Abstract
This study examines China’s vocational education digital transformation through a five-dimensional framework encompassing policy, technology, resources, capacity, and collaboration. Three critical challenges emerge: technological adoption outpacing educator competencies, resource allocation misaligned with industry needs, and implementation gaps between policy design and institutional practice. The analysis reveals that while digital infrastructure development has progressed rapidly, systemic barriers hinder effective integration. Three strategic solutions are proposed: establishing comprehensive “cloud-edge-device” ecosystems to strengthen technical foundations, introducing progressive digital literacy certification for faculty development, and creating multi-stakeholder data-sharing platforms. These approaches aim to synchronize technological capabilities with pedagogical requirements, optimize resource distribution, and enhance institutional-enterprise cooperation. The findings demonstrate that sustainable transformation demands coordinated action across all dimensions, particularly in reconciling top-down policies with grassroots implementation realities. The study provides actionable insights for education systems undergoing similar digital transitions, highlighting the importance of balanced development between infrastructure investment and human capital development in achieving meaningful technological integration within vocational training ecosystems.
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