To address the imbalance between skills training and value cultivation in vocational education within China’s ethnic regions, this study developed and validated a Culture Resources–Workplace Competence–Internalization of Values model (CCI Model). Through course redesign incorporating localized cases, scenario-based tasks, and reflective practice, the model systematically connects cultural resources with professional skill development. A quasi-experiment with 98 students in a Yunnan higher vocational college demonstrated significant improvements in cultural cognition, workplace competence, and internalization of values (all Cohen’s d > 1.25). The results confirm that integrating ethnic culture into professional modules simultaneously enhances technical skills and value cultivation, offering a replicable approach for curriculum reform in ethnic regions.