This section examines the middle of the college and career readiness framework: the essential skills and knowledge students need for both college and career readiness and to transition into productive adulthood. Too often, students’ planning for postsecondary education and careers take place on parallel tracks without explicit links between students’ future occupational choices and the educational pathways they will need to take to achieve them.
For too many students, postsecondary education and training are seen more as what they plan to do the year after high school than vital next steps to building successful careers. They do not yet realize that their futures will likely include a combination of work and learning in the form of additional certifications, continuing education courses, training, and professional development to keep skills current, to progress in a career, or to transition into a new career. In addition, retraining may be warranted as young peoples’ interests change or the demands of the labor market evolve.
The framework diagram reflects the belief that ALL students need to be both college AND career ready to ensure successful and productive adulthood. Navigators can most effectively support young people by helping them understand where planning for college and planning for careers comes together.
The concept map below depicts three components of college and career readiness and their corresponding elements, each of which focuses on a subset of knowledge, skills, and abilities.
A Concept Map of College and Career Readiness
Integrated College and Career Planning and Preparation
Ability to Apply and Link Academic, Technical, and Career Knowledge and Skills
Foundational Skills for College and Career Success
The use of written education and career plans (ECPs) helps students chart paths between where they are and where they want to be. The ECPs can help students identify the specific steps needed to achieve their academic and career goals, including coursework and both curricular and extracurricular experiences. Based on the students’ education and career goals, the plans should be aligned with both high school graduation and postsecondary entrance requirements.
Component: Integrated Education and Career Planning and Preparation
Integrated planning and preparation for college and careers requires explicit connections between a student’s postsecondary and career goals and identification of the steps that are needed to achieve both sets of goals. Click the links below for more information on the elements of integrated education and career planning and preparation.
- Element 1: Understanding that education and training are connected with career options and goals (PDF)
- Element 2: Understanding the importance of having plans for connecting career goals to the education and training needed to achieve them (PDF)
- Element 3: Making specific education and career plans (PDF)
Component: Ability to Apply and Link Academic, Technical, and Career Knowledge and Skills
Attaining college and career readiness requires young people to apply knowledge and skills across disciplines, learning environments, and workplace contexts. Click the links below for more information on the elements of applying and linking academic, technical, and career knowledge and skills.
- Element 1: Understanding how academic knowledge and skills are applied to careers and the postsecondary education and training needed to enter and succeed in those careers (PDF)
- Element 2: Applying knowledge and skills learned in high school courses in a range of career and education settings (PDF)
Component: Foundational Skills for College and Career Success
While the foundational skills may be similar, their application and use will differ between college and career contexts. Foundational skills refer to a broad set of skills, competencies, behaviors, attitudes, and personal qualities that enable people to succeed and excel in the world beyond high school. Foundational skills are transferable across education environments, across sectors, and across jobs. Foundational skills can be improved through learning opportunities and experiences in a wide range of classroom, extracurricular, work, and community-based settings. Click the links below for more information on the elements of foundational skills for college and career success.
LESSON PLANS:
Download the lesson plans below for activities to help young people plan effectively for college and careers.
1: Introduction to the ECP
2: Aligning High School Experiences with Education and Career Goals
3: Career Interest Inventories
4: Career Exploration
5: Application of Learning
6: Communication Skills
7: Problem Solving
8: Perseverance
9: Time Management
10: Respect for Others and Multicultural Competence
11: Conflict Resolution