Youth entrepreneurship as a driver of economic growth[Молодежное Предпринимательство Как Драйвер Экономического Роста]

Teaching high school students is the current discourse of today’s educational process. Such issues as youth involvement in educational programs, youth motivation for self-development and professional growth are of critical importance. There is also no single mechanism for educational projects implementation in terms of entrepreneurial abilities development among young people. Each development institution or business entity involved in the process has its own understanding of the right methods, tools and approaches. Choosing the best option is often difficult, since each has its own advantages and sharp corners. And, since we are talking about schoolchildren, the approach to their education process should be based on the “no harm” principle. In this article, the “Entrepreneurial Classes” project is presented, which is actively implemented by the Ural Institute of Management – branch of RANEPA and PRO Group business entities in the cities and towns of the Sverdlovsk region. The authors give a brief description of the project, its features, and explore the factors stimulating high school students involvement in entrepreneurial activities. In the course of the research the reasons preventing the development of entrepreneurial initiatives among the youth are revealed. The authors confirmed the hypothesis that the special educational environment created in the region, on the one hand, increases the level of the young people’s interest in their own business development, and on the other hand, allows young people to objectively assess their entrepreneurial opportunities. The article gives recommendations on addtitional measures to stimulate youth entrepreneurship. This work may be of practical importance for designing the regional program of entrepreneurship development and youth policy.