The Building Blocks of Human Capital: Socioculturalism and Career Development of Maltese Youths

The aim of this study is to identify socio-cultural factors that are influencing career development, and their role in the career development process of Maltese youths. Career development is about planning one’s career meticulously, which ultimately does not only benefit the individual, but also the country’s human capital. Given that the sense of community and culture amongst the Maltese population is still very strong, one can expect that youths can be influenced by socio-cultural factors during their course of career development. The contribution to knowledge of this study is mainly towards local career development research in relation to human capital. The main research question is How are socio-cultural factors influencing the career developmental process during youthhood? There were three cohorts who participated in this research: younger youths aged 14 to 18 years, emerging adults aged 19 to 25 years, and adult professionals and parents. A convergent mixed methods research design was adopted, using a bespoke survey tool for quantitative methods, and semi-structured interviews for the qualitative methods. The data collection tools were designed on the components found in the Systems Theory Framework of Career Development (STF) by Patton and McMahon (1995; 2006a). The quantitative data was analysed through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), whilst the qualitative data was analysed through Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM) and Thematic Analysis (TA). The mixed methods data analysis revealed the most influential socio-cultural factors, which were categorised under six core categories. The core categories Ambition, Inspiration, Action, Implementation, Support and Barriers can be considered as phases in the youth career development process, and the Socio-culturalism of Youth Career Development model (SC-TCD) was proposed. The implications of the proposed model were related to the quality and effectiveness of career guidance and development, through refined techniques and approaches, involving the family, the community, the school, and the workplace.