Career exposure in high school includes activities that provide actual work experience that connects classroom learning to work. Options for students after high school include further skill training, entry into the workforce, or enrollment in a postsecondary institution. Interactive sessions often provide participants with more opportunities to develop collaborative relationships and experiment with new roles, concepts, and activities than do traditional one-way lectures. This broad approach to work-based learning ensures that students are exposed to every aspect of an industry, including sales and marketing, management and finance, technical skills, labor and community issues, health and safety, and environmental issues. Experiences in all aspects of an industry can equip students with a greater awareness of their career options, more transferrable skills, and increased mobility within an industry.
Unions represent millions of front-line workers in both the public and private sectors.
Career majors structure a student's educational experiences around a broad career theme, provide students a context for learning, and present opportunities for classroom and workplace experiences to help them determine what they want to do. Students gain a better understanding of the experience, skills, education, and training they will need to be successful in the career of their choice. A career major is a sequenced program of school-based activities and experiential learning. A career major, such as business, health care, or technology, should coincide with state and local labor market information to ensure the relevance of student learning to available jobs. All career majors should incorporate skill standards and academic standards and may require some restructuring of the school day to allow for block scheduling, interdisciplinary instruction, and work-based learning.