Constructing a future-skills talent training mechanism for vocational undergraduate fashion design in the age of digital intelligence

Abstract

In the age of digital intelligence, supported by the rapid development of artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC) and intelligent manufacturing, the textile and apparel industries are undergoing a comprehensive transformation, moving from traditional manufacturing to data-driven design and intelligent production. These aspects of production are gradually being implemented throughout the fashion industry's value chain, from spinning to retail. Consequently, there is a growing demand for fashion designers who are highly versatile and possess strong digital and innovative skills. This study aims to construct a training mechanism for vocational undergraduate fashion design education. The challenges facing domestic higher vocational education—such as outdated and rigid curricula, similar competency structures, the decline of practical teaching and school-enterprise cooperation, and one-sided evaluation mechanisms—are analyzed in detail. Based on this analysis, a competency framework oriented toward "digital intelligence + future skills" is proposed, as well as a "five-in-one" approach to cultivating fashion design professionals, including the use of artificial intelligence technology in content and teaching-method development, the development of an interdisciplinary curriculum based on cooperation between art and engineering, the creation of authentic school-enterprise co-creation teaching scenes, the digital construction of faculty teams, and the improvement of outcome-based evaluation and skill-certification systems. This provides a theoretical basis and a practical model for the construction of Chinese-style vocational undergraduate fashion design education, along with a "China solution" for the global popularization and application of vocational education.