Abstract

In order to improve on the curriculum and participation rate of adult learners in the current Adult Basic Education (ABE) program in Nigeria, this explorative study investigated the entrepreneurial (or vocational) training needs of illiterate women in Cross River State (CRS). Three research questions were posed to elicit from the participants their demographic characteristics, perception of the ABE program and perceived entrepreneurial training needs. The descriptive-survey design was adopted for the study. The focus group discussion along with probing interview sessions were held with a sample of 240 women learners drawn from the urban and rural ABE centers. Frequencies, percentages and bar charts were used to report the data. The study shows that majority of the women are young, single, unemployed and dropped out of school and perceived the current ABE as not meeting their needs. Majority of the subjects desire training in home management, clothing and textiles. Those in the rural areas prefer training in agricultural production. A few of those in the urban centers prefer training in computer/secretarial related skills. The major conclusion of the study is that the learners (women) should be involved in identifying their learning needs that would at the end of the program empower them to improve on their livelihoods.

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