Effects of vocational training on unemployed youths' work motivation and work engagement: Mediating roles of training adequacy and self-actualization

• Training adequacy (TA) and self-actualization (SA) showed positive effects on work motivation (WM) and work engagement (WE).
• Training variables (e.g., the number of training courses attended) did not have any significant direct effect on WM or WE. However, the training variables did predict WM and WE indirectly through the mediating effects of TA and SA.
• The study unraveled the mechanism through which hard skills and soft skills contribute to youth empowerment and employment.

This study investigated work motivation and work engagement, along with their associated factors, among unemployed young people participating in vocational training schemes in Tianjin, China. Derived from a sample of 209 young trainees (mean age = 22.67, SD = 1.93), the results supported the hypotheses that training adequacy and self-actualization showed positive effects on work motivation and work engagement. Furthermore, training variables (the number of training courses attended and duration of workplace training) did not present any significant direct effect on either work motivation or work engagement; however, they predicted the two outcome variables indirectly through the mediating effects of training adequacy and self-actualization. The study implied that power, skills, and other resources gained during the training provided fuel for motivation and performance. The study also advanced the human capital development approach by unraveling the mechanism through which hard skills and soft skills contribute to youth empowerment and employment. The implications of these present findings for theory, practice, and policy were also discussed.