Personnel for the economy of the future: Tatarstan schoolchildren will be taught technological entrepreneurship
On October 1, 2025, Tatarstan schools again started training under the republican program "School Business Start". In the new academic year, the project will cover more than 11,000 children and will continue to lay the foundations for studying entrepreneurship in secondary schools.
It should be recalled that the large-scale republican program "School Business Start" has been implemented in Tatarstan for the fourth year. It is organized by the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan, the My Business Center of the Entrepreneurship Support Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan within the framework of the national project "Efficient and Competitive Economy".
Instead of boring lectures, there are game formats where children learn how to generate ideas, draw up business plans, and convincingly present and defend their projects. This school for young entrepreneurs not only develops skills, but also lays the foundation for the future economy of Tatarstan, training motivated and competent specialists.
"For the fourth year now, the School Business Start program has been operating in Tatarstan on the initiative of Rustam Minnikhanov, which opens the doors to the world of entrepreneurship for teenagers from all over the republic. The geography of the project is impressive: more than 34,000 schoolchildren, including children from small towns and villages, have already immersed themselves in the basics of doing business. In the new academic year, we have focused on in-depth practice-oriented training, providing a direct dialogue with the business community. The ultimate goal is for graduates of specialized classes, especially from IT and engineering schools, to become not just highly qualified specialists, but creators of their own technology startups. To do this, we have rebooted the program, adding practical blocks on cyber security and digital financial literacy, knowing the basics that an entrepreneur can use to create more reliable and in-demand products and avoid problems in the future," said the First Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan Natalia Kondratova.
In 2025, 71 schools will be covered by the project. Among them are 14 Kazan schools (more than 3,000 schoolchildren will be trained), 8 educational institutions from Naberezhnye Chelny, as well as 49 schools from 17 districts of the republic: Zelenodolsk, Tyulyachinsky, Kamsko-Ustinsky, Sabinsky, Apastovsky, Kukmorsky, Buinsky, Kaibitsky, Chistopolsky, Alkeevsky, Alekseevsky, Nizhnekamsk, Yelabuga, Mendeleevsky, Almetyevsky, Menzelinsky, Zainsky, Sarmanovsky, Tetyushsky, Tukayevsky, Bugulminsky and Nurlatsky .
Tatiana Alekseeva, Head of the Department of General Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan:
"Our key task is to turn school knowledge into real projects. By introducing new forms of career guidance, we rely on technological entrepreneurship. Through project activities, the creation of school companies and the solution of practical cases, students gain invaluable experience. This is the most effective way to educate a new generation of innovators who will develop Tatarstan's high-tech sector."
The educational program consists of several stages. The first of them will start in October: the guys in groups of 60 people will jointly create a portrait of a successful businessman, will be tested, and most importantly, will present their first projects with a ready-made business plan and PR strategy.
The most resourceful and active participants advance to the next stage, where they will immerse themselves in the theory and practice of entrepreneurship. Here they will have team seminars on launching school companies, the final of which will be a presentation of ideas in front of experienced mentors from the business environment.
Next, the participants will test their strength in two key events: at the charity fair before the New Year and in the business case solving championship. And in the spring of 2026, a grand finale awaits everyone — a meeting of school business companies.
As a guide for new participants: the winners of last season were awarded a trip to Moscow, where they visited the legendary technopark and the Skolkovo Business School.
Dina Babiy, Deputy Head of the Entrepreneurship Support Center of the My Business Center of the NGO "Entrepreneurship Support Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan":
"We see great potential in the young self-employed and consider it our mission to help them at the start. Why is this so important? Because entrepreneurial skills and leadership skills acquired in youth are the foundation for a successful future career. According to the law, you can start your career in business at the age of 14, and the national project sets us a clear task: to be an understandable and accessible navigator for such children. My Business is exactly the entry point where a young person can not just register a business, but get all the necessary turnkey support and confidently launch their first project."