Drivers, Enablers and Barriers to Systemic Innovation in VET

Introducing change and implementing innovative ideas is difficult, particularly in rather traditional systems such as education. This chapter presents those factors that play a crucial role in triggering and/or facilitating innovation (drivers and enablers), and those that can hinder the successful introduction of these changes (barriers). The chapter draws on the empirical evidence gathered in the case studies and shows the different roles that drivers and barriers can play at different stages of the innovation process. These drivers and barriers are also context specific, with each system required to develop its own successful “recipe” to guarantee adequate response to the needs and barriers it faces. Overall, some of the major barriers identified in the study are: innovation fatigue, competing policy agendas, and accountability mechanisms that radically restrict risk. The chapter closes with a number of policy implications aimed at helping policy makers with the crucial questions they face when promoting systemic innovation in their VET systems: what are the ingredients for successful systemic innovations in VET? How amenable to change are the foundations that create/contribute to barriers?