The Role of Self-Efficacy as a Mediating Variable in CareerEDGE Employability Model: The Context of Undergraduate Employability in the North-East Region of Nigeria

Abstract

(1) Background: Tertiary institutions are facing increasing pressure to produce employable undergraduates who can drive the sustainability of strong economic growth and development. As such, responsibility lies with the higher education sector in ensuring undergraduates’ readiness for entry to the labor market, thus joining the ranks of those already employable. Thus, this study applied the CareerEDGE model as a theoretical basis to investigate the factors associated with undergraduate employability. The mediating effect of self-efficacy on the predictive relationships was also examined. (2) Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 264 from six universities in the North-East region of Nigeria. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to perform the data analysis in this study. (3) Results: Results revealed that the five constructs of the CareerEDGE model (career development learning; work experience; degree subject knowledge, skills, and understanding; generic skills; and emotional intelligence) are positively associated with undergraduate employability. Self-efficacy was found to mediate this relationship. Altogether, these results signal that the CareerEDGE model contributes to undergraduate employability and that self-efficacy is instrumental in elucidating this relationship. The results add to the extant knowledge on the impact of the CareerEDGE constructs on students’ approaches to careers. (4) Conclusions: The findings have significant implications for higher education institutions and career practitioners in identifying ways of enhancing undergraduates’ career planning strategies within a more challenging labor market context.

The state of the art on self‐perceived employability

“…Individual factors that mold perceptions of employability encompass high academic performance and active participation in extracurricular activities (Ergün & Şeşen, 2021; Pinto & Ramalheira, 2017; Qenani et al., 2014). Subject knowledge acquired from one's degree (Wujema et al., 2022), and curriculum nuances like course rigor and workload, have been found significant in shaping SPE (Gu et al., 2018; Pitan & Muller, 2020). Research also reveals that a student's human capital holds a positive sway over their SPE (Donald et al., 2019).…”

“…Research also reveals that a student's human capital holds a positive sway over their SPE (Donald et al., 2019). Those endowed with a richer array of competencies and skills, notably generic skills, job‐seeking abilities, professional prowess, transferable social skills, and career management capabilities (Jackson & Wilton, 2017), tend to view themselves as more employable (Ergün & Şeşen, 2021; Nicolescu & Nicolescu, 2019; Wujema et al., 2022). Work‐integrated learning (WIL) or internships woven into the curriculum emerge as pivotal in enhancing perceptions of employability (Jackson & Dean, 2022; Jackson & Wilton, 2017; Pitan & Muller, 2020; Qenani et al., 2014; Wujema et al., 2022).…”

Validation of a Portuguese version of the multidimensional measure of employability

“…Simultaneously, the confidence to successfully explore career paths is especially related to people's ability to analyze the context and identify actors useful for their career success. Therefore, self‐core evaluations seem, once again, to be fundamental for the development of employability resources (Ahmed et al., 2019; Wujema et al., 2022). At the same time, also the degree of satisfaction or a third‐party evaluation regarding different aspects of a career is especially dependent on people's ability to make a contextual analysis to manage their career.…”

“…Positive self‐evaluation enables individuals to exert greater control over their environment, effectively navigate diverse situations, proactively employ coping strategies in challenging circumstances, and predict positive outcomes in job performance and overall life satisfaction (Judge et al., 2004). Thus, self‐efficacy appears to be a predictor of employability (Ahmed et al., 2019; Taveira et al., 2017) and other career prospects (Wujema et al., 2022), and vice versa (Berntson et al., 2008). Therefore, we expect the two dimensions of career self‐efficacy beliefs to correlate to all dimensions of the MME.…”

Socio-emotional competencies as predictors of employability in engineering

“…This dynamism has put pressure on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to train engineers who respond to the accelerated needs of the industry and fit perfectly at companies after graduating (Wujema et al. , 2022).…”