How to Support Young Adults Individually in Career Choice? - The Model of Knowledge in the Career Choice Process (KCCP)

In the social-cognitive career theory (SCCT), Lent, Brown and Hackett (1994, 2002) postulate an influence on behaviour in the career choice process through self-efficacy. If relationships between self-efficacy and career choice activities as well as knowledge can be confirmed, this results in possibilities of educational intervention for practical implementation in public or private educational institutions in order to be able to support young people in their career choice process. Therefore, in a self-conducted, earlier study (cited: Struck & Ciesla 2019), we made a theoretical and empirical further development of the model of knowledge in the career choice process (KCCP), which construction is also based on the theoretical model assumptions of the SCCT by Lent et al. (1994, 2002). In difference to the SCCT, the KCCP model, can explain five different, relevant dimensions of knowledge. Thus, the KCCP model deals with the question how self-efficacy and outcome expectations are related to behaviour in the career choice process and to knowledge. The findings should simplify a successful school-to-work transition for young adults and are intended to point out new aspects of their competence development. In conclusion, various approaches are discussed how young adults can be individually supported in the career choice process, for example by teachers, parents and career counsellors. These include greater individualization of the career orientation opportunities in guiding and facilitating targeted self-reflection (Kalisch 2017), in the use of peer education in the career choice process (Struck 2018), and in the utilization of sources of self-efficacy (Bandura 1997)