The following examples illustrate ways that teachers can help develop students’ career management competencies. These suggestions can be adapted for learning at years 7 to 13. For all suggestions, use cultural contexts, role models, etc, that students can readily relate to.
All year levels and all learning areas:
Self awareness
- Ask students what skills and knowledge they bring to the subject and what skills and knowledge they can develop. Then discuss how these can be transferred to the outside world, including how they could be used in specific jobs.
- Acknowledge and make use of all of a student’s learning and extracurricular activities in current learning.
- Be aware of any students involved in tertiary courses, industry training, or work placement programmes. Provide opportunities for them to draw on those experiences in your classroom.
Exploring opportunities
- Include awareness of careers when planning experiences outside the classroom. If the class is visiting a workplace or doing outdoor pursuits, get students to ask the people they meet about the range of occupations and career pathways in that field.
- Develop research skills by looking at careers in a variety of well-known contexts. For example, research industries and occupations that are involved with a sporting World Cup, creating a television programme or doing a census.
- Include researching industries and occupations related to in-class topics in homework activities.
- Use relevant role models and encourage students to research their career paths.
Deciding and acting
- Ask guests who are speaking to students on any topic to also describe their career pathways and development.
- Encourage students to become mentors for younger students in your subject. Assist them to identify the skills they will be developing (interpersonal and communication skills, for example).
- Provide opportunities for students to develop interview skills by conducting mock interviews on any topic.
Almost half of the schools surveyed reported that career education was integrated across the curriculum at each year level. This was likely to be through teachers talking about jobs where the subject might be used, explaining the relevance or long-term value of learning a particular topic, or using career education as the focus for teaching a skill such as information literacy.
(Education Review Office, 2009)
Published on: 04 Aug 2009