https://doi.org/10.31174/SEND-HS2019-205VII34-010 

Abstract. The long course of military operations in the East of Ukraine has lead to an increase in the number of servicemen who received the status of a veteran and the category of a participant in hostilities. In the near future, issues concerning their integration into society and adaptation to peaceful life will definitely arise. According to international experience, training, retraining and setting up their own business to veterans are the basis for their successful professional adaptation. 

The theme of professional adaptation of combatants through their involvement in entrepreneurial activity in Ukraine has been developed by researchers only for several years. There are no relevant scientific works in this sphere. Some aspects of the professional adaptation of veterans through setting up their own business are mainly covered in scientific papers of foreign authors, among which there are the following: John Won Aiken, Scott A. Shein, Marty Harper, Anna Zogas, Steve Knothing, Kedema Oh, Jeremy Shorta, Miles Zachariba, David Ketchten et al. The objective and tasks of the article are to study the prospects of entrepreneurship activity for  veterans  in  Ukraine  and  to  substantiate  the  directions  of  introduction  of  international  experience  in  developing  franchising  in programs of professional adaptation of combatants of Ukraine. Returning from war, veterans try to adapt to everyday peaceful life. The best and most effective way of adapting them is decent work. In particular, in 2018 more than 23.5 thousand demobilized ser- vicemen who participated in the antiterrorist operation (ATO) turned to the State Employment Service, however, only 6.5 thousand people were employed. In the United States annually, about 200,000 veterans face problems  trying to use their military experience in civilian life. The US government is taking measures to improve the skills and re-train veterans, create conditions for setting up their own business, finance many programs supporting founding their own business by veterans. Half of all American veterans have be- come entrepreneurs. Today, out of 5.5 million enterprises in the USA, 7% belong to veterans. Many US franchisers seek to enlist military veterans as a franchisee. Today, the franchise companies in the US employ 815 thousand people, and the economy has made more than 41 billion US dollars. The reasons for the refusal to set up their own business in Ukraine remain the following: limited access to financial resources, instability of the economy and the presence of a large number of risks. Using the US experience, possi- ble solutions to existing problems may be: 

– Overcoming bureaucratic obstacles by reducing the number of documents for registration and managing of an enterprise, improving e-governance for ATO participants and effective functioning of the “single window” for entrepreneurs; 

–  development  of  state  programs  and  preferential  loans  for  business,  preferential  conditions  for  renting  premises,  advertising space, payment of utility services to participants in hostilities; 

– the establishment of special institutes or counseling centers, which should coordinate actions of entrepreneurs, franchisors, au- thorities, public and international organizations, to ensure the monitoring of the effectiveness of programs for veterans; 

– creation of an information platform, business development funds and venture capital for investment in enterprises opened by veterans; 

– regulation of relations between business entities in the field of franchising and support of preferential franchising for entrepre- neurs – veterans, etc. 

Despite the widespread use of franchising in world practice, such a form of integration of business structures for veterans remains a new phenomenon for Ukraine. At the present time, domestic state regulation of franchising is in a transitional phase and needs to be improved. 

To stimulate the development of franchising activities, veterans need: – consolidation of franchising activity development in programs of professional adaptation of military personnel; – creation on the basis of the newly created Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs of unit or department for monitoring business and franchising activities of veterans, information and consulting support and promotion of their interests, carrying out analytical, forecasting and benchmarking studies in this area; 

– introduction of privileges for the purchase of a franchise, royalty; – training and consultations on franchising activities; 

– creation of a Center for the Development of Entrepreneurship for Veterans, the activities of which should be aimed at solving general problems of development of their own business and franchising, development of innovative programs, educational courses, search of franchises, and the creation of franchising websites precisely for veterans. 

In the future, it is necessary to promote the image of veterans, to perceive them as heroes for society and valuable personnel for the state. Self-employment, the involvement of veterans in entrepreneurship can be not only an effective tool for their adaptation to civilian life, but also become a powerful catalysts for socio-economic changes.