Coaching and Mentoring as Catalysts for Youth Start-Up Enterprise Sustainability and Local Economic Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51137/wrp.ijsbe.687Keywords:
Coaching, Local Economic Development, Mentoring, Sustainable Growth, Youth EntrepreneurshipAbstract
Youth start-up enterprises play a critical role in job creation, innovation, and local economic development, particularly in developing economies where youth unemployment remains high. Despite various support programmes, many youth owned enterprises fail within the first few years of operation due to limited business skills, lack of networks, and insufficient strategic guidance. This study explores the role of coaching and mentoring in supporting youth start-up enterprises for sustainable growth and advancement of local economic development. The study adopts a systematic literature review methodology, focusing on peer reviewed journal articles, policy reports, and entrepreneurship studies published between 2020 and 2026. The findings indicate that coaching and mentoring contribute significantly to entrepreneurial skills development, business survival, innovation capacity, and access to markets and finance. The study also finds that mentoring relationships improve entrepreneurial confidence, decision making ability, and long-term strategic planning among youth entrepreneurs. Furthermore, coaching and mentoring programmes contribute to local economic development through job creation, business expansion, and community-based enterprise development. The study concludes that coaching and mentoring should be integrated into youth entrepreneurship development programmes to improve sustainability and economic impact. The study recommends that governments, business incubators, and development agencies should institutionalise structured mentoring and coaching programmes to support youth start-up enterprises.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Humphrey Motsepe, Mahlodi Joice Sethu, Hasani Elia Zitha, Sheperd Sikhosana (Author)
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