Effects of training in business operation on performance of Women's Micro-Enterprises funded by Women Enterprise fund in Imenti North District, Meru County Kenya
Abstract
Women entrepreneurs are key contributors in the modern economy.In order for sustainable development to thrive in Kenya the participation of women in the economy needs to be enhanced by increasing their access to educational and business on performance of women micro-enterprises.Skills acquired, level of education and attitude of women towards training are the aspects to be emphasized in the study. The target population was 140 registered women groups in Imenti North District.The women groups were registered by the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Development.This study employed stratified random sampling to collect data from 103 women businesses using structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social for Science (SPSS).The data was then presented in form of frequency and percentage, from which insightful inferences and conclusions were made.In addition, women owned enterprises are quite entrepreneurial and need to be supported to grow and expand. The study findings revealed that majority (64%) of the women had basic formal education vital in business management and that there was a statistically significant relationship between business training [(p=0.023 greater than 0.05).] and business performance an indication that performance in business owned by women in Imenti North District improved significantly after training was conducted. This study revealed that women entrepreneurs were mainly concentrated in service and trade industries. Further research is needed to establish factors hindering women from engaging in construction and manufacturing industries.