+2348073556701 |+2348036689803 |+2348023520943
The Foremost Global Platform in Support of Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
In a country like ours, from independence until date, we have been unable to resolve the issue of the wide and ever-expanding gap between the haves and haves-not, this is not only in terms of access to wealth but also opportunities. The challenges of opportunity to climb the scale of economic and social ladders of society, as well as the opportunity to live long and be allowed to express talent, are becoming difficult every day. No thanks to the curriculum being taught in our school system that prepared graduates as job seekers and not job creators. Now, the higher institutions in the country turn out graduates in their thousands every year while the industries to absorb these legions of graduates are shrinking by day. The socioeconomic and political environment of the country cannot be said to be creative friendly, as a lack of basic infrastructures that should drive industrial growth makes many to rethink whether it is comfortable to still remain in the country or not. Together with discrimination, lack of employment and so on is the causes of poverty in the country, and large-scale poverty is the basis for the crisis confronting the country. Although for us at ICENT, all hope is not lost, as the huge population of the country is an advantage that can be positively harvested for the good of all.
For both the country and individuals, prosperity is the key element in quality of life; therefore, it is necessary for every nation to be competitive in the world economy. As economies move from production-based to ones based on creativity and innovation, they must grow in ways that strengthen industries, create good jobs and encourage economic investment. To increase wealth and living standards, the economy must promote and sustain diversity, innovation, competition and entrepreneurship.
Poverty is directly linked with unemployment. Other than the fact that the Nigerian economy is not creating new jobs, the few existing jobs are being lost to factory closures arising from the high cost of production. COVID-19 has battered Nigeria's economy, and as the effect the coronavirus pandemic has on Africa’s largest economy is starting to show in data. The latest reports from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics show the following:
• With many Nigerians unemployed by COVID-19, combined with lower volumes of exports such as oil, Nigeria's economy contracted by 6.1% year on year in the second quarter of this year.
• Twenty-seven percent of Nigeria’s labour force of over 21 million Nigerians is unemployed.
• There is also little sign of a quick turnaround in Nigeria’s economic woes, as the World Bank predicts Africa’s most populous country is set for its worst recession in four decades.
Hence, there is an urgent need to reinvent and promote entrepreneurship for economic prosperity. Entrepreneurship in reference is transformational entrepreneurship that borders the conversion of new knowledge into new products and services. It is about increasing productivity, and creating value, thereby growing businesses. It is a reality that only individuals/companies/nations that can consistently bring imaginative, value-added new products, services and value propositions to the market will survive and grow in a turbulent and rapidly changing economy. Most individuals/companies/nations today are frustrated by their inability to turn ideas into profitable realities. It is our belief at the Institute of Classic Entrepreneurship, Nigeria (ICENT) that the future of Nigeria lies in building a productive economy where more Nigerians would do things with their hands instead of depending wholly on importation. The days of white-collar jobs with suits and ties were already gone; the alternative lies in building a productive economy. Nigeria was essentially a trading economy. The companies were, however not owned by Nigerians. Nigerians were merely employed in companies that needed a large army of workers, storekeepers, accountants, gatekeepers, clerks, secretaries, etc. All these have changed now. In reality, the solution to unemployment in Nigeria is just three words: “Made in Nigeria”. The market is still very big and if you can envision it, you can do it. The possibilities in the Nigerian market have not been fully exploited. It is for our youths to decide whether they want to be creative and cultivate entrepreneurial culture to avoid being perfect designers of curriculum vitae.
The word classic could be defined from two approaches – literally it means something generally considered to be of the highest quality or lasting value, so that we can say classic entrepreneurship is entrepreneurship at its highest quality. Professionally, classic entrepreneur is a person who identifies a business opportunity and allocates available resources to tap that market. In classic entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs are driven by desire for independence, freedom, own boss, challenge, creativity, success, control, responsibility, decisions, more money, less tax and opportunity alertness. This is conceivably the most desirable and all-encompassing type of entrepreneur for the presence of the best combination of entrepreneurial traits and motivations, especially given the Nigeria situation.
African Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ACSBE); The Global Academy of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (GAEIN) and Academy of Technology Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship (ATIME); International Institute of Female Entrepreneurship (IIFEM) and Institute of Youth Entrepreneurship and Leadership (IYEL) as members.
