E-learning, vocational training and employability for the unemployed: survey design and validation

The paper analyses the effect of e-learning vocational training on the employability of the unemployed. Through a questionnaire survey of 5,265 people who took part in an
e-learning training programme developed in 2009 by the Catalan Employment Service (SOC) and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) to improve the employability of the unemployed, the study makes two main contributions. First,
we describe the design of an 18-item scale. Second, the study analyses the factorial structure and psychometric properties of that scale. Three factors from the exploratory
factor analysis, namely competencies developed (α1=0.93), applicability of training (α2=0.92) and satisfaction with the pedagogical design (α3=0.90), explain 71.5% of cumulative variance. The total scale reliability is 0.94. The statistics
obtained for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFI=0.94, NNFI=0.94, and RMSEA=0.08) indicate an acceptable fit of the proposed threefactor model (Chi-square=2.416, p=0.000). The coefficients of the estimates, all with values
between 0.85 and 1.66, are significant at p<0.001.
The study provides new evidence in the specific field of e-learning vocational training specifically for the unemployed, as well as new dimensions such as the structure and the pedagogical design of the programme. The analysis of a new edition of the programme in 2012 reveals the usefulness of e-learning for the unemployed with
fewer formal qualifications.