Based on the literature review, a theoretical model of relations between entrepreneurial self-efficacy, social capital, person-entrepreneurship fit, and venture creation was developed. The future of South Africa's economy does not just lie in the formal sector, but within the informal SMME sector too. This is a growing part of South Africa's economy and requires substantial focus from a developmental perspective. Following the success of the implementation of the National Certificate: New Venture Creation (NVC): Level 4 and upon doing further research, it has been established that there is a great demand to equip entrepreneurial learners with knowledge and skills at NQF level 2 so that they can become part of the mainstream economy as they set up and manage new ventures. Whilst the complexity of learning will be simpler at this level, the main outputs, requirements and competences of such entrepreneurs are broadly the same.

Now, to understand the interaction of the variables and the operationalization with the present research, the sections on operationalization of constructs and hypotheses, design of data collection, and operationalization of the study are presented. Operationalization of constructs and hypotheses

To be in possession of a Qualification in New Venture Creation, entrepreneurship or management at NQF Level 4 or higher. H 7 In nascent entrepreneurs, relational social capital is not positively associated with new venture intention or creation. Whatever your goals, the Venture Creation programme is all about building the people who build businesses, matching great ideas with exciting talent, and providing a springboard for you and your team to work towards a high impact and scalable new venture. It will also give you access to a community of like-minded individuals offering their support and shared experiences. Subsequently, Bird ( 1988) developed a model based on a discovery-oriented study, which attempts to explain the behavior of entrepreneurial ideas. Through 20 interviews with entrepreneurs (seven in service, eight in manufacturing, and five in marketing, with between 4 and 20 years of experience as entrepreneurs), she was able to identify distinct patterns of thinking and behavior. Subsequent analysis of transcripts and observer notes suggests that these patterns are relatively consistent across the entrepreneurs. Bird ( 1989) develops a second model to complement this study. This second model analyses the interaction between the personal and social context with rational and intuitive thinking while intending to create businesses or new values for existing businesses. According to Bird, the social context comprises the individual’s social, political, and economic environment (Turner et al., 1994; Webster & Ward, 2011), while the personal context is constructed through their personal history, personality development, and abilities (Bandura, 2002a; Noonan, 2019). In her conclusion, she argues that an entrepreneur's new intentions will be steeped in uncertainty and result from rational, analytical, and cause-and-effect thought processes or intuitive, holistic, and contextual thinking; these new intentions ultimately become entrepreneurial actions (Lubada et al., 2021; Urban, 2020).

Based on social cognitive theory, Bandura ( 1982) developed the theory of self-efficacy to explain the variability of individuals in goal attainment. Individuals with different levels of self-efficacy beliefs are expected to differ systematically in the amount of effort they expend on goal-directed tasks, the extent to which they engage in coping activities to overcome impediments, and the degree to which they persistently pursue goals despite obstacles.Vila, J. E., Fornoni, M., & Palacios, D. (2013). Multidimensional social capital in new ventures. Service Industries Journal, 33(9–10), 820–832. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2013.719892 The small business sector is growing and it is in light of this that various stakeholders have taken the initiative to provide mentorship programmes that will assist budding entrepreneurs to become a more integral part of the mainstream economy, serving both the public and private sectors. Apart from the formative development that can take place via these programmes, it also provides more importantly for sustainable development. Götz, O., Liehr-Gobbers, K., & Krafft, M. (2010). Evaluation of Structural Equation Models Using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) Approach. In V. Esposito Vinzi, W. W. Chin, J. Henseler, & H. Wang (Eds.), Handbook of Partial Least Squares: Concepts, Methods and Applications (pp. 691–711). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32827-8_30 Shapero, A. (1982). Social dimensions of entrepreneurship. In C. Kent, D. Sexton and K. Vesper, eds., The Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurship. Churchill, G. (1979). A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of Marketing Research, 16(1), 64–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224377901600110

Finally, from a new point of view—the psychoanalytic perspective—Metallo et al. ( 2020) developed a research study to examine the entrepreneurial process for the generation of new enterprises through a psychoanalytical approach. Based on the existing psychoanalytic literature, the manuscript proposes a model to explain the entrepreneurial process that results in people developing ideas and, consequently, moving toward new venture creation. The structure of the model consists of a set of interconnected processes that describe entrepreneurial behavior through the analysis of three stages: dream, business idea, and creation of the new company. The innovation of this study lies in its emphasis on the unconscious mechanisms that encourage new business ventures. The proposed model gives a complete overview of the behavior of entrepreneurs and offers new possibilities for understanding the evolution of the entrepreneurial process. Solomon, G.T.; Winslow, E.K. & Tarabishy, A. (1997). Entrepreneurial Education in the United States An Empirical Review of the Past Twenty Years

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Bandura, A. (2002b). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2, 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-839X.00024 H 3 In nascent entrepreneurs, the marshalling dimension of entrepreneurial self-efficacy is positively associated with new venture intention or creation. A variety of methods must be used in assessment and tools and activities must be appropriate to the context in which the learner is working. Where it is not possible to assess the learner in the workplace or on-the-job, simulations, case studies, role-plays and other similar techniques should be used to provide a context appropriate to the assessment.