Innovation holds the key to ongoing improvements in living standards, as well as to solving pressing social challenges. Skilled people play a crucial role in innovation through the new knowledge they generate, how they adopt and develop existing ideas, and through their ability to learn new competencies and adapt to a changing environment.

This book seeks to increase understanding of the links between skills and innovation. It explores the wide range of skills required, ranging from technical to "soft", and the ability to learn; it presents data and evidence on countries' stocks and flows of skills and the links between skill inputs and innovation outputs. Given the importance of meeting the demands of knowledge-based economic activity, the book investigates the issues of skill supply, education, workplace training and work organisation. It highlights the importance of enabling individuals to acquire appropriate skills and of optimising these at work.

Executive summary
Chapter 1. Skills and innovation – Links, questions and challenges
-The links between human capital and innovation
-Policy questions and methodological challenges
-Summary and approach
Chapter 2. What are the skills needed for innovation?
-Skills for innovation – insights from the literature
-Looking ahead
-Summary
Chapter 3. What the data and evidence say about skills and innovation
-Skills and innovation at the country level
-Skills and innovation at the industry level
-Skills at work
-Summary
Chapter 4. Developing and using skills for innovation – Policy issues
-Supply of skills
-Education and skills for innovation
-Work organisation
-Policy coherence
-Summary