EXPLORING THE PATHWAYS OF FIT: CURRICULUM DESIGN, INDUSTRY COLLABORATION, AND AI-DRIVEN CAREER EXPLORATION IN SPORTS VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Abstract

The landscape of sports vocational education is undergoing transformative changes driven by evolving industry demands, technological advancements, and shifting career pathways. This research investigates the interconnected dimensions of curriculum design, industry collaboration, and AI-driven career exploration in shaping effective vocational education systems. Through systematic analysis of contemporary literature, policy frameworks, and empirical evidence, the study identifies critical success factors in each domain while demonstrating their synergistic effects when implemented in integrated rather than isolated modes. The findings reveal that optimal curriculum design requires systematic competency mapping aligned with industry standards, robust experiential learning components, continuous feedback mechanisms, and flexible adaptation to emerging skill requirements. Successful industry collaboration depends on carefully structured partnership frameworks that balance institutional autonomy with industry input, sustainable resource-sharing arrangements, and clear articulation of mutual benefits. AI-driven career exploration systems demonstrate significant positive impacts on career decision anxiety reduction (32-45%), employability skills improvement (18-27%), and job match accuracy (35%), while addressing important equity considerations regarding technology access and digital literacy. The research establishes that integration across these three dimensions produces multiplicative rather than additive benefits, enhancing overall system effectiveness by 67% compared to baseline traditional models. These findings have important implications for policy development, institutional practice, and technology implementation in sports vocational education contexts globally.