How Chinese Vocational Education Builds Employability: The Roles of Graduate Capital and Career Adaptability Among 4314 Vocational Education Students in China

Abstract

Vocational education has regained strategic importance in many countries, yet little is known about how it builds employability at the student level. Drawing on the graduate capital perspective and career construction theory, this study examines the relationships among graduate capital, career adaptability, self-perceived employability, and internship experience among 4314 vocational education students in China. Data were collected through an online survey across 14 provinces or municipalities and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that graduate capital strongly and positively predicts career adaptability, while both graduate capital and career adaptability positively predict self-perceived employability. Career adaptability partially mediates the relationship between graduate capital and self-perceived employability. Internship experience positively moderates the relationship between graduate capital and career adaptability, although the effect is small in magnitude. The findings extend the graduate capital perspective to vocational education and show that Chinese vocational education can build employability by helping students develop broad career-related resources and transform these resources into adaptive career capacity.