The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2024) reported that, for almost 25 years of assessing the entrepreneurship program, they found out that the entrepreneurship education as one of the key indicators, has seen little progress, indicating minimal improvement over the years. Likewise, Velasco and Del Rosario (2013), observed that the entrepreneurship education in the Philippines is heavily centered on encouraging students to start their businesses, which is reflected in the curriculum across various educational institutions. They mentioned further that the entrepreneurship program has minimal support from the academe and the industry. This issue remains prevalent in the current state of entrepreneurship education.

The slow progress in entrepreneurship education is also reflected in the economic development of the Philippines. Yeung (2020) noted that around 38% of the workforce is self-employed, primarily within the informal sector where many operated small-scale businesses. However, only a few entrepreneurs manage to sustain their ventures and create more jobs for the  community. Moreover, Zhue (2024) disclosed that 49.7% of businesses fail within their first five years of operation. On one hand, Conchada (2017) pointed out that while the government is offering support to individuals with entrepreneurial potential, he also underscores the significant challenges faced by the entrepreneurs in the Philippines, such as corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to financial services.

In 2023, the unemployment rate in the Philippines has decreased by 0.40% compared to the 2022 figures (Laqui, 2023; Desiderio and Flores 2023; and Rada, 2023). Despite of this, a significant portion of the population remains underemployed and unemployed. Fuentes (2024) asserted that many Filipinos are willing to accept jobs that do not match their qualifications. This behavior is reflected in the high underemployment rate of the country. Mendez (2021), also affirmed that the number of Filipinos working and leaving their family in the Philippines is an indication of lack of employment opportunity in the country. The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are forced to leave their family because of their desire to provide a better life for them.

The current state of entrepreneurship education in the Philippines, coupled with its slow progress in adopting to the nation’s economic conditions is in contradiction to the 2024 Filipino Business Hub Report, which stated that entrepreneurship in the Philippines has increasingly become a viable career option and a pathway to economic growth, with more individuals showing interest in starting their own business. Yeung, (2020), also concurred that entrepreneurship is seen as a vital mechanism for poverty alleviation in the Philippines.

Although, the Filipinos recognize that entrepreneurship education could foster an entrepreneurial spirit within the country, the entrepreneurship programs offered by higher education institutions (HEIs) have not gained significant appeal among the youth. Consequently, these programs have not led to a substantial increase in the number of entrepreneurs in the country. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2024), the primary weakness of entrepreneurial education lies in the curriculum design and its program implementation.

Numerous studies have explored this issue. For instance, in the study of Nabi et. al. (2021) entitled “The Role of Entrepreneurship Education in Fostering Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Systematic Review,” it has been reported that curriculum quality, experiential learning, and real-world project involvement have significant effect in enhancing students’ motivation to pursue entrepreneurship. Pittaway and Cope (2022) examined the effectiveness of experiential learning methods such as simulation and internships in entrepreneurship education through their research entitled, “Experiential Entrepreneurship Education: The Role of Entrepreneurial Learning in Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset.” Their findings indicated that these approaches are more successful than the traditional theoretical methods in cultivating entrepreneurial mindset and practical skills. Similarly, the study of Souitaris, Zerbinati, and Al-Laham (2022), on the “Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on University Students’ Entrepreneurial Skills: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study,” concludes that this entrepreneurship education significantly enhances abilities like opportunity recognition and risk management, increasing the likelihood of starting a business after graduation.

Another similar study by Lindberg, Bohman, and Hulten (2023) on the, “Entrepreneurship Education and Sustainable Development: Fostering Green Entrepreneurs” which discussed the integration of sustainability into entrepreneurship education, suggested that the curricula that incorporate aspects of environmental and social responsibility better prepare students to launch sustainable businesses. Hassan (2020), also studied the influence of the university’s support infrastructure like incubation facility in the improvement of the entrepreneurship educational institution.

