Strengthening the Human Resource Capacity of Youth through Community-Based Business Incubators in the Society 5.0 Era

A Study on Youth in RT 013, Lubuk Gaung Village, Sungai Sembilan District

Abstract

National development requires strengthening the quality of human resources (HR) as a fundamental pillar for sustainable development, particularly in facing the challenges of the Society 5.0 era characterized by rapid advances in information and communication technology. Youth, as a productive age group, play a strategic role as agents of social change and drivers of economic development through entrepreneurship. However, low entrepreneurial awareness, limited managerial skills, and insufficient business mentoring remain major obstacles to youth business development at the local level. This Community Service Program (PKM) aims to enhance youth understanding, motivation, and entrepreneurial capacity through an educative and participatory approach based on business incubation. The program was implemented for young people in RT 013, Lubuk Gaung Village, Sungai Sembilan District, on June 18, 2023, using counseling sessions, interactive discussions, and entrepreneurial mentoring methods. The results indicate an improvement in participants' understanding of entrepreneurial concepts, the role of business incubators, and the importance of digital literacy and business collaboration in the digital economy era. The program also fostered collective awareness among youth to become innovative and sustainable entrepreneurs. Therefore, this PKM activity confirms that community-based business incubation has strategic relevance in improving youth human resource quality, promoting economic self-reliance, and supporting sustainable local economic development.