Breakout session - What Are We Incentivising? Translating Policy Intent into Organisational Behaviour and Outcomes in Vocational Education

This presentation shares findings from recent Master’s research into how governance incentives, assurance settings, funding signals, and regulatory expectations shape organisational behaviour in vocational education. It addresses a question central to the 2026 conference theme: when policy intent moves into operational practice, what behaviours are actually being encouraged? Drawing on sector survey and interview insights, the session explores the space between governance intention and organisational reality. It examines how providers interpret and respond to regulation, funding, assurance, evidence, and performance expectations, and how these settings can support — or create tension around — quality, learner outcomes, cultural responsiveness, industry relevance, and organisational sustainability. This research offers a system-level lens for understanding where alignment is strong, where pressure points emerge, and where well-intentioned settings may create unintended behavioural consequences. Participants will be introduced to my incentive–behaviour–outcome framework that supports sharper conversations about policy implementation, quality assurance, evidence, organisational responsiveness, and system improvement. The session is designed for sector leaders, providers, policy actors, quality professionals, and system stakeholders seeking to test whether current settings are driving the intended behaviours and outcomes.