Vocational undergraduate education has evolved from its initial stages to a full-scale implementation, achieving historic milestones along the way. However, its appeal still lags significantly behind that of general education. The development of students’ core competencies in vocational undergraduate education faces several challenges, including the need for improvements in top-level design, a stronger focus on connotation development, and an upgraded linkage mechanism. To address these issues, it is suggested to refine the top-level design, enhance internal motivation, and build a robust vocational education ecosystem.