Entrepreneurship is regarded as the engine room for every country’s economic development because it is a sure way of generating employment opportunities, providing needed manpower for industrial development, marketing and market factor growth, capacity building on the citizenry and resource distribution which are necessary paraphernalia for sustainable development. The importance of entrepreneurship education in any developing country, such as Nigeria needs not be overemphasised. This is because Nigeria, like other developing countries, is faced with a high rate of graduate unemployment or underemployment as a result of poor trade liberalization and graduates’ inept ability in the global competitive labour market. In line with this, Caston and Karlesson (2009), cited in Shamaki (2015), maintained that many developing countries have suffered from economic backwardness and a high rate of school leaver and graduate unemployment as a result of their neglect of entrepreneurial education in their various school systems. Despite the establishment of several entrepreneurship development/vocational centres in almost all Nigerian tertiary institutions, introductory entrepreneurship courses as compulsory for all undergraduates and Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Department by NYSC, the continuous rise in the unemployment rate, is a pointer to the fact that the existing strategies are defective.
My brother, what you need in Nigeria today is “self-accreditation”, just like some people can be bailed on self-recognition. You mean you have not been seeing first class and 2.1 graduates from UI, OAU, ABU, UNN and chartered accountants without job? Nigerians are tired of accredited programmes that cannot guarantee their self-reliance or financial independence. Given the unacceptable level of unemployment in our country, they have realised that the most accredited degree is the one that guarantees their self-reliance. Most Nigerians, unlike before, now agree that it is preferable to be self-reliant graduate of an unaccredited institution than unemployed graduate of accredited institution. This is because, people pay you for what you do with what you know and not what you claim you know. Contrary to widespread assertion, we at Home of Entrepreneurship and Innovation believe Nigerian graduates are employable; they are only victims of wrongly structured curriculum. Most Ph.D holders in Electrical Engineering cannot fix bulb into lamp holder while their Mechanical counterparts don’t know what is responsible for the noisy sound of their generator. It is very stupid to claim that engineers are to design while technologists are to execute. The question is, must you design what you cannot execute? How do you control the process? The similitude is when a man separates fatherhood from being husband. A husband who cannot father a child is an impotent while a father that cannot play the role of husband is irresponsible husband. Our aim is to clean the unemployment mess created by accredited degrees that cannot guarantee employment. As a matter of fact, we are not training job-seekers but job-creators that need “self-accreditation/recognition” in order to proffer solution to the unemployment of graduates of accredited institutions. To answer your question, we don’t even need NUC/NBTE/NCCE accreditation, as professional institutes. Rather, NUC/NBTE/NCCE needs our service during their accreditation exercise to achieve balanced academic and professional accreditation. However, ICENT is in possession of accredited certification of ISO 21001:2018.
My brother, what you need in Nigeria today is “self-accreditation”, just like some people can be bailed on self-recognition. You mean you have not been seeing first class and 2.1 graduates from UI, OAU, ABU, UNN and chartered accountants without job? Nigerians are tired of accredited programmes that cannot guarantee their self-reliance or financial independence. Given the unacceptable level of unemployment in our country, they have realised that the most accredited degree is the one that guarantees their self-reliance. Most Nigerians, unlike before, now agree that it is preferable to be self-reliant graduate of an unaccredited institution than unemployed graduate of accredited institution. This is because, people pay you for what you do with what you know and not what you claim you know. Contrary to widespread assertion, we at Home of Entrepreneurship and Innovation believe Nigerian graduates are employable; they are only victims of wrongly structured curriculum. Most Ph.D holders in Electrical Engineering cannot fix bulb into lamp holder while their Mechanical counterparts don’t know what is responsible for the noisy sound of their generator. It is very stupid to claim that engineers are to design while technologists are to execute. The question is, must you design what you cannot execute? How do you control the process? The similitude is when a man separates fatherhood from being husband. A husband who cannot father a child is an impotent while a father that cannot play the role of husband is irresponsible husband. Our aim is to clean the unemployment mess created by accredited degrees that cannot guarantee employment. As a matter of fact, we are not training job-seekers but job-creators that need “self-accreditation/recognition” in order to proffer solution to the unemployment of graduates of accredited institutions. To answer your question, we don’t even need NUC/NBTE/NCCE accreditation, as professional institutes. Rather, NUC/NBTE/NCCE needs our service during their accreditation exercise to achieve balanced academic and professional accreditation. However, ICENT is in possession of accredited certification of ISO 21001:2018.
