Work Readiness Among Tvet Trainees In Timor-Leste: The Role Of Curriculum, Instructor Competence, Training Facilities And Industry Engagement Under Government Support
Keywords:
TVET, work-readiness, instructor competence, industry engagement, government support, curriculum relevance, training facilities, employability, Timor-Leste, PLS-SEM, human capital developmentAbstract
This study investigates how training quality dimensions and government support shape trainee work-readiness in Timor-Leste’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, a context marked by high youth unemployment and uneven institutional capacity. Drawing on Human Capital Theory, Constructivist Learning Theory, and Skills Ecosystem Theory, the study tests an integrated structural model linking curriculum relevance, instructor competence, training facilities, and industry engagement to work-readiness, with government support as a moderator. Using data from 151 final-term trainees across two accredited Don Bosco institutions, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was conducted via SmartPLS 4.0. Results show that instructor competence is the only significant direct predictor of work-readiness (β = 0.306, p = 0.006), while other structural inputs were non-significant. Government support showed no significant moderating effects except in enhancing the relationship between industry engagement and work-readiness (β = 0.282, p = 0.006). The model demonstrated moderate explanatory power (R² = 0.507), predictive relevance (Q²_predict > 0), and acceptable validity, though global model fit (SRMR = 0.095) was marginally suboptimal. The findings highlight that in fragile systems, employability is driven more by human and systemic factors than by formal inputs, underscoring the need to professionalise TVET trainers and foster structured government–industry coordination.
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