Entrepreneurial Competencies, Enterprise Support Mechanisms, and Startup Sustainability among Entrepreneurial Students in State University and Colleges (SUCs): Basis for Business Incubation Framework

Abstract

Student-led ventures require both entrepreneurial capabilities and an enabling support environment to develop toward sustainable operation. This study examined the entrepreneurial competencies, enterprise support mechanisms, and startup sustainability of Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship students in State Universities and Colleges in the National Capital Region, Philippines, as a basis for developing a business incubation framework. Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, the study surveyed 300 fourth-year students through a validated researcher-developed questionnaire using a four-point Likert scale. Relationships among the study variables were analyzed using Spearman’s rank-order correlation. Respondents demonstrated a competent level of entrepreneurial competencies (M = 3.15), with digital marketing highest and financial literacy lowest. Enterprise support mechanisms obtained an overall mean of 2.89, with networking and market access highest and training and capacity-building lowest. Startup sustainability was rated high (M = 3.54), with sustainability orientation highest and financial resilience lowest. Entrepreneurial competencies were significantly associated with enterprise support mechanisms and all three dimensions of startup sustainability; the strongest relationship was between leadership and financial resilience (rₛ = .542). Enterprise support mechanisms were significantly associated with financial resilience and market adaptability but not with sustainability orientation. The findings support a business incubation framework that integrates competency development, accessible enterprise support, and explicit sustainability formation while treating the observed relationships as associative rather than causal.