Assessing the impact of technical and vocational education and training on career choice intentions: The mediating role of general skills and competencies and the moderating role of learning environment

This study investigates the impact of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) on students' Career Choice Intentions (CCI) in Nigeria, focusing on the mediating role of General Skills and Competencies (GSC) and the moderating effect of the learning environment (LE). A survey of 747 students from four public TVET colleges in Anambra State revealed that TVET education significantly influences CCI (β = .082, p = .026), with a small effect size (R² = 0.007). Mediation analysis showed that GSC fully mediates the relationship between TVET education and CCI (indirect effect = 0.0638, 95% CI [0.0200, 0.1107]), indicating that the impact of TVET on career choice intentions operates primarily through the acquisition of general employability skills. Additionally, the learning environment was found to moderate this relationship. The interaction between TVET and the LE showed a significant effect (b = -0.171, p = .002), suggesting that as LE quality increases, the positive impact of TVET on GSC diminishes. At low levels of LE (16th percentile), TVET had a significant positive impact on GSC (b = 0.205, p < .001), while at high levels of LE (84th percentile), the effect was not significant (b = -0.017, p = .732). Given that an overly supportive environment has the potential to diminish the positive impact of TVET on career decision-making, the study postulates the need for a well-rounded learning environment in the school ecosystem that encourages student innovation and autonomy, further offering valuable insights for policymakers and educators seeking to optimize TVET programs to better prepare students for the evolving labor market.