The Influence of Internal and External Factors on Graduate Fit with Industry Needs through Vocational Training as a Mediating Variable
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38035/dijms.v8i1.7475Keywords:
Vocational Training, Internal Factors, External Factors, Competency Fit, Mediation, PLS-SEMAbstract
Vocational institutions are expected to bridge the mismatch between graduate competencies and industry requirements, yet evidence on how internal and external antecedents jointly shape this alignment through training itself remains limited in Indonesia's public vocational training centers. This study examines the influence of internal factors (motivation, work readiness) and external factors (instructor competence, curriculum, facilities, industry partnership) on graduate competency fit with industry needs, with vocational training as a mediator, using 90 alumni of Balai Besar Pelatihan Vokasi dan Produktivitas (BBPVP) Bekasi. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with 5,000-subsample bootstrapping. Results show internal and external factors significantly influence vocational training (β = 0.511 and 0.335), and training significantly influences competency fit (β = 0.463), while internal and external factors show no significant direct effect on competency fit. Training fully mediates the effect of internal factors on competency fit (indirect effect = 0.237; p = 0.027) but not external factors (p = 0.102). Descriptive analysis reveals that although competency fit is rated favorably, 23.33 percent of alumni work outside their trained field, indicating a horizontal mismatch despite full employment absorption. Training quality, not facility completeness, is the primary lever for closing the graduate-industry competency gap
References
Al Shuaili, A. S. T. (2025). Bridging the skills gap: Technical and vocational education and training student competencies and labor market alignment in Oman. Vocation, Technology & Education, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.54844/vte.2025.0991
Badan Pusat Statistik. (2025). Keadaan angkatan kerja di Indonesia Agustus 2025. Badan Pusat Statistik. https://www.bps.go.id/id/publication/2025/12/19/42a75ee61332755586fdfcdd/keadaan-angkatan-kerja-di-indonesia-agustus-2025.html
Fitz-enz, J. (2009). The ROI of human capital: Measuring the economic value of employee performance (2nd ed.). AMACOM.
Ghozali, I., & Latan, H. (2015). Partial least squares: Konsep, teknik dan aplikasi SmartPLS 3.0 untuk penelitian empiris. Universitas Diponegoro.
Gusti, T. S., Huda, Y., Muskhir, M., & Giatman, M. (2026). Link and match implementation enhancing graduate capability and employability in vocational education. Journal of Educational and Learning Studies, 9(1), 502–509. https://doi.org/10.32698/03072
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
International Labour Organization. (2024). Global employment trends for youth 2024: Decent work, brighter futures. ILO. https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/GET_2024_EN_web4.pdf
Maryanti, S., Bachtiar, N., Maryati, S., & Novianto, D. (2025). Impact of educational mismatch on graduates' employment prospects in Indonesia: Education and employment context. TEC Empresarial, 20(2), 1135–1164.
Maulana, A. (2023). Optimalisasi pendidikan dan pelatihan vokasi di Indonesia. Jurnal Pembangunan dan Administrasi Publik, 5(1).
Maulani, M. F., & Rachmawati, R. (2026). Pengaruh pelatihan dan kompetensi terhadap kinerja karyawan dengan kepuasan kerja sebagai variabel mediasi pada karyawan PT. Pilar Mitra Abadi. Jurnal Ekonomi Manajemen Sistem Informasi, 7(6), 5609–5616. https://doi.org/10.38035/jemsi.v7i6.9378
Mayo, A. (2000). The human value of the enterprise: Valuing people as assets. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Nawari, I., Sudrajat, I., & Darmawan, D. (2025). Peran Balai Besar Pelatihan Vokasi dan Produktivitas (BBPVP) Serang dalam meningkatkan keberhasilan peluang karir alumni. Hasina, 2(1).
Ongkodihardjo. (2008). Human capital management: Sebuah perspektif manajemen sumber daya manusia. Elex Media Komputindo.
Paramitasari, N., Khoirunurrofik, K., Mahi, B. R., & Hartono, D. (2024). Charting vocational education: Impact of agglomeration economies on job–education mismatch in Indonesia. Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41685-024-00333-x
Simanjuntak, P. J. (1985). Pengantar ekonomi sumber daya manusia. Lembaga Penerbit Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Indonesia.
Stewart, T. A. (1997). Intellectual capital: The new wealth of organizations. Doubleday.
Sugiyono. (2013). Metode penelitian pendidikan: Pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Supraptika, H., Faturohman, M. R. T., Syavera, A. F., Giovaningrum, P., & Fahmi, A. D. (2025). Application of human capital management to improve HR quality and company performance through theory. Multidisciplinary Indonesian Center Journal, 2(1), 309–314. https://doi.org/10.62567/micjo.v2i1.322
Supriyanto, S., Munadi, S., Daryono, R. W., Tuah, Y. A. E., Nurtanto, M., & Arifah, S. (2023). The influence of internship experience and work motivation on work readiness in vocational students: PLS-SEM analysis. Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.23917/ijolae.v5i1.20033
Taufan, S., Jayanti, A. R. B., Susita, D., & Frannita, E. L. (2025). Influence of self-efficacy and motivation on work readiness in vocational education students. Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen Kesatuan, 13(5), 3787–3798. https://doi.org/10.37641/jimkes.v13i5.3501
Totanan, C. (2004). Human capital dan nilai perusahaan. Jurnal Akuntansi dan Keuangan Indonesia, 1(2).
World Economic Forum. (2025). The future of jobs report 2025. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dwi Pratiknyo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish their manuscripts in this journal agree to the following conditions:
- The copyright on each article belongs to the author(s).
- The author acknowledges that the Dinasti International Journal of Management Science (DIJMS) has the right to be the first to publish with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
- Authors can submit articles separately, arrange for the non-exclusive distribution of manuscripts that have been published in this journal into other versions (e.g., sent to the author's institutional repository, publication into books, etc.), by acknowledging that the manuscript has been published for the first time in the Dinasti International Journal of Management Science (DIJMS).
