How Schools Help Students Select the Right Career

Most students who are in high school eagerly wait for Career Day when business professionals from the community give them an insight into the various career options they can choose from. However, the Career Day does not give students enough information and most students are unable to decide what is best for them. Most high school students are seeking guidance from career development counselors.

Even though career development counselors are of great help in shaping the career of students, a lot more must be done to help the students. When students are aware of the various career options they have, will they be able to plan their future. They can decide on the college they would like to join and select the right course that will help them in their area of interest. This will help in improving the enrollments in colleges and create a more productive society.

Some institutions have taken positive steps in this direction by introducing Career Week in their college. Career Week is organized to help students understand various career development issues. College Week is usually visited by professionals from local community who can help students select the right career. At times, professionals may organize career development classes that will give you an insight into the career options available and the training or education you need to get a job in your area of interest.

Some schools may also organize career assessments for students that will give them an idea of their strengths, weaknesses and area of interest. Career assessment is done either by personal interview or through a computer. Students who are taking a career assessment test through a computer must fill a form. Once you fill the form, the computer will generate a report that will outline the best career options for you.

After the students complete the career assessment test, they are interviewed by student counselor of the school or by the career development professional. These interviews give students an opportunity to fully discuss and explore the various career options and choose a career that is best for them. Once they have decided on the career they want to choose, the student counselor or the career development professional with give them the resources that will help them in their career development.

Student counselors can also visit the classrooms of high school students and give them information that will help them set their goals. During these classroom sessions, students are given the required resources that will help them set practical goals and prepare a career development strategy.

Most schools have realized the importance of career planning and development for their students. These schools have implemented programs that will help them choose the right career. These developments will help students prepare for their future and select the right course.

Students, who are looking for a career in medicine, can visit the website Careers in the Medical Field. Also, if you are looking for management books that will help you take right decisions in your career, you can check out the website Rockefeller Habits.

Career Clusters Close the Gap Between Schools Subjects and Careers

A wealth of information exists that explains the relationships between school subjects and careers. Across the nation, children, teens, teachers, and counselors use Career Interests Areas or Clusters to explore careers and to make school study plans. There are sixteen (16) Interests Areas or Clusters:

Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources
Architecture & Construction
Arts, A/V Technology & Communication
Business, Management & Administration
Education & Training
Finance
Government & Public Administration
Health Science
Hospitality & Tourism
Human Services
Information Technology
Law, Public Safety & Security
Manufacturing
Marketing, Sales & Service
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

States and federal agencies across the nation have created career cluster web sites and resources. We have reviewed three (3) of the best state or federal agency web sites.

Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA)

One of the most unique comprehensive career cluster resources is the Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA), an Internet program. LISA lets you explore career clusters, careers, abilities, training requirements, and more. Using the Lisa, you can do the following tasks:

Assessment: Explore career options using the Work Importance Locator.
I Enjoy: Find careers based upon the things that you enjoy.
Cluster: Find careers from Career Cluster Groups.
Search: Search for jobs based on knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Best Match: Use your current job to find knowledge, skills, and abilities to identify a new career.
Compare: Compare current job to potential new job.
Profile: Use this feature to create a profile from a selected career.

There are 3 steps in the LISA program. In Step 1, when you choose a career cluster, you will read the description of the cluster. When you select a career cluster in Step 2, you can select a career group. In each career group, you will see a lot of different careers. Finally, in Step 3, you see additional occupational information, such as:

Job descriptions
Educational and training requirements
Crosswalks, for example ONET, DOT, GOE, and other codes
Abilities
Knowledge
Skills
Tasks
Work Values
Labor Market Information

There is detailed information in each job profile:

Description
Crosswalk
Abilities
Knowledge
Skills
Tasks
Work Values
Occupational Characteristics Narrative

The Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA) is an excellent tool for students to do career cluster exploration.

NCE Career Clusters and State Career Clusters Initiative Resources

The NCE Career Clusters has adapted information from the State Career Clusters Initiative to create a career education toolkit for teachers and counselors. In your NCE Career Clusters toolkit, you can find a Career Cluster Model, poster, resource booklets, At-a-Glance PDF Slices, and Plans of Study. Each resource is designed to facilitate the exploration of Career Clusters.

