Career Maturity as a Mediator in the Relationship between Professional Social Support and Career Resilience among Vocational Trainees: A field study in two vocational training institutions in Tebessa, Algeria.

Abstract

This study explored the mediating role of career maturity in the relationship between professional social support and career resilience among 135 vocational trainees randomly selected from two training centers in Tebessa, Algeria. Using a cross-sectional design and path analysis based on validated measurement instruments, data were analyzed with SPSS (version 27) and R code (Version 4.5.1) to test the proposed hypotheses. Results indicated that professional social support neither significantly predicted career maturity (β = 0.100, p = .241) nor exerted a direct influence on career resilience (β = 0.012, p = .891). In contrast, career maturity demonstrated a significant positive effect on career resilience (β = 0.201, p = .017), although mediation analysis revealed no significant indirect effect (Sobel z = 1.043, p = .297, K2 = 0.021). The overall model suggests that career maturity functions as an independent predictor of resilience rather than as a mediating mechanism between social support and adaptive outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of fostering career maturity as a core developmental competency within vocational education while reconsidering the presumed centrality of professional social support in resilience formation. Future studies should investigate alternative pathways and moderating variables that clarify how different forma of social support influence career adaptation process.