Contribution of Business Training Services on the Entrepreneurial Capacity of Businesswomen in Mbeere South Sub County, Embu County, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to understand the impact of business training on women proprietors and managers of businesses in Mbeere South Sub County in Embu County, Kenya. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative techniques was adopted to measure the impact of the non-financial business development service on women entrepreneurs. In this study, the descriptive research design was employed and was based on the expectancy, performance and human development theories. The target population consisted of 813 women who were running and managing micro businesses in three major primary markets, namely Kiritiri, Gategi and Mutuobare. Purposive sampling was used to select the markets and thereafter, systematic random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were employed in the selection of 268 respondents. Structured questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data, whereas focus group discussions and key informant interviews provided qualitative and in-depth information in the study. Quantitative data were analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27 using descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data were organized according to themes and presented in narrative form. The findings revealed that business training and entrepreneurial capacity had a correlation of  R²=0.85 and  p <  .005, thus there was a strong correlation between the two, meaning that this form of training was essential for the creation and efficient administrative control of both new and existing enterprises. This study concluded that training services needed to be appropriate and demand driven, and this needed to be provided in the short and medium terms. Additionally, there was need to tackle the affordability, awareness and post training follow up barriers that hindered the effectiveness of this business support service delivery.