Digital transformation is not only an imperative response to educational reforms in the digital economy era but also an unavoidable reality for the integration of industry and education in vocational education. Drawing on symbiotic theory, vocational education—characterized by its cross-boundary nature—can be conceptualized as a symbiotic system in which diverse stakeholders achieve relative equilibrium and collaborative development through resource competition and acquisition. By examining the three core elements of a symbiotic system—symbiotic units, symbiotic modes, and symbiotic environments—along with the role of symbiotic interfaces, this study analyzes the current state of industry-education integration in vocational education amid digital transformation. The findings reveal several symbiotic dilemmas: weak connectivity among symbiotic units and insufficient motivation; sluggish evolution in symbiotic modes and imbalanced benefit distribution; adverse environmental influences and unstable system operations; as well as unstable transmission mechanisms in symbiotic interfaces and hindered resource flows. To address these challenges, the study proposes the following strategies: enhancing the endogenous capacity and symbiotic awareness of symbiotic units; refining benefit distribution mechanisms and strengthening inter-unit linkages; optimizing positive environmental influences to foster system robustness; and reinforcing interface transmission mechanisms to diversify resource allocation channels.