Journal of Higher Education Research

Global value chains (GVCs) are shifting from efficiency-driven models to ones emphasizing security, resilience, and sustainability. This transition exacerbates structural mismatches in technical skill provision, hindering regional industrial upgrading. Through the lens of GVC restructuring and skill governance, this paper compares two internationalization pathways. Germany's "institutionalized export" model — based on its Dual System and institutional coupling — delivers standardized qualifications for transnational skill coherence. In contrast, U.S. community colleges pursue "elastic adaptation", using modular credits and micro-credentials for labor market agility. Given Guangdong's ambition to ascend the GVC as a global manufacturing hub, the paper proposes an "Embedded Internationalization" framework. It combines industry-led demand signals, co-developed standards, and digital twin pedagogy.