Previous studies have not specifically investigated the issues related to curriculum design and its implementation as raised by national entrepreneurship experts. No research has focused on how to enhance the program based on practical realities in the environment and to motivate the youth to pursue entrepreneurship. As a result, the effective approach to implementing entrepreneurship programs that appeal to young people remains uncertain.

An initial survey by this investigator revealed that the entrepreneurship programs at universities and colleges in Iloilo City are not attracting the interest of the youth. Currently, the number of students enrolled in private universities falls short of the minimum required to fill a single class section. As a result, administrators of private higher education institutions struggle to sustain the program. Moreover, many students enrolled in the entrepreneurship program of state universities and colleges chose the program because of free tuition. During the screening process, they often prefer employment after graduation. The screening committee faces challenges in identifying students who intend to pursue entrepreneurship after completing their studies.

This investigation focuses on developing a model grounded on the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth and the existing school-business environment to address the challenges faced by the entrepreneurship program. The model aims to guide the implementation of the entrepreneurship programs among higher education institutions. By assessing  at the school-business environment such as academe, industry, and government, the study seeks to determine how these environmental factors influence the youth’s intention to pursue entrepreneurship.  The relationship of the school-business environment and the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth remains insufficiently understood, motivating the researcher to explore this study. The result of the investigation will served as basis for re-engineering an effective and sustainable entrepreneurship program that emphasis intentional venture education for its implementation.

Research Design

The mixed method was used in this investigation. Both quantitative and qualitative data were utilized in this research. The survey method was used to ascertain the existing situation of the school-business environment. This study assessed the entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial start-up support needs, and the government start-up supports and provisions on entrepreneurship. Key informant interview was conducted to validate and supplement the data gathered from the respondents.

The Respondents

The respondents of the study were the 289 Ilonggo youth taking business courses in Iloilo City and the sixty-two (62) faculty members teaching entrepreneurship and engaging in entrepreneurial activities. The youth were also asked about their entrepreneurial intentions, academe’s current situation, and government provisions. The entrepreneurship educators who are also engaged in entrepreneurial activities were asked regarding academe’s current situation, government provisions, and entrepreneurial start-up support needs. The school administrators were also interviewed with their views on the entrepreneurship education current condition.

The cluster sampling method was employed in the selection of the youth enrolled in business courses in different universities as the respondents in this study. One class was chosen as part of a sample for every university in Iloilo City.  They were classified according to year level, school, and entrepreneurial/ business experience. The simple random sampling method using the lottery technique was employed in the selection of the entrepreneurship educators/entrepreneurs as respondents of the study.

Data Gathering Instruments and Treatment

The survey questionnaire was based on the validated and reliable measurement scale found in the literature and was modified, revalidated, and pilot-tested to align with the requirements of the current study. Two kinds of questionnaires were used in this study. The first instrument consisted of statements that correspond to the students' and educators’ perceptions regarding the entrepreneurial intentions, academe current situation, and the level of awareness of the students and faculty on the government provisions. The second instrument was distributed to entrepreneurship educators who are engaged in entrepreneurial ventures and included statements to identify the start-up support needs of young entrepreneurs.

The items measuring entrepreneurial intentions were derived from the Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ) of Liñan (2008), Liñan and Chen (2009) and Liñan, Cohard and Cantuche (2010). These items were categorized into four areas: perceived desirability, self-efficacy assessments, propensity for proactive behavior, and triggering events. The perceived desirability and self-efficacy assessment items were based on the attitude components in the EIQ, while the items related to the propensity for proactive behavior and triggering events were based on the perceived behavioral control and subjective norm section of the EIQ, respectively.  The academe current situation, government provisions, and start-up support needs were based on the checklist for best practices of universities and colleges offering entrepreneurship programs (LEED, OECD, 2010 and LEED, OECD, 2024). The interview was done with the deans and entrepreneurship educators engaged in business regarding the status of the entrepreneurship program in their colleges and the market environment.

