Entrepreneurial potential of students

An important condition for economic growth and for improving the quality of life of the population is the growth of entrepreneurial activity, especially its student component. Students partly receive necessary knowledge, skills and experience in the field of entrepreneurship during their studies. However, there are also factors in the academic environment that act as barriers to the growth of students’ entrepreneurial potential. The subject of the research is a set of theoretical, methodological and practical issues aimed at further development of students’ entrepreneurial potential and its activation in terms of the significant role in the academic environment. The purpose of the research is to consider the theoretical basis of the concept of entrepreneurial potential, to study foreign experience in researching the students’ entrepreneurial potential, to investigate the role of the university environment of higher educational institutions in Latvia in the formation and activation of students’ entrepreneurial potential. The methods used by the authors are axiomatic, analysis and synthesis, monographic, sociological survey, statistical analysis of quantitative data from a questionnaire survey. The results of the research. The parameters of the real and potential participation of Latvian students in entrepreneurial activity and the main barriers of expanding the scale of students’ entrepreneurial activities were determined. The activities realized in the academic environment, stimulating interest in entrepreneurship and the real involvement of students in this activity were proposed. Correlation analysis of the factors of activating the entrepreneurial students’ potential in the university environment and the level of students' readiness to found their own enterprise put knowledge related to a specific entrepreneurial activity in the first place. The field for applying the results of the work. The materials, results and conclusions of the article can be used by research organizations, government bodies, higher education institutions and student organizations. Conclusions. Our analysis of the entrepreneurial potential of Latvian students is extremely important in the study and development of entrepreneurship both nationally and at the level of individual higher education institutions. The obtained results make it possible to assess the situation and take measures towards creating a more favorable learning environment for the development and implementation of students' entrepreneurial intentions.