From elite sport to the job market: Development and initial validation of the Athlete Competency Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE)

This paper describes two studies aimed at developing and initially validating an instrument that measures athletes' competencies required to optimize their employability across three career phases (i.e., active, retirement and new career phase; B-WISER, 2018). Study 1 describes the development of the Athlete Competency Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE). Study 2 examines the ACQE's factor structure using exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM; N = 954, 46% female; M-age = 26.74 +/- 9.90; 54% active, 24% retirement, 22% new career). ESEM supported a 28-item ACQE with four factors: Career & Lifestyle Management, Career Communication, Career Resilience, and Career Engagement & Flexibility. This is the first study to identify athletes' competencies for optimizing employability across different phases of athletic retirement. The results can inform stakeholders in different fields (e.g., sport, education, employment) about ways to assist athletes in their transition from elite sport to the job market.