Development and Validation of the Youth Career Development Competency Scale: A Study Based on Hong Kong Youth

The challenging labor market conditions concomitant with economic globalization and advanced technology have made youth career development competency (YCDC)-young people's ability to navigate transitions through education into productive and meaningful employment-especially important. The prese...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2021-11, Vol.18 (23), p.12494
Main Authors: Ngai, Steven Sek-Yum, Wang, Lin, Cheung, Chau-Kiu, Mo, Jianhong, Ng, Yuen-Hang, Wang, Pinqiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptability
Adolescent
Adult
Career advancement
Career development planning
Careers
COVID-19
Economic conditions
Education
Employment
Expectancy
Factor analysis
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Globalization
Hong Kong
Humans
Influence
Labor market
Male
Market entry
Pandemics
Professional development
Psychometrics
Reproducibility of Results
Social research
Subgroups
Surveys and Questionnaires
Unemployment
Work environment
Young Adult
Young adults
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Summary:The challenging labor market conditions concomitant with economic globalization and advanced technology have made youth career development competency (YCDC)-young people's ability to navigate transitions through education into productive and meaningful employment-especially important. The present study aims to develop a holistic instrument to measure YCDC in Hong Kong, which has rarely been investigated in past studies. The sample consisted of 682 youths aged 15-29 years (387 male, mean age = 19.5 years) in Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis of the 17-item YCDC scale resulted in four competence factors-engagement, self-understanding, career and pathway exploration, and planning and career management-which accounted for 78.95% of the total variance. The final confirmatory factor analysis results indicated good model fit (CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.06, 90% CI (0.05, 0.07), SRMR = 0.03) and good factor loadings (0.78-0.91). Moreover, the results demonstrated a satisfactory internal consistency of subscales (0.89-0.93). Subgroup consistency across subsamples categorized by gender, age, and years of residence in Hong Kong was also demonstrated. In addition, correlations between the YCDC scale and subscales with other career-related and psychosocial outcomes (i.e., career outcome expectancy, career adaptability, civic engagement, social contribution, and social integration) showed good concurrent validity. The results indicated that the YCDC scale is a valid and reliable tool for measuring career development competence among youth in the Hong Kong context. Its development sheds light on how career professionals can holistically assess young people's navigation competence during their school-to-work transitions.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph182312494