CONVENED BY THE PRESTIGIOUS INSTITUTE OF CLASSIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP, NIGERIA (ICENT)
The first “ISO 21001:2018” Certified institute in Africa
Africa’s foremost learned society of entrepreneurs with most intimidating Governing Council and Management Team comprising past and present Vice Chancellors, Deputy Vice Chancellors, several Professors and Doctors of Entrepreneurship, several past and present Directors of Entrepreneurship Development Centres, Past and Present Deans (including two (2) supervising entrepreneurial studies departments), several Past and Present HODs (including three (3) HODs of Entrepreneurship, renowned management and entrepreneurship consultants and mentors, and highly qualified individuals from multi-disciplinary fields, and internationally acclaimed entrepreneurship mentors and consultants required for production of thorough-bred entrepreneurs.
First entrepreneurship body in Africa that has successfully conducted twenty-one (21) different examination diets for associate membership with internationally-competitive examination structure.
An entrepreneurship institute that walk the talk, ICENT believes in “Made in Nigeria for Nigerian” - ICENT member manufactured fueless generator, wooden wrist watch, wooden wall clock, presidential medallion, presidential mace etc.
All items used for inductions, seminars, conferences and workshops are produced in-house by our members
First entrepreneurship body in Africa to develop curriculum for professional certificate to doctorate programmes in entrepreneurship with required study materials.
First African author and publisher of several inevitable textbooks from all core areas of entrepreneurship written with Africans (especially Nigerians) in mind.
First in Africa to establish a College of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (Doing Business as Open University College of Entrepreneurship and Small Business - OUCES). https://www.homeofentrepreneurship.com/ouces
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to float African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (AJENTS). https://www.homeofentrepreneurship.com/ajents - ISSN : 2756-6064 (Print) and ISSN: 2811-3101 (Online)
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to organise a successful collaborative Annual International Academic Conference on Entrepreneurship (ACCENT) in Nigeria.
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to organise a successful collaborative Annual National Academic Conference on Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ACESB) in Nigeria.
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to organise a successful collaborative 1st Annual International Academic Conference on Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development (ACEMASD),
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to organise a successful collaborative 1st Annual International Academic Conference on Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy (AICEEP)
First entrepreneurship institute in Nigeria to organise successful Campus Entrepreneurship Challenge where students and lecturers, in rare demonstration of academic entrepreneurship, out of cutting-edge research, showcased groundbreaking agricultural, nanotechnology and biotechnology innovation and entrepreneurship. Efforts in progress in collaboration with NDE to come up with resultant products.
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to introduce collaborative Annual National Academic Conference on Agripreneurship (ACAGRIP).
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to introduce collaborative International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management (INTERCEIM)
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to introduce collaborative National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Congress (NEIC)
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to introduce collaborative Annual Stakeholders’ Mega-Conference and Members’ Induction Ceremony (SMECIC)
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to introduce collaborative Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Conference (GLEIC)
First entrepreneurship institute in Africa to introduce collaborative Global Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship Conference (GLAMEC)
Established in Nigeria with Corporate Charter but Globally Certified to carry out: Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Education and Certification; Professional Membership Certification and Licensing in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Management; Quality Assurance in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Education and Operation of a College of Entrepreneurship and Small Business.
In a clear demonstration of her global standard, ICENT is about to launch her world’s first Dictionary of Entrepreneurship and Small Business.
• Agricultural Entrepreneurship • Biotechnology Entrepreneurship • Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation • Creative Entrepreneurship • Creative Problem Solving • Creativity and Innovation • Criminal Entrepreneurship • Cultural/Art Entrepreneurship • Design Thinking/Design Driven Entrepreneurship • Education Entrepreneurship (Edupreneurship/Academic Entrepreneurship) • Entrepreneurial Accounting and Finance • Entrepreneurial Economics • Entrepreneurial Marketing • Entrepreneurial Mentoring • Entrepreneurial Opportunity Assessment and Exploitation • Entrepreneurship Case Studies • Entrepreneurship Ecosystem • Environmental Entrepreneurship (Ecopreneurship) • Ethics in Entrepreneurship • Family Entrepreneurship • Food/Culinary Entrepreneurship • Healthcare Entrepreneurship (Medical/Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurship) • International Entrepreneurship • Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship • Management Information System & Entrepreneurial Intelligence • Mathematics for Entrepreneurs • Media Entrepreneurship (Entrepreneurial Journalism) • New Venture Creation • Oil and Gas Entrepreneurship • Political and Policy Entrepreneurship • Public Entrepreneurship • Tourism Entrepreneurship • Quality Management for SMEs • Risk Management for SMEs • Rural Entrepreneurship • Small Business Management • Social Entrepreneurship • Sports Entrepreneurship • Strategic Entrepreneurship • Supply Chain Management for Entrepreneurs • Sustainability Entrepreneurship (Sustainopreneurship) • Technopreneurship/Digital Entrepreneurship • Theory of Entrepreneurship • Women Entrepreneurship
• We will turn your ideas into reality : Institute of Classic Entrepreneurship, Nigeria (ICENT ) is Africa's foremost institute of entrepreneurship, primarily focusing on production of successful entrepreneurs by building capacity in Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management, and related disciplines through offering of a powerful formula that does not only equip you with a well-rounded and internationally- relevant entrepreneurship education based on internationally-competitive curriculum, but one which also provides you with extensive practical experience and industry relevant skills in turning ideas into viable businesses. We call this the “ICENT Professional Model” that grooms you to become a Future Ready Professional (FRP).
