Pixel International Conferences

In the context of accelerating global competitiveness and structural reform, innovation has emerged as a central organizing principle of higher education policy worldwide. In Morocco, universities are increasingly positioned as engines of economic growth and employability enhancement. However, prevailing reform discourses tend to equate innovation with technological modernization, institutional restructuring, and entrepreneurial performance, thereby narrowing its pedagogical and developmental dimensions.

This paper advances a reconceptualization of innovation in Moroccan higher education through a human capital development framework that integrates cognitive, socio-behavioral, and ethical competencies alongside disciplinary expertise. Drawing on innovation systems theory and human capital scholarship, the study argues that sustainable innovation requires more than institutional reform; it necessitates the cultivation of transferable skills that enable adaptive, collaborative, and socially responsible graduates.

Using English for Specific Purposes (ESP) as a strategic pedagogical locus, the paper proposes a competence-oriented approach that repositions language education as a site of integrated skill formation rather than merely disciplinary specialization. By situating ESP within broader innovation and human capital debates, the study highlights its potential contribution to socially embedded and development-oriented innovation in Morocco. The paper concludes that aligning innovation policy with holistic human capital formation is essential for achieving both economic competitiveness and sustainable societal transformation.

Keywords

Human capital development, ESP, sustainable innovation, Moroccan higher education reform,