The business world is currently undergoing a significant shift towards sustainability and intelligent automation, which presents both promising prospects and formidable hurdles for business owners. The increasing demand for sustainable goods and services, driven by pressing social and environmental issues, opens doors for entrepreneurs to establish companies that address these concerns. Moreover, automation and technological advancements have revolutionized the operational landscape of firms, providing entrepreneurs with novel opportunities to enhance efficiency and foster creativity. However, thriving in this dynamic environment necessitates a fresh skill set and innovative approaches. Entrepreneurs must actively acquire the requisite technological expertise to leverage the potential of intelligent automation while navigating the intricate legislative and social frameworks surrounding sustainability. Furthermore, they must demonstrate agility and adaptability, adept at pivoting strategies and offerings to align with the evolving business panorama. This study’s exploration of the intersection of automation and entrepreneurship resonates deeply with the principles of sustainability. By dissecting the challenges and strategies entrepreneurs use to embrace automation, the research contributes valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on feasible business practices within the context of burgeoning sustainability. The findings will assist policymakers by providing useful information to cultivate an environment conducive to sustainable, technology-based entrepreneurship.

The article presents the experience of formation and development of economic competences of non-economic specialty students. The modern world is quite complex, diverse, and multidimensional, in order to adapt to it, work effectively, it is necessary to have information about market relations, relations in the sphere of production, consumption, exchange, distribution, and also to be able to connect these areas, navigate the laws operating in these areas. It should be noted that the formation and development of a specialist’s economic competence occurs throughout his or her entire professional life. In our study, the process of forming economic competence is considered as its formation at the stage of mastering economic disciplines, relevant special courses and methodical support. Training in higher education should lead to the acquired knowledge being transferred into the activity of combining elements into an interconnected structure, into the skillful distribution of resources, into the activity that brings profit and has the form of capital investment, in other words, the individual, acquiring knowledge for himself, should be able to transform it into a socially significant value. This requires the search for and implementation of new approaches in the content and organization of the educational process at all levels of education. Research devoted to the role of education in the preparation of future non-economists for economic competence focuses on the preparation of an individual for the economic literacy of an entrepreneur. One of the main tasks of the education system should be preparation for successful socialization in the context of involvement in entrepreneurial relations. It is students and young specialists who have advantages in entrepreneurship in the current conditions: they have the opportunity to obtain specialized knowledge and skills in the field of economics; they can start their own business, relying on economic knowledge. Therefore, the role of higher education is increasing, since it helps to meet the needs of society and implement its socially significant goals. This poses new challenges for universities to transfer the necessary economic knowledge, skills and abilities to students, and to develop their economic competence. The development of basic economic competences in a student is a guarantee of his competitiveness in the labor market and the basis for making reasonable economic decisions in the daily life of every person.

Sustainable development (SD) is an approach that aims to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a key component in achieving this goal, as it equips young people with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to make sustainable decisions. This study investigated how preschool teachers in Saudi Arabia understood (SD) and the state of (ESD) practices. A survey was used to collect data from 230 Saudi preschool teachers. The findings revealed that 90% of teachers lacked awareness regarding SD. The overall evaluation of ESD practices among participants indicated a weak subpar status, with an average score of 2.49 out of 4. Notably, in ascending order, the following three dimensions had weak mean scores: the content aspect (2.38) had the lowest score, followed by the practice aspect (2.54) and the competencies aspect (2.58). Meanwhile, the values aspect (2.63) had an average outcome. Analysing the mean scores of ESD practices based on teachers’ qualifications and school types revealed significant differences, although no variations were observed based on experience. The primary obstacle to ESD implementation in pre-schools was the lack of awareness regarding SD/ESD. The study underscores the significance of expanding teacher training to promote ESD effectively in pre-school settings. The results highlight the need for professional development opportunities to improve ESD implementation in classrooms, educate Saudi preschool teachers about SD, and create instructional materials that align with the principles of ESD.