No shared belief exists as to how schools ought to prepare students for adult life. This means that schools must act deliberately to ensure that all students have access to current and accurate information about careers. Teachers must also understand the importance of providing students with learning experiences outside of the school walls and that decision making strategies are crucial to helping students make successful transitions to work, further education, and training. These components form the core of an effective career education model. In order to implement this vision of career education, schools need to have clear and specific outcomes for each component.
Career education goes beyond providing information about jobs and the world of work.
In schools, career education typically consists of providing information about specific occupations. This needs to be broadened to show students a variety of work opportunities associated with a project or societal issue. For example, when investigating hazardous waste management, students might meet engineers, technicians, union representatives, environmental lawyers, politicians, urban planners, chemists, and government regulators. Career education conceived in this way invites debate on equity issues by valuing everyone's work and family and by opening career paths to all students. Career education thus becomes part of the total school curriculum, rather than a subject taught in isolation.