Coupling and Coordinated Development of Higher Vocational Education and Economic Development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2008 to 2020

According to the panel data from 2008 to 2020, empirical research is conducted on the coupling and coordination relationship between the higher vocational education and the regional economic development in the Yangtze River economic belt by constructing a comprehensive evaluation indicator system and using a coupling and coordination degree model. The research results show that, the development levels of the higher vocational education system and the regional economic development system in the Yangtze River economic belt have been on the rise over the past 13 years. There existed a sound coupling interaction between the two systems. However, their coupling and coordination degree were not high. By the end of 2020, 73% of the provinces (cities) were in transition and imbalance, and the coupling coordination degree showed a gradient phenomenon of “high in the East and low in the west.” To improve the coupling and coordination level between the two systems, the Yangtze River Economic Belt shall deepen the supply-side reform of the higher vocational talent training in accordance with the needs of industrial development, optimize the layout of higher vocational specialties to boost the adaptability of education to economy, and strengthen regional overall coordination to accelerate the cluster development of regional higher vocational education.