The data gathered were tallied, tabulated, and interpreted using the frequency count, percentages, mean, t-test for independent samples, analysis of variance, and Pearson’s r set at a .05 alpha level. All statistical computations were done via the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences software. Furthermore, the thematic analysis treatment was used for the documents, records, and results of the interview.

Ethical Standard

This investigation was conducted with proper consideration of the ethical principles of research. The right protection of respondents’ well-being were strictly observed by the researcher assuring that they were treated in ethical manner.

This section presents the salient findings of this investigation:

School-Business Environment

The school-business environment of Iloilo City had been assessed through the existing situation of the academe, government provision on entrepreneurial support, and entrepreneurial start-up needs.

Academic Environment

There were five indicators considered in order to measure the academic environment. These were (1) school strategy, (2) financial and human resources, (3) support infrastructure, (4) entrepreneurship education and start-up support, and (5) evaluation practices. Using a four-point scale response category of questions, the participants were asked whether they agreed or disagreed if the academic situation was very conducive, conducive, less conducive or not conducive to the offering of entrepreneurship program.

Generally, the result of the study showed that the academic environment was conducive to the offering of entrepreneurship program (M = 2.99, SD = .52) in all the five indicators. However, there were items that were rated by the participants as “moderately conducive environment” like the items on whether the academic environment provided “financial support for the internal entrepreneurship activities,” financial support for the training and development activities,” “support infrastructure for laboratories to conduct experiment for new product design,”

Comparing the responses of the youth group and the educators and entrepreneurs’ group, they disagreed as to the level of conduciveness of the academe like on the school strategy of “providing incentives for entrepreneurship researchers,” and “providing technical skills useful in running the business,” “support infrastructure for immersion activities of the students,” “start-up support  for the access to private financing through networking partnership,” “evaluation and monitoring of business start-up support activities,” and “regular checking of school facilities,” which the youth group rated to be “conducive” while the educators and entrepreneurs group rated them to be “moderately conducive” only. On the other hand, the youth group believed that the academic situation with regard to the “provision of financial support for the entrepreneurial activities,” and “support infrastructure for laboratories to conduct experiment for new designs” were moderately conducive while the educators and entrepreneurs believed that they were conducive.

This study implies that the schools offering entrepreneurship program is conducive but they also have shortcomings in all the five indicators in measuring the conduciveness of the academic environment.  The mixed evaluation on the financial support on entrepreneurship and support infrastructure highlights the need for improvement and alignment of perspective among students, educators and entrepreneurs.

This research study confirms with the study of Hassan (2020), which states that the university’s support infrastructure such as laboratories and incubation can influence the ability of the students and educators to secure funding, strategic mentorship, and access to investors networks.

Table 1. Academic Environment according to the Youth and Educators/Entrepreneurs

Scale: 1.00- 1.60- (NC) Not Conducive; 1.61- 2.20- (LC) Less Conducive; 2.21- 2.80- (MC) Moderately

Conducive;2.81- 3.40- (C) Conducive; 3.41- 4.00 (VC) Very Conducive

Government Provisions

In this investigation, government provision was considered in determining the business environment. Five indicators were considered to measures government provision toward entrepreneurship program: (1) business environment, (2) access to finance, (3) management capability, (4) technology, and (5) access to market.

Based from the responses of the participants of the study, both the youth group and the educator and entrepreneurs’ group agreed that the government provided support to the entrepreneurship program of the country (M = 2.86, SD = .55).

Table 2. Extent of Government Provision on Entrepreneurial Start-ups among Youth and Entrepreneurship Educators/Entrepreneurs

Scale: 1.00- 1.60- (NC) Not Conducive; 1.61- 2.20- (LC) Less Conducive; 2.21- 2.80- (MC) Moderately Conducive;2.81- 3.40- (C) Conducive; 3.41- 4.00 (VC) Very Conducive

Although, the participants generally believed that there was government support to the entrepreneurship program, the participants rated that access to finance was moderately provided (M = 2.72, SD = .71) (see Table 2). Examining closely the data why access to finance was moderately provided, it was found out that not enough support was provided as to needed initial capital of the entrepreneurs, less support to financial needs of the entrepreneurs and less support to the entrepreneurs in accessing financing.

