A Macro-Level Exploration of Reform Pathways for China’s Vocational Undergraduate Institutions: The Dual Drivers of Policy Support and Market Demand

Zhiwei Wang; Yi Wang

doi:10.6918/IJOSSER.202604_9(4).0029

Authors

Zhiwei Wang
Yi Wang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202604_9(4).0029

Keywords:

Vocational undergraduate institutions, Reform pathways, Policy support, Market demand

Abstract

This paper examines the reform of China’s vocational undergraduate institutions through the combined lens of policy support and market demand, arguing that the process is shaped by both top-down policy design and bottom-up industrial pressures. It identifies persistent problems—such as curriculum mismatches with labor-market needs, weak quality assurance, insufficient dual-qualified faculty, and slow institutional responses to emerging industries—and contends that effective reform requires closer alignment among policy, governance, and industrial change. Reform priorities include strengthening industry–education integration, redesigning curricula, improving faculty capacity, and developing outcome-oriented quality assurance. The paper concludes that long-term development depends on moving beyond expansion toward a more responsive, practice-based, and innovation-oriented model.

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