Narrative enquiry of career paths and career success of former TVET students’ in Mauritius: A critical investigation
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Date
2018
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Abstract
This thesis examines how holding a formal TVET qualification can construct a career path and
engage in the career success achievement process. The TVET reality in Mauritius continues to
face stigmas and stereotyping: society at large considers that TVET is solely being reserved for
less academically brilliant people, catering for dropouts and failures of the academic stream.
This kind of poor reception towards TVET by the community has had a marked impact on
making TVET appear unattractive. The TVET stream constitutes an area in which employment
opportunities are extremely high. Career-minded people have not studied empirically the
attributions associated with TVET qualification holders who wish to achieve success in their
career journeys.
Career success is an important but often overlooked outcome of TVET qualification holders’
career experience. The fact is that finding the key determinant to career success of TVET
qualification holders as employees continues to be critically important to employees, being
concomitantly significant for employers. Understanding the intrinsic and extrinsic career
success predictors of this specific category of workers will help future employees to navigate
both their professional and personal lives. The ultimate objective of this study is to critically
investigate the extent of the journey of some TVET qualification holders before they reach
their career success destination. Whether they faced any particular hindrances or opportunities
en route is the subject of the study.
The study used a qualitative research approach from an interpretive paradigm. The method
adopted for the present study is a narrative enquiry. The narratives of four former TVET
students holding formal TVET qualifications were collected, and an analysis from their stories
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was made. The study draws on social, human capital theories. It also partly uses the capability
approach element of functioning, from Amartya Sen.
Findings suggest that there were some influential factors that had pushed students into the
TVET stream. A discussion thereon would digress from the main objectives of the study. The
experiences of these TVET students suggest that they were adequately engaged during their
studies. The study suggests that these participants had linear career paths. The predictors of
their career success consisted of both objective and subjective career success elements. TVET
was the key player in achieving career success.
Suggestions for future research, and implications for policymakers, practitioners, researchers,
and TVET providers, are provided.
Description
Doctor of Philosophy in Education - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, South Africa