Though in general, the government provided support to access to market, however, provision to decrease burden in transporting products to local markets, minimizing freight cost of local and international market were moderately provided.

This implies that the government is supportive of the entrepreneurship in the country. The government administrators are trying their best to provide the needs of the entrepreneurs particularly in areas of business environment, management capability, technology, and market access, but, their support on the financial needs of the entrepreneurs are not enough for the entrepreneurs to pursue their entrepreneurial plans.

This study aligns with Conchada (2017), who notes that the government is supporting individuals with entrepreneurial potential, Filipino entrepreneurs continue to face significant challenges, such as inadequate infrastructure and limited access to financial services.

Entrepreneurial Start-up Support Needs

The start-up needs of the entrepreneurs were measured using five indicators. These indicators included assessment of start-up needs for (1) business environment, (2) access to finance, (3) management capability, (4) technology, and (5) access to market.

The result showed that the entrepreneurs had less start-up support needs. They needed less support in the areas of management capability (M = 3.14, SD = 0.57), and technology (M = 3.26, SD = 0.54). However, they moderately needed support in the areas of business environment (M = 2.71, SD = 0.70), access to finance (M = 2.59, SD = 0.81), and access to the market (M = 2.60, SD = 0.66).

The investigation revealed that entrepreneurs needed moderate support in the business environment, particularly in simplifying government requirements for registering a start-up business (M = 2.71, SD = 0.82), lowering the cost associated with business registration (M = 2.58, SD = 0.82), and reducing taxes and fees for processing business permits (M = 2.73, SD = 0.81). Additionally, they seek moderate support in access to finance, including financial assistance for start-ups (M = 2.66, SD = 0.92), establishing financial agencies for business start-ups (M = 2.60, SD = 0.86), lowering interest rates on loans (M = 2.53, SD = 0.88), and easing credit acquisition requirements (M = 2.56, SD = 0.82).

Entrepreneurs also expressed a need for moderate assistance in access to the market. Specifically, they needed support in reducing transportation costs to local markets (M = 2.66, SD = 0.77), having access to international markets (M = 2.37, SD = 0.79), and decreasing transportation costs for reaching global markets (M = 2.45, SD = 0.78).

Table 3. Extent of Entrepreneurial Start-up Support Needs of Young Entrepreneurs in Iloilo

Scale: 1.00- 1.60- (HN) Highly Needed; 1.61- 2.20- (N) Needed; 2.21- 2.80- (MN) Moderately Needed;2.81- 3.40- (LN) Less Needed); 3.41- 4.00 (NN) Not Needed

This study implies that entrepreneurs view moderate government intervention as essential in areas such as the business environment, access to finance, and access to the market, while support for management capability and technology is seen as less needed. The demand for government action to simplify and lower the costs of regulatory requirements indicates that current bureaucratic and financial obstacles are major challenges for entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the emphasis by educators and entrepreneurs on improving access to finance and markets reveals the importance of these areas in motivating and supporting young entrepreneurs to advance their business ventures.

This study affirmed Zhue’s (2024) finding that 49.7% of businesses fail within their first five years. It also concurred with Conchada (2017), who noted that while the government supports individuals with entrepreneurial potential, entrepreneurs in the Philippines still face numerous challenges, such as corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to financial services.

Analysis of the School-Business Environment

The school-business environment revealed several strengths and weaknesses for doing business in Iloilo. On the positive side, the Iloilo benefits from the availability of universities and colleges that can train young people to become business professionals, along with a stable peace and order situation. The government is also proactive in promoting local products and entrepreneurial skills. Additionally, Iloilo has a substantial pool of graduates and professionals who can meet the manpower needs of start-up businesses.

