Enhancing employability skills through transnational education among Indian students: evaluating the moderating role of self-efficacy

Purpose With the growth of international education, the concept of global careers has gained momentum. This research aims to investigate the intention among students to pursue global careers considering the impact of intercultural competency, work-integrated learning, achievement motivation and academic satisfaction on employability. Further the moderation impact of self-efficacy is also evaluated. Design/methodology/approach The sample for this study consisted of 493 students pursuing global careers from different Northern universities of India specifically in the context of developing countries. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain responses from the participants. The cross-sectional data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The results revealed that intercultural competency, work-integrated learning, achievement motivation and academic satisfaction had a significant positive impact on employability skills of the university students which further influence their intention to pursue global career. Further, self-efficacy significantly acted as a moderator on the relationship between employability and intention. Originality/value The study provides novel evidence regarding academic and developmental factors which influence employability and translate it into global career intentions with self-efficacy strengthening this relationship, within the context of transnational higher education in India. This study provides innovative multi-theoretical framework, where each theory explains a distinct aspect of students' readiness for global careers.