Self-Efficacy as a Mediator between Practical Skills, Social Environment, and Vocational Students' Industrial Work Practice Readiness

Muhammad Zakky Putra (Department of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang)
Wagino Wagino (Department of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang)
Toto Sugiarto (Department of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang)
Milana Milana (Department of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang)
Suhendar Suhendar (Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa)
Edi Setiyo (Universitas Sriwijaya)

VANOS Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education
Vol 11, No 2 (2026)

Vocational graduates face a significant employment gap, with an Open Unemployment Rate of 8.63%, indicating a mismatch between graduate competencies and industrial demands. This study examines Self-Efficacy as a mediator between Practical Skills, Social Environmental Factors, Academic Activities, and Industrial Work Practice (Prakerin) readiness among vocational students. Using a quantitative explanatory approach, data were collected from 96 Grade XI Automotive Light Vehicle Engineering students at SMK Negeri 2 Lubuk Basung and analyzed via PLS-SEM with SmartPLS 4. Results revealed that Practical Skills exerted the strongest influence on Self-Efficacy (β=0.407; p