However, the entrepreneurs in the area face challenges such as a complex and costly business registration process, high local taxes and licensing fees, insufficient financial assistance, complex requirements and high interest rates for obtaining financial support, high transportation costs, limited access to and high costs for international markets, expensive electricity, and poor traffic management.

Despite these challenges, Iloilo presents opportunities for niche development, the potential to become a MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination, and growth in agri-business, with available and underutilized agricultural resources. However, the market environment is threatened by issues of insufficient water supply, frequent flooding that can disrupt business operations, traffic problems, rising costs of production materials and transportation, and intense competition.

Entrepreneurial Intentions of Young People

This study revealed that colleges or universities that have a high degree of business specialization, support, and guidance to entrepreneurship students have the highest entrepreneurship rate. The entrepreneurial intention and educational level have a parallel relationship. An individual entrepreneurial intention increases as their educational level increases. Young People who have higher educational levels have more positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship as a career than those on a lower educational level.

The youth with family members engaged in business have higher entrepreneurial intentions than those individuals with no family members engaged in business. Their exposure to entrepreneurial or income-generating activities influences their attitudes towards entrepreneurship and increases their desire to put up their own business. Furthermore, a person with entrepreneurial or business experience has higher entrepreneurial intentions than those with no entrepreneurial experience. Since then, they have gained knowledge, skills, and strategies from previous experiences that heighten their intentions to pursue self-employment.

Generally, young people tend to have high entrepreneurial intentions (M = 2.96, SD = 0.41). They have high perceived desirability for entrepreneurial ventures (M = 3.17, SD = 0.47), self-efficacy assessment to organized business activities (M = 2.88, SD = 0.55), and propensity to take actions (M = 3.03, SD = 0.59) but the presence of significant triggering events was inadequate to push them to pursue the entrepreneurial plans (M = 2.77, SD = 0.44) and resulted in low intentions to enroll in entrepreneurship programs.

Specifically, the youth have “moderate entrepreneurial intention” due to minimal support and encouragement extended by their family members, mentors, and friends. They have less confidence in starting a business and keeping it viable (M = 2.69, SD = 0.82). They assess their selves to have lack of ability to develop entrepreneurial project (M = 2.70, SD = 0.69), and knowledge in the practical details needed to start a business (M = 2.75, SD = 0.72).

Furthermore, the youth has little interest in enrolling to entrepreneurship program (M = 2.42, SD = 0.89), becoming an entrepreneur is not their priority (M = 2.60, SD = 0.90). They are less serious in the thought of starting their own business (M = 2.78, SD = 0.84), for them they have lack of ability to control the creation process of a new business (M = 2.73, SD = 0.78). Although, the youth is admitting that they have difficulty in finding a job, and they are dissatisfied with their current situation and financial condition yet, the occurrence of these triggering events are still insufficient to motivate them to engage in entrepreneurial activities.

The result of the investigation implies that colleges and universities with strong business specialization, with strong support and guidance for entrepreneurship students, are more likely to achieve higher rates of entrepreneurship. Higher education plays a crucial role in fostering positive attitudes toward entrepreneurship as a career, which can be further reinforced during students' time at university or college. Additionally, the support and encouragement of family member, mentors, and friend into entrepreneurial activities can serve as a powerful motivator. Moreover, prior entrepreneurial or business experience significantly enhances entrepreneurial intentions. However, despite young people generally having high entrepreneurial intentions, the absence of significant triggering events often hinders them from fully pursuing their entrepreneurial ambitions.

