The Influence of Self-Efficacy and Soft Skills on Work Readiness of Students in the Indonesia–Timor Leste Border Region
Keywords:
Self-Efficacy, Soft Skills, Work Readiness, Border Region Students, EmployabilityAbstract
Graduate unemployment in Indonesia remains critically high despite increasing university enrollment, particularly in border regions where limited industrial access intensifies the education-employment gap. This study examines the influence of self-efficacy and soft skills on work readiness among 95 students at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Timor University, located at the Indonesia–Timor Leste border. Using a quantitative explanatory design with simple random sampling and multiple linear regression analysis via SPSS, data were collected through validated questionnaires with Cronbach's alpha values above 0.70 for all constructs, and classical assumption tests confirmed normality, absence of multicollinearity, and homoscedasticity. Results reveal that soft skills significantly and positively influence work readiness (β = 0.524, t = 4.141, p < 0.001), while self-efficacy shows no significant effect (β = 0.089, t = 0.780, p = 0.437). The simultaneous model demonstrates significance (F = 10.085, p < 0.001) with R² = 0.424, indicating that 42.4% of the variance in work readiness is explained by the two predictors. This study contributes novel empirical evidence from a border-region university, challenging conventional assumptions that self-efficacy consistently predicts work readiness and highlighting the primacy of soft skills in resource-constrained labor markets. The findings imply that universities in peripheral areas should prioritize project-based and internship-linked soft skills training over purely motivational interventions to enhance graduate employability.
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