Career Readiness

High school is the time for students to consider their skills and interests and begin planning a future. Whether a student plans to jump into the workforce, enlist in the military, or attend college or trade school, developing strong career readiness skills can catapult students into the next chapter of life’s journey!

Students will investigate career essentials, including matching careers to interests and personality, marketing and networking personal talents, writing professional communications, the importance of professional presentation, and the steps necessary to achieve career goals. Lessons will include creation of essential correspondence in job seeking such as a resume and cover letter, how to request an interview, and how personality and values align with career interest. Students will also learn job seeking strategies to help prepare them for the career they want. At the end of the course, students will gather work completed into a career portfolio.

Career Readiness is aligned to the Massachusetts Employability and Career Readiness Knowledge and Skills Framework. Students will examine skills employers seek, while searching for career options that meet their personal interests and values. Employability skills include relationship skills such as collaboration and conflict-management; personal qualities such as integrity, initiative, and responsibility; workplace skills such as information use and communication skills; and applied knowledge such as critical thinking.

Developing strong career readiness skills will help students in their current jobs and help them prepare for future jobs and careers. This course will provide students with a strong foundation that helps them discover what’s next in their personal career path.

Acknowledgements

This course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

What essential employability skills are necessary in today’s workforce?
How does one match their interests and personality to a job or career?
What approach to marketing oneself is most effective?
What steps should one take to prepare for the workforce and/or career?

Course Objectives:

Examine and discuss employability skills necessary for today’s global workforce.
Identify personal values and skills; match them with potential career paths.
Compose written communications and update social network branding essential for job searches.
Design a career action plan.

Additional Requirements

Students will need to access a number of YouTube videos throughout the course.
Students will need to submit certain assignments by uploading videos of themselves presenting work.
A device with a webcam and microphone is required.