Vocational Policy and Entrepreneurship: A Multi-Paradigm Perspective

Abstract

Vocational education and training (VET) policy is frequently justified on grounds of labor-market relevance, productivity, and social inclusion, yet its entrepreneurial consequences remain theoretically fragmented and empirically ambiguous. This study develops a multi-paradigm perspective on how vocational policy shapes entrepreneurship through interlocking mechanisms spanning capabilities, networks, incentives, and institutions. Integrating human-capital-informed views of skill formation, social-capital and network theories of opportunity access, institutional theories of legitimacy and rule-making, and policy-implementation perspectives emphasizing governance and translation, the study explains why policy instruments such as apprenticeship mandates, employer-partner incentives, quality assurance regimes, entrepreneurship curriculum standards, and start-up-support linkages may produce divergent entrepreneurial outcomes across contexts. The research also addresses confounding concerns—selection into vocational pathways, regional differences in entrepreneurial ecosystems, and endogeneity between policy adoption and local economic conditions. A mixed-methods research design is proposed: (1) a longitudinal quasi-experimental quantitative component using propensity-score weighting and difference-in-differences (where feasible) to estimate effects of vocational policy intensity on entrepreneurial intention and venture formation; (2) mediational modeling of capability, network exposure, and perceived feasibility; and (3) qualitative comparative case studies of policy implementation across regions and VET governance models to identify causal processes and boundary conditions. This study concludes with policy implications aimed at improving “entrepreneurship translation”—the conversion of vocational policy capacity-building into sustainable venture creation—by strengthening workplace learning interfaces, legitimacy infrastructures, and post-training entrepreneurial support.