• Focus on Skills that Matter : The programme equips students with all-round entrepreneurial skills : entrepreneurial decision making, opportunity recognition, assessment, creation, shaping, seizing and exploitation; especially the analytical skills needed for recognising, defining and solving problems; and develop in students soft skills required for success (e.g. leadership, communication, interpersonal relations, negotiation, logical/analytical thinking, time management etc) as well as entrepreneurial, small business, financial and marketing management competencies with relevant specialisations to turn your ideas into reality and become employer of labour.
World-class council, management team and faculty : ICENT is Africa’s foremost learned society of entrepreneurs with intimidating Governing Council and Management Team comprising past and present Vice Chancellors (including current Chairman, Committee of Vice Chancellors in Nigeria), Deputy Vice Chancellors, several Professors and Doctors of Entrepreneurship, several past and present Directors of Entrepreneurship Development Centres, Past and Present Deans (including two (2) supervising entrepreneurial studies departments), several Past and Present HODs (including three (3) HODs of Entrepreneurship, renowned management and entrepreneurship consultants and mentors, and highly qualified individuals from multi-disciplinary fields, and internationally acclaimed entrepreneurship mentors and consultants required for production of thorough-bred entrepreneurs.
• Internships with Top Employers/Firms • Specialization in at least one Vocation or Trade • A Transformative Student Experience • Recognised Membership Certificate that enables you further your academic and professional career path in the field of entrepreneurship. • Professional license and seal to practice as Entrepreneurship Consultant and Trainer • Networking opportunities with key industry professionals, experts and decision makers • Knowledge / experience sharing at Induction and Continuous Professional Development programme • Invitation to Annual Entrepreneurship and Small Business Conference • Access to research works and industry statistics conducted by our eggheads who help expand and validate the theoretical knowledge taught on campuses by illustrating it with practical tips and everyday business guidance by sharing their real-world stories. • Free access to professionals successful businesspeople – and sometimes prominent members of the nonprofit world) ,in-class lecturer, student startups mentor and coach, business plan competitions judges who bring real-world expertise and entrepreneurial practice to students and academia, enhancing the business theoretical framework taught on campuses across the world. • On-line advisory alerts on jobs and entrepreneurial ventures • Access to well stock resource centre for research and other issues on our website or on request
NB : No matter how long you have been in business you can always learn something new and useful. We support and help businesses build the value of lifelong learning. Our faculty has formulated a unique learning environment that provides highly relevant emerging business knowledge in thought-provoking programmes designed to meet your needs. Our programme series brings unique insights from world renowned thought leaders to you, right here in Nigeria. Programmes are designed to have relevant and immediate impact for our members and guests.
NB : No matter how long you have been in business you can always learn something new and useful. We support and help businesses build the value of lifelong learning. Our faculty has formulated a unique learning environment that provides highly relevant emerging business knowledge in thought-provoking programmes designed to meet your needs. Our programme series brings unique insights from world renowned thought leaders to you, right here in Nigeria. Programmes are designed to have relevant and immediate impact for our members and guests.
ISO 21001 is an international standard developed by the International Organisation for Standardization which provides management tools for organisations that offer educational products and services. It intends to help educational providers meet students’ requirements and needs. ISO 21001 is based on ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems, but it provides a specific framework for educational organisations that aim to enhance the satisfaction of their learners by improving the educational processes and ensuring conformity to learners’ requirements. The standard can be applicable to all organisations that provide a curriculum for the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes by means of different lecturing methods. ISO 21001 is a stand-alone high-level structure management system standard targeting organisations providing educational products and services. It focuses on the interaction between an educational organisation and the staff or other learners specifying the requirements when the organisation:
• Needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide, share and facilitate • the construction of knowledge while conforming with applicable statutory • and regulatory requirements • Aims to enhance the satisfaction of learners, other customers and personnel through the effective application of its EOMS, including processes for improvement of the system
• Better alignment of objectives and activities with policy (including mission and vision); • Enhanced social responsibility by providing inclusive and equitable quality education for all; • More personalised learning and effective response to all learners and particularly to learners with special education needs, distance learners and lifelong learning opportunities; • Consistent processes and evaluation tools to demonstrate and increase effectiveness and efficiency; • harmonization of national standards within an international framework • Increased credibility of the organisation; • A means that enables educational organisations to demonstrate their commitment to effective educational management practices; • A culture for organisational improvement; • Widened participation of interested parties • Stimulation of excellence and innovation. • inclusive and equitable quality education for all • promotion of self-learning and lifelong learning opportunities
As an educator, our goal is to provide quality education to the learners. The course delivery should be in such a way that it is in line with the requirements of the learners. The ISO 21001:2018 Standard is tailor-made for the education sector to achieve the goal of delivering quality first education.
