Exploring the Path of Collaborative Development Between Labor Education and Ideological-Political Education in Vocational Undergraduate Universities in the New Era

Yingge Zhang

doi:10.70088/48epfk38

Authors

Yingge Zhang Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/48epfk38

Keywords:

labor education, ideological education, vocational universities

Abstract

This review paper examines the evolving integration of labor education and ideological-political education within vocational undergraduate universities in the new era. It identifies a structural convergence where manual practice, technical competence, and ethical formation are no longer treated as parallel tracks but as interdependent dimensions of holistic student development. The analysis traces how institutional missions have shifted from skill transmission alone toward cultivating socially responsible professionals grounded in collective values, civic awareness, and practical integrity. Key drivers include national educational policy recalibrations, labor market transformations demanding both technical agility and moral resilience, and pedagogical innovations that embed value reflection within authentic work-based learning. The paper outlines two central thematic axes: first, the redefinition of labor as a formative social practice---rather than merely instrumental activity---and second, the reconceptualization of ideological-political education as experiential meaning-making rather than doctrinal instruction. Comparative analysis reveals persistent tensions: misalignment between curriculum design and implementation capacity, uneven faculty preparedness across disciplinary boundaries, and assessment frameworks ill-suited to measuring integrated outcomes. Future pathways emphasize co-designed curricula, cross-functional teaching teams, and longitudinal developmental metrics that track attitudinal, behavioral, and cognitive growth simultaneously. The synthesis affirms that collaborative development is not an additive process but a systemic reorientation---one requiring sustained institutional will, pedagogical coherence, and epistemological humility.

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