Purpose – The internationalization of vocational education often pressures institutions to adopt global standards. However, direct replication without systemic adaptation can lead to implementation failure. This study investigates this challenge through a case study of an Indonesian Aviation Vocational Higher Education (AVHE) institution that implemented the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 66/147 curriculum. It aims to dissect the mechanisms of failure to inform more effective, context-aware adaptation strategies. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed-methods evaluation guided by the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) framework was used. Data were triangulated from questionnaires with key stakeholders, semi-structured interviews, document review and secondary data including EASA examination results (N = 78 students) and graduate tracer studies. Findings – The evaluation revealed that a context-insensitive adoption strategy led to a cascade of systemic failures: a disconnect between international goals and local market needs (context), critical gaps in lecturer qualifications and structural incompatibilities between curricula (input) and inconsistent pedagogical implementation (process). This culminated in strikingly paradoxical outcomes (product): an exceptionally high graduate employability rate (94.8%) coexisting with a profound cognitive failure, evidenced by an 81% EASA examination failure rate. Originality/value – This study provides a granular, micro-institutional analysis of adaptation failure. It identifies and explains the “employability paradox” as a key outcome of decontextualized policy borrowing, offering a transferable diagnostic model and underscoring the critical need for systemic adaptation over replication for TVET institutions globally. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited
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