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They have ideas, enthusiasm and are often technologically savvy. They have seen the corporate world's reputation stained and the erosion of the job for life. For many young people this has increased their thirst to start their own businesses.

But whether they are from the developed or developing world, aspiring young entrepreneurs need guidance with their business plans and funding.

When it comes to turning the idea into a business there are a range of programmes to help. And companies are increasingly lending their support.

For young people in parts of South Africa, the global Make a Connection scheme, supported by Nokia, is part of the answer.

Many people think that South Africa's future economic success depends on it nurturing a skills base among its young people: 37 per cent of its 43m population is between the age of 15 and 34. This initiative helps to nurture young entrepreneurs there and tackle youth unemployment, which hovers at about 45 per cent.

With myriad problems in South Africa, "people are often unable to focus specifically on young people", says Ntutule Tshenye, chief executive of the Johannesburg-based Youth Development Trust (YDT) NGO. The economy, he says, is still based "on the very traditional mentality of experience".

YDT administers the South African version of the scheme, which is co-ordinated by Nokia, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, and the International Youth Foundation. Nokia says it supports Make a Connection because "helping young people . . . is a natural outgrowth" of its business, vision and values.

Through three-month training courses for unemployed graduates, aged 18-28, the participants work on skills such as conflict resolution, teamwork and presentation and computer literacy. "Universities prepare them to be employees in a company and that is how they see life. But while on the programme, they begin to think differently and say 'I want to start a business'," says Mr Tshenye.

The scheme, which takes in 25 graduates every three months, began in South Africa in 2000. Since then, graduates have not only found fulfilling jobs but have been involved in setting up catering businesses, cleaning businesses and fast food franchising.

Across the developing world, many young entrepreneurs are increasingly aware of what modern business practices can do for their countries and for themselves. By absorbing such practices new business ideas and export opportunities can emerge. This would also offer the opportunity for independence from international aid and restricted labour markets.

However, while the backgrounds of young entrepreneurs vary, the challenges of setting-up business plans and finding funding they face are similar.

"What never ceases to amaze me is how similar the challenges are that young people face around the world, not how different they are," says Karen Bellis, global co-ordinator of Shell LiveWIRE in London. "Access to funding is always the main challenge facing young people" trying to start a business.

The initiative, started by the global oil group in 1982, helps young people in their quests to set up businesses. It offers free information and guidance with business plans and, in many cases, cash prizes from awards competitions.

Alongside its UK operations, local versions of the programmes run in a number of countries, including for example Nigeria, Chile, Oman and Romania. Shell runs LiveWire because it "has a deep belief in big business helping small business", says Ms Bellis.

Another corporate giant seeking to encourage entrepreneurs is Goldman Sachs, through its philanthropic arm, the Goldman Sachs Foundation.

"We feel entrepreneurship skills are really quite important for young people to learn and, unfortunately, most middle schools and high schools which serve kids in the age group to learn these skills just do not have ready access to entrepreneurship education," says Stephanie Bell-Rose, president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation in New York.

By learning about entrepreneurial skills, young people are helped "to understand opportunities available to them to succeed and to be productive economically to them and their families," she adds.

In November, Goldman Sachs ran its first Youth Entrepreneurship Expo, in New York. Talented young students from under-represented communities presented business plans to judges and prizes were awarded. Among the finalists were Jennifer Wynn, 19, whose MissFits venture offering trousers to tall and thin women in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Webficient, 15-year-old David Lei's scheme to offer affordable web development to small businesses and NGOs.

Goldman Sachs also hosts summer workshops for motivated youngsters. They are aimed primarily at the 14-19 age group from disadvantaged backgrounds. From these delicate beginnings it hopes a new generation of young entrepreneurs will emerge.

In the UK, the Prince's Trust youth charity, which was founded by the Prince of Wales in 1976, offers help to young people with business ideas.

For entrepreneur Robin Eveleigh, 28, from Wiltshire in southern England, this support was vital. He was unable to work for two years because of ill health and when he wanted to return to work he could not access funding to set up his gardening business. The Trust gave him a low-interest loan of £500, a grant of £500 and mentoring support from a local accountant.

His business, Eveleigh's Gardening Services, is now flourishing and he was awarded the Prince's Trust Royal Bank of Scotland Business of the Year Award in March 2003, winning £4,000.

His advice to entrepreneurs: "People have got to do their research. Put the effort in and you will get the results out."