A Study on the Adaptability between the Specialty Structure of Higher Vocational Education and Regional Industrial Structure: An Empirical Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data

A Study on the Adaptability between the Specialty Structure of Higher Vocational Education and Regional Industrial Structure: An Empirical Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data

Nan Zhou^*

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¹ Undergraduate Education College, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China

CEF 2025 , 3(6), 184–189; https://doi.org/10.18063/CEF.v3i6.719

© 2025 by the Author. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Abstract

Based on panel data from 31 Chinese provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) from 2012 to 2023, this study constructs an adaptability index between the specialty structure and industrial structure encompassing three dimensions: scale, structure, and quality. It employs a two-way fixed effects model and a panel threshold model for empirical testing. The findings are as follows: (1) The depth of industry-education integration, the mechanism for dynamic specialty adjustment, and the degree of industry-enterprise participation all have significant positive effects on adaptability, with the dynamic specialty adjustment mechanism having the largest effect size (β=0.287). (2) The impact of industry-education integration exhibits a single threshold effect (threshold value of 0.624). After crossing this threshold, its marginal effect increases from 0.142 to 0.305, effectively doubling.This research provides important empirical evidence and policy implications for deepening industry-education integration and establishing a precise and flexible dynamic specialty adjustment mechanism.

Keywords

Higher Vocational Education

Specialty Structure

Industrial Structure

Adaptability

Panel Model

Threshold Effect

Funding

"Research on the Adaptability of Vocational Education Majors and Industries in Guangdong Province under the Background of Industry Education Integration" (Project No.: 2023WTSCX247), a characteristic innovation project for ordinary universities in Guangdong Province in 2023; Shenzhen Polytechnic University Characteristic Innovation Project "Research on the Coordinated Development of Higher Vocational Education and Industry in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area under the Trend of Industrial Evolution" (Project No.: 6022310012S).

References

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