Increasingly, graduates are taking much more time in the transition from school to work. Recent research suggests that the ability to adjust quickly plays a key role in the transition process. This is even more important today given the tough labor market realities such as exacerbated unemployment levels and global competitions for the few available job openings. Yet new graduates often lack experience and certain skills that employers look for. Those unable to maneuver through the School-To-Work Transition (STWT) quickly may experience further challenges in their career development process. Using a sample of 516 students in their final semester of their university studies in Ugandan and Kenya, the present study examines the role of psychological resources, namely psychological capital and the mechanisms (i.e. Career Engagement-CE, Perceived Employability-PE) through which it works to affect students' readiness for STWT as well as positively evaluating their career success. The major findings of the study reveal substantial positive direct effects of psychological capital on perceived employability, readiness for STWT, and career satisfaction. The double mediation results show that psychological capital indirectly affects the readiness for STWT via career engagement and internal PE, while psychological capital indirectly affects career satisfaction via career engagement and external PE. The implications of these results are discussed.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how autonomy, moderated by employment status, impacts the relationship between entrepreneurial mentoring (EM) and entrepreneurial intentions (EI) among three countries (Germany, Kenya, and Uganda); as informed by both theory of planned behavior and self-determination theory. Design/methodology/approach A convenient sample of 1,509 youth from Germany, Kenya, and Uganda consisting of final-year university students, wage-employed, and unemployed was identified and studied. A multi-group analysis was conducted to test for differences in the impact of EM and autonomy on EI. Findings The findings indicate that mentoring and autonomy are positively correlated with EI. EM and intentions were lower among German participants than for the East African countries. The moderated moderation results revealed that EM is related to higher EI among students and the unemployed, and when individuals have higher levels of autonomy. Country-level analysis showed the effects of EM and autonomy are highest in Germany and lowest in Uganda. Practical implications Mentoring and self-determination play an important role in the development of EI. Entrepreneurship mentors should specifically support their protégées to develop the ability to act autonomously as an important entrepreneurial competence. The results further indicate that effectiveness of EM varies according to employment status and among countries. This is particularly important for targeting and designing of EM interventions. EM resources should be applied to youth with high autonomy, who are in either in insecure wage employment or who have no jobs. Protégés with low levels of autonomy should be supported to appreciate autonomy and develop the ability for autonomous action. Future EI research should also examine the impact of the availability of attractive positions in wage employment; and the effects of the availability of social safety nets on the need for autonomy. Originality/value A major challenge in EI research is the predominant focus on student populations. Using a multi-group analysis, the present paper tested for differences in the impact of EM and autonomy on EI. EM and EI were lower in German participants that in Kenyan and Ugandan participants. Whereas EM was generally positively correlated to EI, the moderated results showed that EM is related to higher EI among students and the unemployed, and when participants have higher autonomy. The study implies that EM and EI are highly correlated when participants need to work but have not or cannot find work or whey they do not need salaried employment to survive.

This study demonstrates that psychological capital is essential in the process of developing and strengthening entrepreneurial intentions. We specifically investigate the mediating roles of optimism and self-efficacy facets of psychological capital in the relationship between entrepreneurial mentoring and intentions. The study was conducted among 1,272 young persons from Germany and East Africa (Uganda and Kenya). These included 784 final year university students and 488 wage employed. A multigroup analysis was applied to test for the effects of employment status and country differences. Results indicate that mentoring, optimism, and self-efficacy are

Entrepreneurship education is increasingly becoming a focal strategy for promoting entrepreneurship, particularly to foster entrepreneurial intentions and startups. However, learning and support are equally important after startup for novice entrepreneurs to gain a good level of confidence to manage their business and achieve the desired outcomes. Using a sample of 189 young self-employed individuals in Uganda, this study examines the differential impact of mentoring and self-efficacy on the achievement of intangible outcomes of entrepreneurship including satisfaction of need for autonomy, work satisfaction and the intention to stay in self-employment. We found self-efficacy to mediate the effects of mentoring on these intangible outcomes. In addition, the results showed substantial gender differences. Whereas women's satisfaction of the need for autonomy and intention to stay in self-employment were strongly associated with the direct effects of mentoring, their male counterparts seemed to benefit more if mentoring resulted in increased self-efficacy. Overall, our findings suggest that whereas mentoring improves the competence of small business owners and consequently achievement of superior outcomes, mentoring should also focus on boosting self-efficacy which in turn is essential for the application of the entrepreneurial competencies.

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to establish the relationship between age, job involvement, job satisfaction and job performance of sub-county chiefs in the Ugandan local government.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain a total sample of 320 sub-county chiefs who were selected to participate in the study using multi-stage stratified random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data that were entered into the computer using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 23 (IBM SPSS-AMOS). Path analysis results were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicated significant positive relationships between: age and job involvement, job involvement and job satisfaction, and job involvement and job performance. Non-significant relationships were between age and job satisfaction, age and job performance, and job satisfaction and job performance. A reconstructed model was presented.Practical implicationsEmployees’ participation in decisions that affect their work brings positive behavioral outcomes. Job involvement makes workers feel as part of the organization and contributes significantly to organizational effectiveness and morale of workers. Managers are encouraged to pay much attention to the requirements of their staff so as to increase their job involvement, which can ultimately lead to high levels of job satisfaction and improved job performance.Originality/valueThis study proposes that older employees who highly participate in organizational activities are likely to be satisfied and outstanding performers. Strategic recruitment agencies are very important in ensuring “quality at the gate” because they focus on the work attitudes and can attract and retain a satisfied and competent workforce.