Learning about opportunities, education, and skills needed in different career pathways to choose which job matches a person’s strengths and interests.
Why is Career Awareness Important?
Correlated with improved employment outcomes for students
Need various avenues to explore different careers
Learn about work values and roles in the workplace
Essential Components As suggested by the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT)
Provide opportunities to learn about various careers through different opportunities including but not limited to: job shadowing, internships, guest speakers, industry tours, Career Technical Education classes or career fairs
Identify skills and qualifications required for occupations associated with core content areas
Include career awareness in the general curriculum to teach about occupations related to the core content areas
Make clear connections between academic skills and how those skills are used in various careers throughout general education classes.
Provide systematic, age appropriate, student assessment of career awareness, including but not limited to, interest inventories and aptitude tests for students to learn about their preferences and capability for various types of careers
Provide instruction on how to obtain a job in a chosen career path
