Essential Innovative Skills for Developing Learners to Become “Vocational Innovators”

Abstract

This academic article aims to present the importanceof developing “vocational innovators”, that is, the development of vocational learners to have innovative skills. Due to the present situation, Covid-19 has been a stimulant for various things, one of which is the development of new innovations for conducting business in the future world. Therefore, those who study vocational education have to possess the innovation skills and innovative entrepreneurial skills that are ready to be used to extend the practice of occupations to cope with the future changing world. In the era of Thailand 4.0, the country’s development must be modernized. Education in this era has to empower learners at all levels with innovative aspects because the ability to invent and create innovations shall be an essential basis for the country’s development to step out of the middle-income country trap. Hence, this article presents the content consisting of the meaning, the importance, and the attributes of innovators. Lessons learned from COVID-19 emphasize the importance of creating innovators, teachers, and classroom for innovation skill development, as well as STEAM4INNOVATOR, which is the tool aiding in developing learners to becomeinnovators. Allof whichshall be beneficial tothe development
of teaching and learning systems as well as the development of an educational ecosystem that shall constitute the vocational learners to be “Vocational Innovators” who are ready tohelp createadvancementof thecountry byupholding the developmentofaninnovation-based economy and technology further.