The spillover value of ideological and political educationin vocational courses: an empirical study based onmulti-regional institutions

Against the backdrop of deepening Ideological and Political Education (IPE) reforms in vocational education, this study focuses on the "value spillover" effect of IPE in higher vocational courses on students' career development planning. Based on career development theory, we construct a theoretical model of "IPEprofessional competencelearning interestcareer development planning" and employ Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze empirical data from 449 students across six vocational institutions. The findings indicate that the direct effect of IPE on career development planning is not statistically significant ( = 0.085, p = 0.277). However, a significant indirect effect emerges through dual mediation by professional competence ( = 0.523, p < 0.001) and learning interest ( = 0.323, p = 0.033) (total indirect effect = 0.846, p < 0.001). Among these, professional competence serves as a "core converter" playing a key mediating role, while learning interest functions as a "catalyst" that activates the subjective initiative of career development. The moderating effect of perceived teaching quality is not empirically supported (p > 0.05), suggesting that the educational efficacy of IPE relies more on long-term value immersion than immediate classroom experience. This study, for the first time, reveals the mechanism by which vocational education IPE "implicitly empowers" career development, confirming that it facilitates the transformation from "integration of ideological and political elements" to "enhancement of professional competence" through a synergistic pathway of shaping professional values, cultivating career abilities, and activating learning motivation. The findings provide practical guidance for vocational institutions in constructing "industry-education integrated learning communities", "embodied teaching models", and "developmental evaluation systems", thereby supporting the cultivation of technologically skilled talent with both moral and technical competencies and offering empirical support for theoretical innovation and practical reform in IPE within vocational education.