Psychological and Social Factors Important for an Individual's Participation in Training in Indonesia

Despite considerable efforts by the Indonesian government to facilitate its labor force in improvingtheir work competence through training programs, the quality of the labor force in Indonesiasuggests that more needs to be done. Currently, there is a lack of understanding on what makesindividuals willing to actively improve their work competence. Thus, this study aims to uncoverpsychological and social factors important for individual’s participation in training, by using careerconstruction theory. Employing a survey and psychological measurement with high internalconsistency, 4,436 items of data were collected from all big islands in Indonesia. Structuralequation modelling analysis demonstrates that (1) participation in training is predicted by threeadaptability resources, namely perceived employability, awareness of the changing labor market,and career adaptability; (2) the critical role of proactive personality as the mediator betweenuncertainty avoidance and adaptability resources; and (3) several social factors, such as supportfrom peers and family, as well as parental role models, show positive relationships with participationin training. This study advances understanding of what constitutes individual’s participation intraining, and provides some insights for the effectiveness and suitability of government providedretraining/upskilling programs.