This study supports the findings of Nabi et al. (2021), which indicate that entrepreneurship education significantly influences students' entrepreneurial intentions. A well-crafted curriculum in universities and colleges can deepen students' appreciation for entrepreneurship. Moreover, the research highlights that experiential learning and real-world business experience can further motivate students to pursue entrepreneurial careers. This study is also aligned with the findings of Souitaris, Zerbinati, and Al-Laham (2022), which indicate that the nature of education significantly improves students' abilities, such as opportunity recognition and risk management, thereby increasing their chances of starting a business after graduation

Table 4. Entrepreneurial Intentions among the Youth

Personal Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Intentions

School, educational level, and entrepreneurial/business experience are the factors that can greatly affect the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth. There are significant differences in the entrepreneurial intention of the youth when classified into educational level (F [3,289] = 10.90, p=.000).  The 4th year college students have a stronger will to start a business than those in the lower educational level. The skills, knowledge, and competency acquired in education, have developed a personality connected with entrepreneurial behavior.

Table 5. Entrepreneurial Intentions among Youth when categorized as to Certain Variables

p < .05

Significant differences in the entrepreneurial intention of the youth was also identified when they are grouped according to entrepreneurial or business experience (t [289] = 5.393, p=.000). Individuals’ learnings, knowledge, skills, and strategies from previous entrepreneurial experiences have developed their self-efficacy and behavioral control in managing a business. Entrepreneurial intention of the youth has also significant difference if they are classified according to school (F [6,289] = 4.656, p=.000). The academic environment and characteristics such as area of specialization, entrepreneurship support and activities organized, and curricular mission were factors that can influence the entrepreneurial intentions of the individual.

This study implies that higher educational attainment may better prepare students for the challenges of starting a business, especially as they face uncertainties about their career prospects after graduation. This also implies that practical experience is a key factor in developing confidence and capability in entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the result of this investigation highlights the importance of a supportive and enriching academic environment in cultivating and sustaining entrepreneurial aspirations among students.

This study is consistent with West and Dickson's (2018) research on the entrepreneurial intention model, which highlights the impact of personal factors such as personality, experience, and abilities on entrepreneurial intentions. It also aligns with the findings of Nabi et al. (2021), Pittaway and Cope (2022), and Souitaris et al. (2022), which emphasize the crucial role of high-quality entrepreneurship education, curriculum design, and experiential learning methods in motivating students to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.

Contextual Factors Specifically the School-Business Environment Affecting Entrepreneurial Intentions

The academe current situation (r = .480, p=.000), entrepreneurial start-up support needs (r = .497, p=.000), and government provisions (r = .379, p=.000) are the factors that can greatly influence the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth. The academe's current situation is interrelated to the entrepreneurial intentions of an individual. The academes’ performance in handling entrepreneurship and the degree of academic strategy in supporting entrepreneurship, the pool of financial and human resources, the support structures established, the current approaches in entrepreneurship education and start-up support, and evaluation practices, influenced the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth.

Entrepreneurial start-up support needs are connected with the entrepreneurial intentions of an individual. The barriers that the individual encountered in the practice of entrepreneurship such as the complexity of business registration, processing and paying of taxes and licenses, acquiring financial assistance, paying off interest, marketing and transporting products in local and international markets influenced their attitude towards owning a business.

Government provisions on entrepreneurship are also associated with the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth. Government support for entrepreneurship on the areas of business environment, financing, management capability, technology, and access to the market, motivated young people to pursue their entrepreneurial plans.

This implies that the effectiveness of the academic institution in supporting entrepreneurship could foster stronger entrepreneurial intentions among students. This further implies that addressing the barriers in doing business could lead to more positive attitudes toward entrepreneurship and greater motivation to start a business. Government policies and programs designed to support entrepreneurship can play a critical role in encouraging and sustaining entrepreneurial activity among the youth.

This study concurs with West and Dickson's (2018) research on the entrepreneurial intention model, which highlights how contextual factors, such as environmental barriers and supports, affect entrepreneurial intentions. It also aligns with the findings of Conchada (2017), who observed that despite government support for individuals with entrepreneurial potential, entrepreneurs in the Philippines continue to face significant barriers, including corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to financial services. Additionally, it also agrees with Nabi et al. (2021), Pittaway and Cope (2022), and Souitaris et al. (2022), which emphasize the critical role of high-quality entrepreneurship education and experiential learning in motivating students to pursue entrepreneurship.

