Work-Integrated Learning and Students’ Employability Competences in Chinese TVET: The Mediating Role of Digital Literacy and the Moderating Role of Competition Experience
Keywords:
Digital literacy; PLS-SEM; Students’ employability competences; TVET; Work-integrated learningAbstract
Employers increasingly report a persistent mismatch between graduates’ skills and contemporary labor market demands. However, the mechanisms through which specific educational practices can address this mismatch remain underexplored, particularly in Chinese higher vocational education. Grounded in a competence-based view of employability and experiential learning theory, this study examines how work-integrated learning (WIL) influences students’ employability competences (SEC) in China, focusing on the mediating role of digital literacy (DL) and the moderating role of competition experience (CE). Data were collected from 466 students enrolled in higher vocational colleges through a structured questionnaire survey; all constructs demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity, and the mediation–moderation model was tested using PLS-SEM. Results show that WIL has a significant positive effect on SEC and an indirect effect via DL. While the main effects were supported, the moderating role of CE was not statistically confirmed in this study. These findings clarify how digitally enabled WIL supports competence development through DL. Practically, TVET institutions should embed digital capability development into WIL design and strengthen industry–education integration to better prepare students for a technology-intensive labor market.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.3.34
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