Embedding Entrepreneurial Competencies in Higher Education: A TVET-Inspired Framework for Advancing SDG 4 in Malaysia

Abstract

This study examines how entrepreneurial syllabus design and teaching techniques influence entrepreneurial tendencies among students in Malaysian public universities by integrating Kolb's experiential learning theory (ELT), the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and a TVET-informed perspective. Survey data were collected from 354 undergraduates and analysed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that experiential teaching strengthens entrepreneurial intention, while curriculum design and behavioural intention operate as intervening mechanisms in the relationships examined. The analysis also points to only partial alignment between university entrepreneurship provision and SDG 4, particularly in applied competence and preparation for changing forms of work. The study concludes that an integrated ELT-TPB framework, informed by TVET practice, can provide a practical basis for curriculum redesign while supporting the broader aims of SDG 8 and SDG 9.