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Intro | A Model for Career Development | Elementary | Intermediate | Secondary | Links & Resources

A Model for Career Development

Career Awareness – In order to make sound decisions people must know their choices. Most students don't have any sense of what careers are available in their community much less the rest of the world. They also need to be aware of their interests, their values, and their strengths and weaknesses.

The awareness portion of the model should:

1. begin at a young age
   
2. be broad in scope
   
3. be integrated into all curriculum areas
4. be an ongoing process
   
5. provide exposure to workplace skills
   
6. include self-assessment – personality styles, interests, values, lifestyle wishes (includes how much do I need to live), learning styles, temperaments, abilities/skills and aptitudes

Career Exploration – Following awareness, people must begin learning the details about career clusters in order to determine which areas are compatible with their personality, interests, values, lifestyle wishes, learning styles, temperaments, abilities/skills and aptitudes.

The exploration portion of the model should:

1. begin in the intermediate grades
   
2. be more focused on career clusters
   
3. be an ongoing process
   
4. provide opportunities to practice workplace skills
   
5. provide exposure to workplace skills
   
6. include research, shadowing, and exposure to career cluster job skills

Career Specific Training/Education - After awareness and exploration, students should have a good idea of what careers are available, which areas are compatible with who they are and what type of future will make them happy. This is the step where students prepare for specific careers or career clusters and validates mastery of workplace skills.

The specific portion of the model should:

1. begin at the secondary level, specifically in the 11th and 12th grades
   
2. be focused on one or two career clusters
   
3. be an ongoing process
   
4. provide opportunities to master workplace skills
   
5. include technical education, internships, work experiences, upper academics related to their chosen career area, and continued research since career development is a continuous process
   

Intro | A Model for Career Development | Elementary | Intermediate | Secondary | Links & Resources

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