Mentorship in Entrepreneurship: From School to University to Start-Up
Today, there is no shortage of mentorship programmes in Russia. However, there is no systematic approach to mentoring in entrepreneurship. The absence of such an approach hinders the development of potential entrepreneurs, which is one of the reasons for the weak entrepreneurship growth and the minor share of small business in the GDP. What should be done to change the situation? A potential solution lies in creating a mentoring programme in three stages, where the first stage is the actual mentor training. Second stage will aim to create three mentoring ecosystems: for high school students, for university students, and for aspiring entrepreneurs. Third stage is providing a continuous development environment, from high school to mentor cultivation. Yesterday's student, a budding entrepreneur, should be a mentor for aspiring entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Can we talk about mentoring as one of the key drivers of entrepreneurial development? What is the role of government agencies in fostering a mentoring culture? What is the role of a mentor in a vocational guidance programme? Is there a system for selecting and motivating mentors?
Moderator
Eduard Omarov,
Vice-President, All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA
Panellists
Stanislav Appazov,
Founder, APPAZOV Branding Agency
Irina Bova,
Founder, Head, Training Center BOVACENTRE
Alexander Vedekhin,
Deputy Director, Youth Policy Department, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
Guzeliya Imaeva,
Chief Executive Officer, NAFI Research Centre
Alexey Rvachev,
Director, Center for Assistance to Young Professionals
Front row participants
Maria Voitenko,
General Director, Perfect Insurance Bureau
Valentina Kurenkova,
Director for Government Relations, Deputy General Director, Netology (online)
Artem Moskalev,
Director General, IVITECH Financial Services
