Career indecision among adolescents in German prevocational programmes

Abstract Career indecision is a common developmental challenge during the transition from school to vocational education and training (VET), particularly among adolescents with low educational attainment. Although prevocational programmes aim to strengthen adolescents' career resources and facilitate successful transitions into VET, little is known about the career resources students possess when entering these programmes or how these resources relate to career indecision. Drawing on the Career Resources Model, this study examines (1) the association between career resources and career indecision and (2) whether career resources mediate social inequalities in career indecision. We use survey data from 1,389 students who started a prevocational programme in the school year 2025/2026 across 25 vocational schools in three German federal states. Structural equation modelling shows that career knowledge and skills and career management activities are negatively associated with career indecision, whereas environmental support and motivational career resources are not. Furthermore, career resources mediate the relationship between immigration background and career indecision, indicating that adolescents with an immigration background experience higher career indecision primarily because they enter prevocational programmes with fewer career resources. The findings highlight career resources as a key factor underlying career indecision and underscore the importance of systematic support for the development of career resources early in students' educational trajectories. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of diagnostic- and evidence-based interventions in career preparation to foster successful school-to-VET transitions.