Configuring training competencies and self-esteem in determining employability skills through fsQCA

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the causal recipes among training competencies (TC) dimensions and self-esteem in predicting employability skills (ES) perceptions. It also examines the different combinations across specific demographic characteristics and professions. Design/methodology/approach A survey was used to collect data from 225 youths aged 15–35 years, purposively selected from leadership training programmes in Brunei. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method was adopted to confirm the propositions. Findings The findings captured multiple combinations of TC dimensions (i.e. knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour) and self-esteem in achieving high levels of perceived ES. The study also unveils how different levels of determinants can be more or less important for greater ES outcomes across youths' demographic characteristics and professions. Practical implications The findings will assist organisations and training providers of leadership programmes in understanding the significance of TC and self-esteem as well as its alternative routes in pursuing greater employability narratives. Originality/value This study was the first attempt to integrate ES into a configurational framework, offering a multifaceted perspective of the causal combinations of TC dimensions and self-esteem as their determinants. Taken together, the study is set within the principles of human capital theory and self-determination theory, confirming the crucial positions of TC and self-esteem in encouraging youth’s acquisition of ES, which is an increasingly pertinent, yet under-examined, area of research.