Promoting integration of industry and vocational education: Exploring stakeholder intentions of hydrogen energy industry

Abstract

The integration of industry and education plays a crucial role in facilitating the transfer of research outcomes from universities to industrial applications, promoting technology exchange and innovation, and fostering the development of skilled professionals in the hydrogen sector. However, the lack of motivation among hydrogen enterprises to engage in this integration process poses a pressing challenge. This paper presents a theoretical model based on a cost-benefit driving analysis framework, aiming to explore the relationship between resource income from universities, hydrogen enterprises' cost risks, policy subsidies, and their willingness to integrate. Through the use of questionnaire data collected from 184 hydrogen enterprises, this study examines the underlying mechanisms among these variables. The findings reveal that resource benefit (β = 0.632, p < 0.01) has a significantly positive correlation with the companies' willingness to participate in collaborative education. Higher levels of resource benefit are associated with greater willingness. Policy subsidies were found to moderate the relationship between resource benefits and integration willingness, as evidenced by the positive interaction effects of resource income and policy subsidies (β = 0.4, p < 0.01; β = 0.129, p < 0.01). This indicates that policy subsidies play a positive role in fostering collaboration between enterprises and educational institutions. On the other hand, cost risk (β = 0.575, p < 0.01) showed a significantly negative correlation with the enterprises' willingness to engage in collaborative education. Higher levels of cost risk hinder the company's willingness to participate. These findings highlight the importance of resource benefits and policy subsidies in promoting collaborative education initiatives for hydrogen enterprises. The findings contribute to the understanding of factors influencing enterprise engagement and have practical implications for fostering fruitful collaborations between educational institutions and hydrogen enterprises.