Applying social marketing strategies in entrepreneurship training to turn unemployed adults into entrepreneurs in South Africa

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article was to examine social marketing strategies Adult Education and Training (AET) centres in South Africa use during entrepreneurship training programmes. The sample was drawn from AET centres of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. The study used the qualitative approach (semi-structured interviews) to collect data from adult trainees and centre managers. However, the broader study upon which this article is based utilised mixed research methods, that is, quantitative and qualitative approaches. The main findings of the study reveal that the social marketing strategies that the AET centres apply to turn unemployed adults into entrepreneurs entails mobilising external stakeholders to create opportunities for trainees to access financial and non-financial support for the start-up and growth of micro-enterprises. The study tentatively concludes that social marketing strategies are effective tools AET centres can use to turn unemployed adults into entrepreneurs and facilitate socio-economic transformation in impoverished communities. As a practical implication for policy, there is need for policymakers at local and national levels to embrace social marketing to enhance the effectiveness of entrepreneurship training for poverty reduction among unemployed and vulnerable population groups.