Government, Policy and Systemic Innovation in VET

This chapter looks at the governance, policy, and development and support of strategies for systemic innovation in VET. The governance of VET is distinct from that of other education sectors due to the complexity in the role of stakeholders, the connections to the private sector and the labour market, and the networks of public and private providers. This distinct governance plays a role in enabling, driving, and (at times) hindering systemic innovation. Key tools that can be used to promote and support systemic innovation are: building trust and bridges between stakeholders, encouraging local initiatives and mechanisms to allow innovations to percolate up from the field, capacity building of key stakeholders, gathering of appropriate evidence, and a focus on knowledge transfer. Despite the importance of strategies for systemic innovation in VET as useful and powerful tool for improving the system, very few countries/regions have actually developed a clearly elucidated approach. Without such strategies VET systems risk moving from one short-term response to another, never developing a proactive vision for longer-term development.