As the core direction of China’s vocational education reform, industry-education integration has positioned private higher vocational colleges as vital components of the vocational education system, playing a pivotal role in aligning skilled talent development with industrial demands. However, current challenges, such as ambiguous career awareness and unclear professional positioning among students at private higher vocational colleges, hinder their employment competitiveness. Cultivating career awareness has thus become a crucial approach to addressing employment quality enhancement. This paper analyzes the theoretical foundations and practical challenges of career awareness cultivation based on industry-education integration policies and the characteristics of private higher vocational education. It proposes innovative pathways through three dimensions: cultivation objectives, models, and mechanisms. The study establishes a “demand-oriented, school-enterprise collaborative talent development, and multidimensional support system” framework, providing theoretical references and practical insights for optimizing career guidance and enhancing employment quality in private higher vocational colleges.