This study examined the effect of entrepreneurial personality traits on entrepreneurial mentoring and entrepreneurial potential among vocational students in Malaysia. Vocational colleges offer technical and vocational education, emphasizing the teaching of entrepreneurial competencies through entrepreneurial education and training to prepare modern employees and innovative future entrepreneurs for the nation. The study used a stratified random sampling and collected 270 responses. The findings of the analysis, using structural equation modeling, indicated that entrepreneurial personality traits such as alertness, locus of control, innovativeness, and need for achievements significantly affect entrepreneurial potential. The finding also confirmed that entrepreneurial mentoring significantly affects the entrepreneurial potential of TVET students. Entrepreneurial mentoring proved to be an essential link that mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial personality traits and entrepreneurial potential. The interaction between mentors and students has been proven to be an effective tool in cultivating entrepreneurial potential. This study first provides insights into how teachers’ entrepreneurial mentoring affects students’ interest, especially in entrepreneurship. Vocational students are equipped with solid technical skills, and their strengths in exploring entrepreneurship align with the latest trends in service businesses. The government, vocational colleges, and industries should collaborate to enhance entrepreneurial alertness, innovativeness, and the need for achievements and locus control to facilitate students’ interest in entrepreneurship. Training and coaching should also be provided to teachers to enhance their skills as entrepreneurial mentors. This model offers vocational colleges opportunities to produce more high-quality and skillful entrepreneurs for a sustainable society and economy. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.
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