Table 6. Correlation between Entrepreneurial Intentions and Academic Environment, Entrepreneurial Start-up Support Needs and Government Provisions

p< .05

Development of Sustainable Program for Advancing Responsive Knowledge (SPARK) in Entrepreneurship Model

The re-engineering of an effective and sustainable entrepreneurship program focuses on intentional venture education was guided by the result of both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth and school-business environment such as academe current situation, entrepreneurial start-up support needs and government provisions. The items with lower mean scores are the items were given due consideration in re-engineering the program. Furthermore, inferential statistics were analyzed in determine the factors that can significantly influence entrepreneurial intentions of the youth. Only variables that showed significant differences and relationship were considered as influencing factors.

The findings revealed that although the youth exhibit high entrepreneurial intentions, the lack of significant triggering events hindered their interest in learning entrepreneurship and venturing into entrepreneurial activities. This, in turn led to lower enrollment intention in entrepreneurship program and fewer pursuits of entrepreneurial ventures. To address this gap, the researcher developed a SPARK in Entrepreneurship Model which integrates significant triggering events with the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action).  This model presents the critical steps and factors that transform an individual’s personality (personal factors) and the school-business environment (contextual factors) into a concrete entrepreneurial action. It was designed as a flow to show the logical progression and influence among different variables.

The model begins with two main categories of input factors (personal and contextual) that feeds into the process. The contextual factors are the external elements representing the school-business environment available to the youth. These include the academe current situation, entrepreneurial start-up support needs, and government provisions. The personal factors, are the internal elements representing the youth’s individual background and mindset. These include business/entrepreneurial experience, school affiliation and educational level.

The catalyst of these model is stage when these personal and contextual factors are converged with the presence of triggering events.  The application of the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is essential at this point, as findings from the investigation revealed that while many young individuals possess underlying entrepreneurial intentions, these intentions often fail to translate into action without sufficient triggering events. By strategically applying the AIDA model, these triggers can be activated through well-designed interventions such as mandatory mentorship programs, hackathons, or seed funding opportunities. Such initiatives are intended to capture the attention of the youth, build their interest in entrepreneurship programs, stimulate their desire to engage in entrepreneurial activities, and ultimately lead them to take concrete action in pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

This significant triggering events spur in two parallel cognitive processes, the rational analytical thinking and the intuitive holistic thinking. The rational analytical thinking represents the logical, systematic, and calculated evaluation of the entrepreneurial opportunities, while intuitive holistic thinking represents the gut feeling, creative insights, and instinctual approach to the opportunity. The direct outcome of these thought processes is the entrepreneurial intentions of the individual, which is the conscious decision or commitment to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. The final stage is the action or the actual entrepreneurial behavior like launching a business.

Sustainable Program for Advancing Responsive Knowledge (SPARK) in Entrepreneurship Model

This model emphasizes that to successfully transform the youth intention into action, the entrepreneurship program must design a significant triggering event through understanding the youth’s personal background and external environment and the manipulation of the AIDA model to ensure that those events will lead to the desired action.

Based on the preceding findings of this study that underscore the interplay between the school-business environment, comprising the academe current situation, government provisions, and entrepreneurial start-up support needs, and the personal factors such as business/entrepreneurial experience, school affiliation, and educational level, which are variable that shapes the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth. Overall, the academic environment was found to be conducive to the offering of entrepreneurship programs. However, there are gaps remain in financial support, infrastructure, and coordination between educators, entrepreneurs, and students. This misalignment highlights the need for enhanced institutional collaboration and more responsive academic strategies to strengthen entrepreneurship education.

