This article presents the findings of a study on the combined effects of flexibility, practical curriculum, support resources and career guidance on continuing education effectiveness in Chinese vocational colleges. A quantitative methodology was used, surveying 400 vocational graduates across Jiangsu province through a recently adopted structured questionnaire. Reliability and validity analysis was performed using SPSS, while structural equation modeling was conducted with SMART-PLS. Results suggest that the applied curriculum and professional guidance are the most significant predictors of educational efficacy, followed by support services, and flexibility. These findings indicate that continuous education programmes are best when they include practice-learning elements, along with institutional backing and guidance. The research builds on the current adult and vocational education theories to propose a framework which integrates pedagogical design with systemic support frameworks. The findings highlight the importance for vocational colleges to improve curriculum coherence, guidance provision, and balance flexible with structured learning. In doing so, the study contributes to the fourth sustainable development goal (SDG4), that of quality education.