Constraints, mechanisms, and strategies for industry-education integration in vocational education: An empirical study

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0339158 December 18, 2025 1 / 18 OPEN ACCESS Citation: Yu B, Li R, Zhang S, Mao P, Xu C, Shi J, et al. (2025) Constraints, mechanisms, and strategies for industry-education integration in vocational education: An empirical study. PLoS One 20(12): e0339158. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0339158 Editor: Han Lin, Nanjing Audit University, CHINA Received: August 29, 2025 Accepted: November 29, 2025 Published: December 18, 2025 Copyright: © 2025 Yu et al . This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data availability statement: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting information files. Funding: We declare that this research received no additional external funding beyond the sup- port from the projects (the Education Science Planning Project of Shenzhen [grant number RESEARCH ARTICLE Constraints, mechanisms, and strategies for industry-education integration in vocational education: An empirical study Bo Yu1, Ruipu Li 2*, Siyuan Zhang3, Peng Mao4, Chun Xu2, Jing Shi1, Gang Wu1 1 School of Construction Engineering, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Shenzhen, China, 2 Quality Assurance Center, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Shenzhen, China, 3 School of Construction Engineering, Guangzhou Vocational University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou, China, 4 College

of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China * liruipu@szpu.edu.cn Abstract Identifying the constraints hindering industry-education integration (IEI) in vocational education is a critical prerequisite for promoting its high-quality development. How- ever, existing research has yet to establish a systematic solution to this core issue. Therefore, this study takes Shenzhen, China, as a case study and adopts an empiri- cal research approach to construct an analytical framework of “factor identification-mechanism analysis-strategy formulation,” aiming to thoroughly inves- tigate the key constraints on IEI development in vocational education. First, based on a literature review and questionnaire survey, the study identifies 12 critical con- straining factors of IEI. Subsequently, through expert interviews and Interpretative Structural Modelling (ISM), it reveals the underlying mechanisms of these constraints, classifying the 12 factors into five hierarchical levels. These factors form 16 constraint pathways, with inadequate policies, weak foundations for school-enterprise collabora- tion, insufficient institutional commitment, and ineffective communication mechanisms identified as critical bottom-level factors. These indirectly influence intermediate factors such as hardware/software conditions, alignment of talent cultivation philos- ophies, education-market demand matching, collaboration channel efficiency, and stakeholder interest fulfillment. Consequently, they diminish corporate engagement

enthusiasm, blur responsibility-rights boundaries between stakeholders, and dampen faculty participation motivation, ultimately impeding IEI progress. Finally, the study proposes targeted countermeasures, emphasizing tripartite collaboration among the government, vocational institutions, and enterprises. Key strategies include strength- ening legal safeguards, consolidating industry-education collaboration foundations, and proactively fulfilling educational responsibilities. The findings resolve the dilem- mas constraining IEI development, providing policymakers with evidence-based ref- erences and offering practical guidance for deeper collaboration between vocational