In 2022, over 200 thousand individuals participated in entrepreneurship education programs, and four years of monitoring show a total of 700 thousand participants. This data comes from the annual index of entrepreneurial education activity, a collaborative study by Sberbank, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, the Association for the Advancement of Financial Literacy, the High Economy School of Business Administration, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.
The survey covers nearly 3,000 companies and organizations that have delivered more than 5,000 training programs during the four-year period.
Educational programs, particularly those aimed at younger people, are increasingly seen as a foundation for starting and growing a successful business. Observers note that educated entrepreneurs tend to achieve higher levels of success than their less‑educated peers. This is why Sberbank explicitly supports initiatives related to job training and skills development for aspiring business owners.
The study found that 68% of program graduates were under 35 years old. The most popular topics for this group centered on the basics of starting a business, self‑employment, and creative entrepreneurship. An important factor shaping demand for specific programs is the student’s actual employment status.
Entrepreneurial experience and the stage of business development influence both the selection and the content of training tracks. About 43% of trainees reported being active entrepreneurs, owning a company or operating as individual entrepreneurs. Another 9% had registered as self‑employed business owners. The remaining 48%, including schoolchildren, students, the unemployed, and retirees, were seen as potentially ready to start their own venture.
Requested topics included sales through marketplaces (22%), business planning (15%), branding, marketing, and customer acquisition (each at 15%), and reporting, legal, and financial literacy (each at 9%).
Regional variations were noted as well. In regions like the Oryol area, Buryatia, and Karelia, financial literacy emerged as the most popular topic (more than 25% of interest in these locales). At the same time, sales-oriented training was strongest in St. Petersburg, the Leningrad region, Ivanovo, Penza, and Udmurtia, with demand exceeding 25% in those areas.
Earlier research by SberNPF and Rabota.ru indicated that a significant share of young Russians do not aspire to leadership roles. Specifically, about 24% of respondents preferred working as specialists in midsize firms without leadership responsibilities, another 24% aimed to launch their own business and be their own boss, and 20% wished to work as specialists in large companies but not in leadership positions.
[Citation: Sberbank, Russian Ministry of Economic Development, Association for the Advancement of Financial Literacy, High Economy School of Business Administration, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation – Index of Entrepreneurial Education Activity (PEA Index).] [Source attribution: Phase 2022 program evaluation and related studies.]