An Exploratory Qualitative Design Toward a Contextualized Definition of Entrepreneurship Culture Among TVET Graduates: Evidence from Vhembe District, South Africa

Abstract Entrepreneurship culture (EC) is increasingly promoted within Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to prepare graduates for self-employment. However, existing conceptualisations of EC are derived largely from urban, resource-rich contexts and fail to explain entrepreneurial realities in rural settings characterised by informality, resource scarcity, and vocational stigma. This study developed a contextually grounded conceptualisation of EC based on the lived experiences of TVET graduates in the rural Vhembe District of South Africa. Employing an exploratory qualitative design informed by interpretivist phenomenology, we recruited 18 TVET alumni across various trades using purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, with established entrepreneurial behavior models serving as sensitising concepts. Four interrelated attributes characterised the rural TVET entrepreneurship culture: livelihood pragmatism, delayed transition into self-employment, adaptive application of vocational skills, and relational navigation of community dynamics. Rather than opportunity-driven venture creation, entrepreneurship was experienced as an adaptive response to structural constraints. Graduates leveraged vocational skills to address local needs through low-overhead enterprises while navigating social jealousy and vocational stigma. The study defines rural TVET entrepreneurship culture as a culturally embedded system of shared meanings and identities that enables graduates to adapt skills to local realities while navigating structural challenges. This definition advances construct clarity, offering a foundation for future curriculum design, measurement tools, and policy in rural vocational education.