PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to study the factors that influence the effectiveness of the professional and qualification and innovative potential of youth in a university environment. The authors focus on the main institutional factors of the external and internal character, which are the barriers to this reproduction process and do not bring the expected result—renovation of the qualitative structure of the workforce. The authors determine the essence and main characteristics of the process of reproduction of innovative and professional and qualification potential in higher school by the example of Russia.Design/methodology/approachMethodology of the work includes SWOT analysis, which allows distinguishing the potential (D) of strong (F) and weak (G) opportunities and the level of indicators of realization of (R) opportunities (V) and threats (U) of the research object.FindingsIt is substantiated that factors-barriers of innovative and professional and qualification potential could be overcome with the help of the formation of the mechanism of interaction of labor market, market of educational services, and innovative university complexes.Practical implicationsThe obtained results allow determining the main threats with a high probability of implementation in the process of formation of professional and qualification potential in the system of higher education and forming the perspectives of solving this problem.Originality/valueOriginality of this study consists in the totality of obtained results, which show the specific features of reproduction of innovative and professional and qualification potential of youth: determination of strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the process of formation of innovative and professional and qualification potential in the system of higher education.