Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examines the influence of Sustainable Skills encompassing Digital Literacy (DL), Problem-Solving Competency (PS), and Interpersonal Communication Skills (IC) on Student Employability (SE), mediated by Self-Directed Learning (SDL), Academic Resilience (AR), and Career Adaptability (CA). Grounded in Human Capital Theory (Strober, 1990) and the SDG 1 (No Poverty) framework, which posits that skills investment is central to breaking intergenerational poverty cycles, this study employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with 152 final-year management students at a private university in East Kalimantan. Results indicate that PS→AR (β=0.430, p<0.001), IC→CA (β=0.404, p<0.001), and DL→SDL (β=0.344, p<0.001) are all significant. At the outcome level, CA significantly predicts SE (β=0.373, p<0.001), while AR→SE (β=0.103, p=0.163) and SDL→SE (β=0.124, p=0.150) are not statistically significant. The model explains 17.1% of SE variance. These findings suggest that Career Adaptability is the dominant pathway linking sustainable skills to employability. The implications span both higher education curriculum development and policy reform aligned with SDG 1 targets, specifically through integrating career adaptability training, work-integrated learning, and interpersonal communication modules as mandatory curricular components.
Keywords: sustainable skills; self-directed learning; academic resilience; career adaptability; SDG 1
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References
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References
Bindawas, A. M. (2025). Promoting sustainable tourism through employee skills: Contextualizing quality education and the human resource management perspective (SDG-4). Sustainability, 17, 748. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020748
Budiarti, S. (2025). The influence of digital learning capability and professional development support on lecturer talent performance with self-efficacy as a mediator. Jurnal Ekonomi dan Bisnis Indonesia, 10(1), 31–38.
Budiarti, S., & Anizar, S. (2025). Strategi talent incubation, microlearning, dan social learning untuk meningkatkan work-readiness dan innovative capability melalui self directed learning. Kindai, 21(3), 357–374.
Budiarti, S., & Morita, E. (2023). Teknologi Fintech sebagai agen transformasi. Technomedia Journal, 8(3), 126–147.
Budiarti, S., et al. (2024a). Komunikasi dan negosiasi bisnis. CV Intelektual Manifes Media.
Budiarti, S., et al. (2024b). Manajemen: Pengantar praktis. CV Intelektual Manifes Media.
Budiarti, S., et al. (2025). Determinants of creative performance among millennial generation. Corporate & Business Strategy Review, 6(1), 19–32.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). Testing measurement invariance of composites using partial least squares. International Marketing Review, 38(3), 552–570.
Jackson, D. (2016). Re-conceptualising graduate employability: The importance of pre-professional identity. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(5), 925–939.
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner (8th ed.). Routledge.
Laily, N., et al. (2024). Manajemen sumber daya manusia: Transformasi dan inovasi di era digital. Eureka Media Aksara.
Mohamed, A. A., Al-Thani, A. J., Al-Marri, A., Al-Hajri, D., Al-Mansoori, H., Eletreby, J., ... & Hahladakis, J. N. (2026). Human development in the people-centered SDGs: Poverty, health, education, gender and environmental burdens. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 6, 220.
Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Becker, J.-M. (2015). SmartPLS 3. Boenningstedt: SmartPLS GmbH. http://www.smartpls.com
Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2022). Partial least squares structural equation modeling. In Handbook of market research. Springer.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2020). Research methods for business (8th ed.). Wiley.
Strober, M. H. (1990). Human capital theory: Implications for HR managers. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 29, 214–239.
Sugiyono. (2021). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif dan R&D. Alfabeta.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations.