Enhancing the Entrepreneurial Capacity of Disadvantaged Youth using Information Communication Technologies

Abstract

Disadvantaged youth phenomena have became a big priority in every country that should be solved appropriately and intensively. This research contains a project about e-learning modules creation, whichhas been done with the financial support from APEC Education Foundation (APEC-EF). The project had been done due to the noble task for helping the minorities in APEC regions especially disadvantaged youth. These kinds of assistance are in accordance to a bible verse which said that "If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks" (Deuteronomy 15:7). The e-learning modules were expected to help the disadvantaged youth moving one step forward to the next level about Information Communication Technologies’ knowledge. Using the Information Communication Technologies based on e-learning modules, it was also expected to motivate their entrepreneurial capacity to prepare start-up business and manage their own business with effectiveness and efficiencies. By using a sample of 158 disadvantaged youth in APEC regions, this research intend to evaluate the project performance in order to identify the level of learning satisfaction that has been received by the disadvantaged youth as the users of the e-learning modules. The research posits that disadvantaged youth who studied the vocational training based on e-learning modules will show a high level of learning satisfaction. Through the vocational training based on e-learning modules, the disadvantaged youth were very helpful to enhance their skills in computer literature that will be used to find a great job, motivate their entrepreneurial capacity, and support their career in the future in order to become successful entrepreneurs.