School-Enterprise Cooperation and its Influence on Student Development in Secondary Vocational Education: An Assessment

This study explored the impact of school-enterprise cooperation on student outcomes in secondary vocational education. Specifically, it assessed students’ perceptions of cooperation between educational institutions and enterprises in providing vocational education opportunities across academic knowledge, technical skills, and employability skills. It also evaluated students’ self-assessment of their personal development within their programs in terms of diverse talent, technical skills, employability, and entrepreneurship, and examined the significant relationship between these two aspects. Employing a descriptive correlational design, data were collected from 340 students engaged in school-enterprise partnerships at a vocational college in China, using Likert scale questionnaires. Statistical analyses included Spearman’s Rho. Findings indicate that students generally perceive school-enterprise cooperation as effective (“Good†) in delivering academic knowledge, technical training, and employability support, though specific gaps were identified in curriculum-practice alignment, faculty technical expertise, and soft skills development. Students also reported “Good†progress in diverse talent, technical skills, employability, and entrepreneurship, but highlighted the need for enhanced cross-cultural exposure, soft skills training, and business management knowledge. Crucially, a significant positive relationship was found between students’ assessments of school-enterprise cooperation and their perceived personal development across all dimensions. The study concludes that school-enterprise cooperation significantly contributes to student development and career readiness, emphasizing the need for optimized mechanisms to improve educational quality and address identified areas for enhancement.