District/School Resources PK-16 Program Support
Career Development

Career Plan Model
Introduction

Career planning is a key component of career development education. Viewing a career as "the sequence of occupations and other life roles (including student) that combine to express one's commitment to work in the total pattern of self development," career planning is a valuable endeavor at any age. However, this Massachusetts model addresses the critical middle and high school years where most planning occurs.

Individual career plan (ICP) development is nothing new. Career counselors have advocated it for years. In fact, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), mandates that schools include career planning in individualized education programs for students with disabilities.

It is important to note that according to the provisions of 603 CMR 4.03 (4) (d), students enrolled in career and technical education schools "shall" be provided with career guidance including "the development of a four-year career plan based on assessments." To that end, we offer the following definition and model to assist schools with the career planning process:

A career plan is a comprehensive, formalized written plan (that learners use alone or with the help of others) that relates learning to career goals. The plan is based on both formal and informal assessment and should include areas in which a learner needs to increase knowledge and skills to reach documented goals. A career plan is designed to facilitate transition from high school to future learning or employment. It can be thought of as both an instrument and a process for monitoring one's career development. As an instrument, a plan provides a place to organize and record progress related to personal, educational, and career and labor market information. As a process, it encourages learners to use the past and present in goal setting and planning. In either case, a career plan should be revisited and modified periodically. Note: a career plan is different than a career portfolio*.

*Career Portfolio: a documented collection of a learner's progress that can include report cards, school transcripts, resumes, awards and honors, letters of reference, work samples, certificates of completion, certificates of competencies mastered, and other indicators of actual work. As a career development intervention, a portfolio can be used to promote student self-assessment, critical thinking, and self-confidence. A portfolio can also be used to certify student competence, provide evidence and samples of skills and abilities to employers, or evaluate curriculum and instruction.

The following checklist may be useful in developing or evaluating an existing career plan:

    Career Plan Checklist