Career Cluster Resource Booklet

To prepare for a Career Clusters discussion, teachers and counselors use the State Career Clusters Initiative Career Cluster Resource Booklet. The brochures discuss the differences between career clusters and career pathways. The booklet outlines that career clusters are career groups from the same industry that have the same skills and educational requirements. Career pathways are specific careers that are within the each career cluster. The Resource Booklet discusses the following topics:

Historical background information
Cluster Knowledge and Skills
Pathway Knowledge and Skills
O*NET Crosswalk Report
Validation Studies
Assessment Protocol
Certification Protocol

The booklet is a "must-read" resource that provides in depth information on each career cluster. Each booklet has detailed graphs, charts, and tables.

Career Cluster Model

To provide an overview of Career Clusters, teachers and counselors use the Career Cluster Model. The Career Cluster Model simplifies sixteen (16) Career Clusters model. The center of the NCE Career Clusters model focuses on six (6) major groups. The career clusters are color-coded so that you can easily present six (6) major groups in classroom activities. The six (6) major groups are:

Environmental and Agricultural Systems
Business, Marketing, and Management
Communication and Information Systems
Industrial, Manufacturing, Engineering Systems
Health Sciences
Human Services and Resources

Here is summary of the relationship between the sixteen (16) Career Clusters and the 6 Super Clusters.

Environmental and Agricultural Systems - Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources (1)

Business, Marketing, and Management combines:


Business, Management & Administration (4)
Finance (6)
Hospitality & Tourism (9)
Marketing, Sales & Service (14)

Communication and Information Systems involve:


Arts, A/V Technology & Communication (3)
Information Technology (11)

Industrial, Manufacturing, Engineering Systems include:


Transportation, Distribution & Logistics (16)
Architecture & Construction (2)
Manufacturing (13)
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (15)

Health Sciences - Health Science (8)

Human Services and Resources merges -


Education & Training (5)
Government & Public Administration (7)
Human Services (10)
Law, Public Safety & Security (12)

The sixteen (16) Career Clusters systematically fit within the six (6) major groups.

Career Cluster Brochure

Another excellent career cluster student aid is the Career Cluster Brochure. The brochure is filled with photographs that show people performing the different jobs. With this easy-to-read booklet, students get an overview of the different careers, career clusters, and career pathways. Students read about:

What is a career cluster?
What is a career pathway?
What school subjects are important for a career in the ... career cluster?
What is the educational or training requirement for a career in the ... career cluster?
What are the necessary credentials for a career in the ... career cluster?
What is the employment outlook for a career in the ... career cluster?
What are some sample occupations?

Career Cluster Slices

Besides the Career Cluster Model and the Brochure, a third student Career Cluster aid is the NCE Career Cluster Slices. The NCE Career Cluster Slice identifies specific career opportunities found within each Career Pathways. Each Cluster Slice is illustrated and designed to explore areas, such as:

Cluster Description
Pathway Description
Cluster Knowledge & Skills
Career Field
Preparation for a Career in ...
Examples of Education and Training Postsecondary Programs of Study

Students discover that each pathways leads to post-secondary options including:

Apprenticeships
Certificates
Licenses
Associate's Degree Programs
Bachelor's Degree Programs
Master's Degree Programs
Doctoral Degree Programs
Professional Degree Programs

Career Clusters Plan of Study

At the beginning of the students' middle school years, the students use assessments identify career cluster interest areas. With the Career Clusters model, brochure, Slices, and LISA resources, the students have explored the different careers and post-secondary training options. Students, teachers, counselors, and parents then use the Career Clusters Plan of Study to strategically plan the students' high school course work. The Career Clusters Plan of Study provides examples of English, Math, Science, Social Studies, electives, and extra-curricular activities for the following grade levels:

7th - 8th grade
9th - 10th grade
11th - 12th grade
Advanced coursework for postsecondary credit

The NCE Career Clusters web page is the gateway to the student career cluster resources.

State Career Clusters Initiative, NCE, and Lisa materials are just examples of career cluster resources. Career clusters resources have established a connection between school subjects and careers.

Resources:

Explore Career Clusters, Texas Workforce Commission/Career Development Resources (TWC/CDR), US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, and Louisiana Department of Labor

Nebraska Career Education, States' Career Clusters Initiative, 2005, and NCTEF/NASDCTEc (National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium) States' Career Clusters Initiative, & National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium

State Career Clusters Initiative Washington, DC: National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, 2002

Dr Mary Askew specializes in career tests, websites, and books for students. Students need eye appealing, easy to use, yet comprehensive career resources. Find out how students can reach their career potentials at http://www.hollandcodes.com Contact Dr. Askew at learning4life@qwest.net