From type embeddedness to functional integration: a comparative and integrative study of the mentorship system and modern apprenticeship in vocational undergraduate education
Journal: Region - Educational Research and Reviews DOI: 10.32629/rerr.v8i2.5093
Abstract
As a new education type in China, vocational undergraduate education faces dual tensions: absorbing the general undergraduate mentorship system (academic guidance, personalized development) while drawing on the modern apprenticeship system (industry-education integration, workplace competence). This paper compares the logic, structure, and functions of the two models, revealing discipline-based versus work-based epistemologies and the division and coupling between knowledge transformation competence and job adaptability competence. It proposes "dual-mentor integration" via model embeddedness, mechanism synergy, and evaluation reconstruction, arguing for deep functional integration rather than superposition, forming a new paradigm combining academic depth with vocational characteristics.
Keywords
vocational undergraduate education; mentorship system; modern apprenticeship; dual-mentor system; industry-education integration
Funding
Beijing Education Science "14th Five-Year Plan" 2022 General Project (CDDB22223).
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[3] Wang J, Yang B R, Li J Q, et al. The development models of the British and American undergraduate mentorship systems and their implications[J]. Industry and Technology Forum, 2023, 22(06): 244-245.
[4] Fan S Z. A comparative study of the tutorial systems at Oxford and Harvard universities and its implications[J]. New West (Theory Edition), 2013(07): 171+170.
[5] Jin J. Elite university undergraduate mentorship system: international experience and a case study of China[D]. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2011.
[6] Liu Y F. Degree apprenticeships in the UK: content, reasons, and lessons for China[J]. China Vocational and Technical Education, 2020(36): 58-64.
[7] Wang C. Optimization logic of the spiral progressive teaching model in vocational undergraduate colleges based on "SECI + Academic Mentorship System"[J]. China Management Informationization, 2022, 25(23): 195-200.
[8] Zuo Y X, Xu H. Realistic dilemmas, practical dimensions, and model construction of vocational undergraduate talent cultivation—based on the perspective of high-level apprenticeship with Chinese characteristics[J]. Modern Education Management, 2023(02): 94-103.
[9] Liang J. The mechanism of the dual-mentor system in cultivating new-quality craftsmen through industry-education joint training[N]. China Industry News, 2026-03-02(019).
[10] Xiong Y, Zhang Z Y, Zhang Y D. Research on the dual-college collaborative general education model of academies and colleges[J]. Education and Teaching Forum, 2025(53): 29-32.
Copyright © 2026 Liang CHEN, Shuangshi LI, Qingshan LIU, Wenting FEI, Zhaochu XU
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