Career prospects are a motivating factor for entry and retention of doctoral students, especially in the discipline of engineering. While doctoral student training provides them with highly specialized skills to be an independent researcher, they may not have the requisite skills or guidance to secure the job position of their choice. Therefore, it is important to provide doctoral students with opportunities, training, and information (i.e., resources) about different types of careers to not only ensure they are productive contributors of teaching and research, but also equip them for future career prospects. Research techniques based upon in-depth narrative interviews and combining research with action were used to explain how doctoral students develop and fit in with their intended careers and was used to explore what supports and challenges contribute to their intended career paths. Analysis of the data revealed three themes: (1) Engineering Doctoral Identity; (2) Engineering Doctoral Skill Development; and (3) Time. Research emerged as central to engineering doctoral identity and was reinforced by ‘Insiders’, or people who had a Ph.D. in engineering. Insiders’ and doctoral students’ value of research came at the cost of relatively devaluing other skills (e.g., teaching) and associated career resources. These students had to consider and compromise how they fit within an engineering doctoral identity that is premised on research. This negotiation influenced the skills they developed and how they crafted tactics to acquire necessary skills for future careers. At the same time, participants were struggling to cope with immediate demands of their study while also working towards future career goals. Participants struggled to optimize their time, and in response utilized “Time Adaptive Tactics” such as flexibility, networking, and leveraging career resources. Engineering doctoral student and university staff perceptions of career resources were compared against each other which revealed that students utilize resources based upon a hierarchy that considers how specific and close in time and location those resources are. Whereas staff believed their resources were beneficial regardless of these factors. Additionally, the career resources that participants used were influenced by Insiders and how they implicitly showed they valued those resources.

University graduates stand at the dawn of their careers, seeking meaningful employment in a labour market that is characterised by volatile change and globalisation. This new world of work requires flexibility, versatility, and creativity ‒ skills not traditionally required of an employee. Graduates today are required to develop a skills-set that enables pro-active career behaviour and, furthermore, aid the employer to utilise such abilities as business solutions. There is a lack of consensual scientific knowledge available on employability, despite the rise in its importance to the 21st century employer and graduate employee. This is especially true for the South African context. Accordingly, the main aim of this study was to investigate the employability and psychological career resources of graduate students to identify the strengths and development areas of the sample. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of standardised instruments, specifically the Psychological Career Resources Inventory (PCRI, developed by Coetzee, 2008) and the Graduate Employability Measure (GEM, developed by Bezuidenhout, 2011), was distributed to a random sample of 113 final-year students from the Faculty of Economic and Management Science of the University of Pretoria. The results indicate a strong employability profile with few clear-cut development areas. Students believe themselves to have high levels of career resilience (mean = 4.94; SD 0.75), whilst also having a strong inclination to the openness to change dimension (mean = 4.86; SD = 0.59), pointing to an overall all adaptable orientation to their careers. In terms of the psychological career resources profile, the sample presented with high scores on all dimensions namely: career preferences, career values, career purpose, career harmonisers, and career drivers. This prevailing positive perception regarding psychological career resources can be seen as balanced, and thus facilitates adaptive, proactive career behaviour, which, in turn, influences general employability. This result is validated by the high mean scores on all employability dimensions. It is also evident that there are no significant differences to be observed between men and women across all dimensions measured, indicating that men and women are equally likely to be proactively involved in their career-management in order to develop the skills required to be seen as employable. Furthermore, there is evidence of significant relationships between the majority of psychological career resources dimensions and those of the graduate employability dimensions. These results are expected to add valuable insights to the field of career management literature and human resources practices alike, which, in turn, will inform graduates regarding their prospects. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

No description available.

One of the challenges imposed by the 21st century is to retain talented staff by keeping employees engaged in their work. Engagement in itself is a complex construct, which still requires much clarification. One of the gaps in the literature is the link between engagement and the competencies required by individuals to craft a career in the 21st century. These competencies are referred to as psychological career resources (Coetzee, 2008). This study was conducted in a medium-sized South African software and services organisation using a random sample of 111 consultants. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between psychological career resources (career preferences, career values, career enablers, career drivers and career harmonisers) and engagement (dedication, vigour and absorption). The second and third objectives were to find whether there were any significant differences between individuals who differed as to gender, age, marital status, occupational field, occupational level and department in which employed with regard to engagement and psychological career resources. A further objective was to establish the dominant psychological career resources and engagement constructs of the consultants in the sample. The data was collected using the 9-item U-WES (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) and the PCRI (Psychological Career Resources Inventory). The study found that behavioural adaptability and self-esteem have a significant impact on vigour and dedication, while behavioural adaptability also has a significant impact on absorption. This study could contribute meaningful information to the field of well-being and career development, allowing professionals to assist individuals in developing career competencies that contribute to engagement and ultimately to well-being. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

