence on government assistance when assessing youth unemployment in any country. In a developing country like South Africa, it is necessary to acknowledge some of the interventions set in the nation's development plan that aims at supporting youth economic empowerment. Acknowledging that most businesses face challenges when starting up, the main purpose of this research was to analyse the inherent challenges that TVET entrepreneurship graduates face when attempting to establish their businesses. A qualitative design was sought for this study. The study was conducted with the participation of 20 entrepreneurship graduates and utilised a non-probability sampling method to determine the sample size. Data was collected by means of a focus group where the participants were interviewed by means of answering 7 open-ended questions. This research revealed that factors such as high youth unemployment rates and a lack of economic opportunities for young people have gradually begun to turn to entrepreneurship as a viable alternative to looking for a job after graduation. government's attempts to address economic problems have not been the only thing to support this; passion and intent have also been demonstrated to have an impact. Limited resources, a lack of mentorship, lack of transparency, lack of financial literacy, a traditional theoretical teaching approach, a lack of specially designed workspaces with sufficient resources, lack of dependable support, and a lack of readiness to deal with business challenges were among leading causes of failure in starting a business for entrepreneurship graduates. Furthermore, the findings also revealed that partnerships between entrepreneurially focused businesses and TVETs were deemed contributing factors to limited entrepreneurial world exposure. Despite government efforts, some issues will persist, which will keep causing youth-owned enterprises to fail because remedies are not properly put into place, followed up on, and reviewed over time. As the research is of the idea that to promote entrepreneurship as a career rather than a module, the DHET needs to take a thorough look at the research-related theories and their recommendations for viable ways to support entrepreneurship, particularly at TVET colleges. The study thus concluded by recommending that both the government and private sector be encouraged to enhance the nation's entrepreneurial activity proactively. An approach that would ensure that college graduates are only trained in skills related to the needs of the South African market before redesigning the current curricula that will align with the desired kind of entrepreneurial education. Furthermore, the research recommends that each TVET college build its own incubator as a joint effort to help new enterprises succeed when they first launch as this approach will improve the entrepreneurial climate at higher education institutions, particularly TVETs.enTechnical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Collegeentrepreneurshipentrepreneurship educationyouth entrepreneurshipTVET graduatesDissertationUniversity of the Free State