Role of entrepreneurial education in nurturing entrepreneurial orientation among engineering students

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to understand whether entrepreneurial education imbibes entrepreneurial orientation (EO) among engineering students. The authors wanted to test whether students' performance in the Technology Entrepreneurship Programme (TEP) influences the propensity of entrepreneurial firms to hire them. Design/methodology/approach - Data was collected from 1,296 students who were enrolled with the two-year TEP during the academic year 2016-2018 using structured questionnaires. Multinomial and Ordinary Least Squares regressions were used to examine the hypotheses. Findings - The findings of this study suggest that superior student performance in the programme is positively correlated with the students being hired by entrepreneurial firms. Practical implications - This study identifies aspects of EO that relates with employability. The positive relationship found between student performance in the programme and chances of getting hired insists on the need to inculcate entrepreneurial values among students at the college level. The findings will also provide valuable insights for graduate entrepreneurs, policymakers, corporates and educators on multiple dimensions for customizing EO among students during their study at college level. Originality/value - The authors used a live intervention titled TEP as empirical context to explore how training in entrepreneurial, design and management concepts influences EO. The authors also tracked the success of the programme through actual job offers made to the participants of the programme.