The ISO 21001:2018 Standard indicates the need for a Management System for Educational Organisations (EOMS). Through the ISO 21001:2018 Standard educational institutions are able to demonstrate its competence in teaching, learning, and research.
The ISO 21001:2018 Standard helps educational institutions to enhance the satisfaction of learners, teachers, and other members through the effective application of EOMS. The requirements of ISO 21001:2018 Standard are generic and are applicable to any organisation that uses a curriculum to support their education system.
ISO 21001 focuses on the specific interaction between an educational organisation, the learner, customers and other relevant interested parties. It is a stand-alone management system standard, based on ISO 9001 (without being a sector application), and aligned with other ISO management system standards through the application of the High Level Structure. ISO 21001 provides a common management tool for organisations providing educational products and services capable of meeting learner and other customer requirements and needs. It aims to enhance the satisfaction of learners, other customers, and personnel through the effective application of its EOMS, including processes for improvement of the system.
Education is a fundamental need for everyone in society; therefore, everyone should be concerned with the quality of education delivered by education providers. However, even though the outcomes cannot be guaranteed, educational institutions can play a crucial role in ensuring that learners receive the expected quality of education. The ISO 21001 certification will enable you to provide educational services in a more effective and efficient manner, and to offer a more personalized experience to all learners, particularly to those with special education needs and distance learners. Moreover, by becoming ISO 21001 certified, you can demonstrate to stakeholders that you are committed to improving your educational system.
There exists a substitute for a traditional academic specialized accreditation that may simultaneously lend professional and marketing credibility to business programs and create a blue ocean for that institution. One world class sources for quality certification is the International Standards Organisation (ISO) headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The ISO is: an independent, non-governmental international organisation with a membership of 163 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges…International Standards make things work. They give world-class specifications for products, services and systems, to ensure quality, safety and efficiency. They are instrumental in facilitating international trade. ISO has published 22708 International Standards and related documents, covering almost every industry, from technology, to food safety, to agriculture and healthcare. ISO International Standards impact everyone, everywhere. (iso, 2017a, para. 1-2) According to one ISO consulting firm ISO accreditation brings the following benefits to an educational institution: Properly implemented, ISO 9001 will bring the following to the education institution: a shift in emphasis in schools, from a focus on the quality of the teacher toward the performance of the institution as a whole; the introduction of new or additional quality control mechanisms in higher education; the creation, for the first time, of quality assurance systems and performance-related mechanisms in continuing education and training. (advisera, 2019, para. 4)
The world has changed and is currently in the transition from traditional or so called the old normal to the new normal education system due to the overwhelming pandemic crisis that greatly affected humankind and the entrepreneurship education system. Educational organisations, leaners, and lecturers’ have no choice but to adapt to a warping speed of Fourth industrial revolutions (4IR) in teaching and learning. “Characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres” (Schwab, 2016) most tertiary institutions have adapted the eLearning systems in their core services to sail forward in this wave of unprecedented passage. How can we maintain quality education is the next question in these challenging times? Thus, a metamorphosis of standards for an entrepreneurship institute like the Institute of Classic Entrepreneurship, Nigeria (ICENT) transitioning to a more tailor-fit Quality Standards is inevitable to manage the changes in educational organisations. ISO 21001:2018 has been published in order to replace IWA 2:2007. This prompted the Institute to evolve from the traditional ISO 9001:2015 standard.
Unlike the ISO 9001, which has a primary focus “… to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements …” As stated in Clause 1.a of ISO 9001:2015, the ISO 21001:2018 navigates its course leaning toward competence as stated in 1.a Scope “…to demonstrate its ability to support the acquisition and development of competence through teaching, learning or research; “.With the vision of the institute to be Africa’s master brand in the provision of entrepreneurship education for sustainable development, certification with the standard is indeed a milestone and breakthrough.