Whilst there is a plethora of research into post-primary schooling, early childhood career-related learning (CRL) is relatively under-researched. To address this gap, we postulate that at the heart of innovative career development is the need to present robust evidence that explains why and how CRL in primary schools is a vital component in a child’s career development journey. This workshop provides a brief synthesis of CRL theory, research and practice applied in selected OECD countries between 2014 – present. We present evidence-based case studies to highlight the role of CRL in primary schools
Globally, there is a growing need to address gender, ethnicity and social class stereotypes (inter alia: Archer, 2014; Crause et al, 2017; Kashefpakdel et al, 2019). In the UK, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Nigeria and further afield a new wave of CRL initiatives are aimed at encouraging schools, employers and careers advisers to strengthen career dialogue within and outside of the classroom. Internationally, interest is strong too in national administrations and transnational bodies committed to raising aspirations from an early age and addressing inequality and gender stereotyping. Interest in part stems from finding cost-effective solutions to skills mismatch, addressing skills gaps and drop out rates in schooling.
We will draw upon selected findings from an international literature review and highlight some strategic key challenges and opportunities that exist. We then describe types of CRL and why this is important in primary schools. This is followed by a brief overview of the desired outcomes from CRL and contrasting case studies from primary school practice. We briefly discuss a theory of change (ToC) model designed to guide teachers’ continuous professional development in CRL.
We conclude by offering suggestions for further research highlighting the contributions that future work in this domain could make.