The Impact of Order-Oriented Talent Training, School-Enterprise Collaboration, and Professional Identity on Graduate Employment Quality in Henan, China

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the influence of order-oriented talent training (OTT), school–enterprise collaboration effectiveness (SECE), and professional identity (PI) on graduate employment quality (GEQ) from the perspective of industry–education integration in Henan Province, China. The study draws on Human Capital Theory and Social Capital Theory as well as Identity Theory, and is based on the mediation model that proposes the influence of educational practices on the quality of employment via the formation of professional identity. A quantitative cross-sectional design was adopted with 332 university students from application-oriented universities in Zhengzhou, China, who completed questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, reliability and validity tests, correlation analysis, hierarchical regression, and bootstrapping mediation analysis were used to analyze data. The findings revealed that OTT significantly influenced both SECE (β = 0.73, p < 0.001) and GEQ (β = 0.65, p < 0.001), while SECE also had a significant positive effect on GEQ (β = 0.67, p < 0.001). Additionally, OTT, SECE, and GEQ were fully mediated by professional identity, suggesting that employment success quality is strongly related to students’ professional identity, commitment and orientation to the profession and their psychological attachment to the profession. The study is in line with the current literature on higher education and employability, focusing on the quality of employment and recognizing the importance of professional identity as one of the psychological factors involved in the integration of industry and education. The results also offer practical implications for universities and enterprises to build collaborative talent cultivation systems to enhance the pertinence of courses, workplace learning and career development. Longitudinal and comparative analyses should be conducted on a career development outcome of sustainable career in future studies considering the institutional and regional contexts.