Managerial Strategies to Enhance Vocational High School Graduates’ Work Readiness: The Roles of Internships, Motivation, and Self-Efficacy

Zulkarnaen Zulkarnaen (State University of Surabaya)
Jun Surjanti (State University of Surabaya)
Meylia Elizabeth Ranu (State University of Surabaya)
Elginitatea Ratigo (UCSI University)

Bulletin of Social Studies and Community Development
Vol 5, No 2 (2026): Bulletin of Social Studies and Community Development

Work readiness of vocational high school graduates represents a primary key performance indicator in vocational education management. The persistently high youth unemployment rate among vocational high school graduates demands outcome-based educational governance. This study examines how the quality of field work practice (PKL) experience and work-entry motivation predict student work readiness, with self-efficacy as a psychological mediator, and formulates evidence-based managerial implications for school managers. A quantitative explanatory research design was applied to a sample of 346 grade XII students from 17 schools in the industrial city of Kota Dumai, Riau Province, Indonesia (N=2,555), selected via proportional random sampling. To ensure unbiased randomization, individual student respondents within each class were selected by lottery. Data were collected using a validated 54-item questionnaire and analyzed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4. Normality assessment via skewness and kurtosis confirmed that the data did not deviate extremely from normality. The reflective measurement model demonstrated satisfactory convergent validity (AVE = 0.374–0.543), reliability (CR = 0.893–0.934), and discriminant validity (HTMT 0.85). Structural model evaluation showed an acceptable fit (SRMR = 0.076) and explained 34.0% of the variance in work readiness (R² = 0.340). Hypothesis testing via 5,000-subsample bootstrapping confirmed all seven hypotheses were supported: PKL quality (β=0.284, p0.001) and motivation (β=0.226, p0.001) directly predict work readiness; both also predict self-efficacy (β=0.307, p0.001 and β=0.297, p0.001). Self-efficacy is the strongest direct predictor of work readiness (β=0.332, p0.001) and significantly mediates both paths (PKL VAF=26.4%; Motivation VAF=30.4% based on Hair et al. (2019) VAF criteria. Three managerial agendas are proposed for SMK administrators: optimizing PKL quality management, developing a school motivational climate, and integrating structured self-efficacy-building programs to facilitate successful school-to-work professional transitions. Keywords: work readiness, self-efficacy, internship experience, work motivation, vocational education.