The purpose of the study was to examine youth and instructor perspectives on institutional life skills programs and their perceived impact on resilience after transitioning out of care in Zimbabwe. Using the Capability Theory as a guiding framework, the researchers investigated how such programs influence care leavers’ capacity to lead meaningful and autonomous lives after leaving institutional care. Seventeen care leavers, aged 16 to 22, and four institutional instructors participated in semi-structured interviews analyzed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings reveal that life skills training is critical in enhancing psychosocial resilience, self-reliance, and adaptability, equipping care leavers to navigate post-institutional challenges such as unemployment, stigma, and social reintegration. Despite these benefits, significant limitations were identified through participants’ experiences, including outdated vocational curricula, systemic bias favoring academic qualifications over technical skills, inadequate follow-up support, and restricted access to financial resources. These findings highlight unmet sub-dimensions of life skills training in the context of Capability Theory–particularly the constraints on care leavers’ agency, economic participation, and freedom to pursue valued outcomes. The study underscores the need to enhance vocational relevance, establish structured transitional support, and improve access to financial mechanisms to better align life skills programs. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
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