This study explored both the relationship between coping resources (as measured by the Coping Resources Inventory) and psychological career resources (as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory) and also whether individuals from different gender and employment status groups (part-time work experience versus no work experience) differ significantly regarding their coping resources and psychological career resources. A cross-sectional survey design and quantitative statistical procedures were used to analyse the data which was obtained from a purposive non-probability sample of N = 197 early career unemployed, black graduates. The results showed significant positive associations between psychological career resources and coping resources. It also emerged that the male and female participants differed significantly with regard to their emotional, spiritual and physical coping resources and the psychological career resources of career harmonisers and career drivers. In addition, it was found that those participants who had part-time work experience displayed a significantly higher need for career venturing and also manifested higher behavioural adaptability than those who had no work experience. Recommendations for future research and practice were made. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The research focused on constructing a psychological well-being profile for flourishing practices for junior leaders by establishing the relationship between junior leaders' dispositional attributes (emotional affect, career orientations, and organisational commitment) and the flourishing attribute (positive psychological functioning). A nonprobability purposive sampling quantitative method was applied to a sample of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel in Gauteng (N = 458) at junior leadership levels to explore the statistical relationship between their dispositional attributes (emotional affect, career orientations, and organisational commitment) and the flourishing attribute (positive psychological functioning) attribute. Multiple regression analyses indicated the dispositional attributes with the exception of emotional affect as significant predictors of the flourishing variable. The structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated a good fit of the data with the correlation-derived measurement model. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses indicated that age, race, gender and years of service as significant moderators of the relationship between the participants‘ dispositional attributes (emotional affect, career orientations and organisational commitment) and flourishing (positive psychological functioning) attribute. Tests for mean differences discovered that participants differed in terms of their age and race. The study made a significant contribution to the bulk of knowledge in the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. On a theoretical level, the study deepened the understanding of the individual and cognitive, affective, conative and relations management dimensions of the hypothesised psychological well-being profile. On an empirical level, the study developed an empirically tested psychological well-being profile that informs flourishing practices for individual junior leaders and organisational levels. On a practical level, dispositional and flourishing practices that inform the dimensions of the psychological well-being profile were recommended. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / Ph. D. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This study explored both the relationship between coping resources (as measured by the Coping Resources Inventory) and psychological career resources (as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory) and also whether individuals from different gender and employment status groups (part-time work experience versus no work experience) differ significantly regarding their coping resources and psychological career resources. A cross-sectional survey design and quantitative statistical procedures were used to analyse the data which was obtained from a purposive non-probability sample of N = 197 early career unemployed, black graduates. The results showed significant positive associations between psychological career resources and coping resources. It also emerged that the male and female participants differed significantly with regard to their emotional, spiritual and physical coping resources and the psychological career resources of career harmonisers and career drivers. In addition, it was found that those participants who had part-time work experience displayed a significantly higher need for career venturing and also manifested higher behavioural adaptability than those who had no work experience. Recommendations for future research and practice were made. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

In this research, a cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample of working adults (N = 550) from different race, gender, age, qualification, job level and tenure groups in various South African organisations, with the intention of developing a psychosocial model of career wellbeing for the working adult in the South African context. To identify the elements and nature of the model, the relationship dynamics between the constructs of occupational passion, psychological career resources, psychosocial career preoccupations and the outcome of career satisfaction were examined. The mediating effect of psychological career resources and psychosocial career preoccupations on the relationship dynamics between occupational passion and career satisfaction was determined. The moderating effect of certain sociodemographic variables (race, gender, age, qualification, job level, and tenure) on the relationship dynamics between the research constructs was measured. In addition, an evaluation of the differences manifested by individuals from various sociodemographic backgrounds (race, gender, age, qualification, job level, and tenure) regarding the research constructs added to an understanding of the manifested model. Correlation and inferential statistical analyses (multi-level mediation modelling, regression analysis and tests for significant mean differences) indicated that career management practices should consider harmonious passion to be an important intrinsic motivational antecedent in explaining the variance in individuals’ career satisfaction as it can facilitate the development of important psychosocial resources. These resources include flexible career preferences, well-crafted career plans and actions to achieve career goals, career harmonisers (i.e. self-esteem, behavioural adaptability and emotional literacy) and a strong need to be upskilled and employable (career adaptation needs). These elements manifested as the core elements of the psychosocial career wellbeing profile. Job level and race were further indicated as important sociodemographic variables in explaining levels of career satisfaction. Differences between race, gender, age, qualification, job level and tenure groups, for the constructs of occupational passion, psychological career resources, psychosocial career preoccupations and career satisfaction, also need to be considered in the career wellbeing profile. Theoretically, the results advanced career theory by empirically validating the core elements of the career wellbeing profile. These may be applied to inform career management practices and consequently enhance the career wellbeing of working adults. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology (Industrial and Organisational Psychology))