Mental Health and Work Engagement as Predictors of Cadet Performance in Indonesian Maritime Education

The maritime industry increasingly recognises that sustainable competitiveness relies on human capital capable of managing both the technical and psychological demands of life at sea. This study investigates the dynamic roles of mental health and work engagement as key components of human capital influencing cadet performance within Indonesian maritime education. A quantitative approach was employed using survey data from 115 deck and engine cadets who had completed the mandatory 12-month onboard training as required by the STCW Code. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM 4) to test the proposed relationships among variables. The findings reveal that mental health exerts a positive and significant direct effect on cadet performance, while work engagement also shows a strong and significant influence. However, mental health does not significantly predict engagement, indicating that cadet engagement is shaped more by structural and organisational discipline than by individual psychological well-being. These results suggest that performance in maritime education emerges from the synergy between psychological resilience and institutional structure, highlighting the contextual uniqueness of engagement in regulated and hierarchical training environments. Theoretically, this study extends the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model and human capital theory by integrating psychological and structural dimensions within a knowledge-based workforce framework. Practically, it emphasises the need for holistic maritime education policies that balance technical competence, mental health promotion, and engagement development to produce resilient, motivated, and high-performing future officers for the global maritime sector.