Linking competency development to career success: exploring the mediating role of employability

The present study aims to unravel the relationship between competency development, employability and career success. To do so, we test a model in which we specify associations between employees’ participation in competency development initiatives, perceived support for competency development, employability, career satisfaction and marketability. A survey was conducted among a sample of 561 employees in a large financial organization. The results support the idea that participation in competency development initiatives as well as perceived support for competency development enhances employability. Moreover, employability was found to positively influence perceived career success, measured in terms of career satisfaction and marketability. A test of the mediating role of employability showed a full mediation effect for the relationship between participation in competency development and career success, and a partial mediation effect for the relationship between perceived support for competency development and career success. The implications of these findings for understanding the process through which organizations and individuals can affect career success are discussed.