While government provisions were perceived as supportive, particularly in areas of business environment, management capability, technology, and market access, the financial assistance remained a persistent challenge. Limited access to financing, complex bureaucratic processes, and high business transactional costs continue to discourage young entrepreneurs from pursuing business ventures. Similarly, entrepreneurs expressed moderate needs for government intervention in simplifying registration procedures, reducing taxes and fees, improving access to credit, and lowering transportation costs, This study indicates that ease of doing business remains a critical barrier to entrepreneurial growth.

Despite these challenges, young people in Iloilo City demonstrated relatively high entrepreneurial intentions, especially those with higher educational attainment, prior business experience, and family exposure to entrepreneurship. This suggests that education and experiential learning play pivotal roles in fostering entrepreneurial mindsets. Nonetheless, the absence of significant triggering events such as mentorship, experiential opportunities, or motivational or financial incentives,has prevented these intentions from translating into actual entrepreneurial actions.

Both personal and contextual factors significantly influence entrepreneurial intentions. The academe’s current situation, start-up support needs, and government provisions were found to have a strong positive correlation with the entrepreneurial intentions of the youth. The study confirms that when the school-business environment provides adequate support structures, and when government programs effectively address systemic barriers, the likelihood of youth engagement in entrepreneurship increases substantially.

To address the identified gaps, this study proposed the Sustainable Program for Advancing Responsive Knowledge (SPARK) in Entrepreneurship Model, which re-engineers entrepreneurship education through intentional venture education. Anchored in the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) model, SPARK integrates significant triggering events designed to capture attention, stimulate interest, build desire, and drive entrepreneurial action.

The model emphasized that triggers can be activated through well-designed interventions. Specifically, these interventions can be enhancing the entrepreneurship program through improvement of the school strategy by fostering a research-driven and experiential learning culture through collaboration among business, science, and technology programs. Encouraging the commercialization of research outputs, organize community-based entrepreneurship events, and engaging educators and students in real-world entrepreneurial projects.

Strengthening the financial and human resources can also be one of the intervention recommended in this study. Example of this interventions are providing adequate funding for training and development of entrepreneurship educators and students, offer incentives for research and innovation, enhance educators’ compensation and teaching environment, and promote interactive and multidisciplinary teaching methods such as simulations, business plan competitions, and mentorship programs.

Another intervention is the enhancement of entrepreneurship education and strat-up support. This intervention includes revision of curriculum to integrate marketing, management, technical, and financial components, and connect business courses with arts, ICT, and sciences. Allowing students to operate actual enterprises, rotate business roles, and present progress reports. And, encouraging partnerships with local entrepreneurs for mentorship, evaluation, and investment opportunities.

Development of support infrastructure can also be an effective intervention. Example of these interventions are establishment of an innovative laboratories, business incubation rooms, and startup facilities within schools. Another example is the partnership with government agencies and entrepreneurs to host business plan competitions, provide mentorship, and promote technology-driven entrepreneurship.

Ensuring effectiveness of evaluation system, is an intervention that can help develop a sustainable entrepreneurship program in advancing responsive knowledge. The conduct of regular reviews of entrepreneurship program implementation, facilities, and educator performance can be applied by the institution. Development of a feedback mechanism to gather stakeholder input and ensure continuous improvement of entrepreneurship education can also be an effective intervention for sustainable entrepreneurship program.

The SPARK in Entrepreneurship Model recognizes the convergence of personal and contextual factors and the role of both rational and intuitive thinking processes in transforming entrepreneurial intention into actual entrepreneurial action.

This study highlights that sustainable entrepreneurship development among the youth requires a holistic approach, one that aligns academic instruction, government support, and entrepreneurial ecosystem facilitation with the individual’s internal motivations and experiences. Strengthening financial support mechanisms, fostering experiential learning opportunities, and institutionalizing triggering events such as mentorship, incubation, and funding programs are essential strategies. Through these interventions, the academe, government, and private sectors can collectively ignite the entrepreneurial spirit of the youth and advance a more resilient and innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem in Iloilo City and beyond.

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