Operational Dilemmas and Restructuring Strategies of the Integrated Secondary-Higher Vocational Coherent Training System

The "3+2" program and the five-year consistent education model in the integrated secondary and higher vocational education construct a stepped skill development pathway through a coherent training system, which can systematically cultivate high-quality skilled talents matching industrial demands. Nevertheless, three prominent problems have emerged in practical implementation. First, the guaranteed direct admission channel tends to foster students’ passive mentality of treating further education as a fallback option. Second, ambiguous division of powers and responsibilities between secondary and higher vocational colleges during the academic transition period gives rise to management vacuums. Third, the lack of integrated coordination in curriculum standards for secondary and higher vocational education leads to overlapping teaching contents and discontinuous knowledge progression. Accordingly, this paper puts forward three optimization suggestions: implementing a segmented streaming incentive mechanism, improving the joint management model for the transition phase, and coordinating the development of an integrated curriculum system. It aims to refine the operation mechanism of integrated secondary-higher vocational training, fully unlock the strengths of coherent integrated education, and offer practical references for the long-term cultivation of vocational skilled talents in regional areas.