The aim of this study is to develop some grounds for assessing and ensuring the readiness of economics students to participate in innovative projects. Taking into account the principles of innovation economics and the reflexive-activity approach in organizing the educational process, we decomposed an economist’s tasks in an innovative project and developed approaches to assess relevant competencies. Using the authors’ model of school students individual progress, we developed a level model of an economics student’s readiness for innovative activities. We conducted a survey, which results suggest three types of college students’ attitudes towards innovative projects in different countries. The results allow us to make assumptions on significant differences in some national higher education systems (European, Asian, Russian) in terms of training economists for innovative activities, and to make several suggestions for professional training programs of economists aimed to participate in innovative projects, in particular, on the development of reflective-analytical gamification of the educational process and the procedures for creating the professional language of the innovation team.