Integrating self-efficacy and career anchor: a multi-dimensional model to enhance vocational college students' employment competitiveness

With With the growth of the digital economy and the advancement of China's “Made in 2025” initiative, people pay more and more attention to the employment competitiveness of graduates from vocational colleges. Based on career anchor theory and self-efficacy theory, this study uses a partial least square structural equation model to analyze the sample data. It discusses the influence mechanism of cross-professional learning, career development and planning, and career network expansion on employment competitiveness. The results show that these factors significantly improve students' employment competitiveness, while self-efficacy and employment matching play an important mediating role. This study provides valuable insights for governments in formulating education policies, emphasizes the importance of supporting cross-disciplinary learning and providing systematic and personalized career development and planning guidance, and makes specific recommendations to strengthen career guidance and services. This study innovatively integrates self-efficacy theory and career anchor theory to build a brand new theoretical framework. Such cross-theoretical integration not only deepens the understanding of the psychological mechanism of individual career development, but also provides a new research path and perspective for subsequent research.