Low-threshold Help for Students Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Low-threshold help refers to supporting students in their own strengths on their own terms. Higher education students should be able to try entrepreneurship in a genuine realistic context, so that their knowledge and skills would accumulate for future entrepreneurship. It is important that entrepreneurs come from as diverse backgrounds as possible. Future entrepreneurs will show what our world will be like. If innovations and entrepreneurship are limited to a certain homogeneous group of young people, our world and our future companies will become very uniform. This was a case study on the entrepreneurial enthusiasm of university students in the LUT group in South Karelia. The data for this study was based on the results of a student survey conducted at LUT group in 2024, based on which obstacles to entrepreneurship were identified. In addition, six (6) students with an entrepreneurship or team learning orientation were deeply interviewed for the study. Of the respondents to the student survey (n 141), as many as 63% saw entrepreneurship as a possible career option in the future. However, students still need a lot of support for entrepreneurship. More and more respondents reported that they do not have a business idea to develop. Fear of failure was also identified as an obstacle based on the interviews. It can be difficult for a student to see themselves as an entrepreneur and recognize their own entrepreneurial readiness, unless they receive support in the process. The perception of one's own ability also reflects the courage to try and innovate new things.