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The assumption that primary school is too early to teach careers is changing. Schools are becoming more aware that this is the ideal stage to introduce career education and the importance of expanding student understanding of the work that adults do with appropriate information.

Research routinely shows that by five to six years of age, children begin to learn about careers informally and have an idea of what they would like to be. Their aspirations are formed by the examples of professions around them, such as what their parents do, what their friends' parents do and what they see in the media. These ideas may be fanciful at this age, but as their knowledge and experiences grow so will their ideas of the career world around them.

Crucially, at this age, kids begin to engage in a process known as ‘circumscription’, wherein children ‘rule out’ careers that don’t appear to be attainable. The ‘ruled out’ careers are often based on gender or class stereotypes that have been internalised, with students reporting sentiments like ‘science isn’t for girls’ and ‘university isn’t for the working class’. Circumscription then gives way to ‘compromise’, in which a child aligns their career aspirations with what ‘seems’ realistic.

That is why it is essential to address careers from a young age and allow children to envision themselves in a wide variety of careers without bias.

In myfuture’s Insights paper Career education in primary school, Professor Tristram Hooley, a professor of career education at the University of Debry and Inland Norway University for Applied Science, says:

‘The value of involving schools is that we can ensure that career learning is less random, less partial, more equal, more accurate and able to challenge young people’s implicit stereotypes and assumptions.’

Career education has a positive impact on students of all ages and helps children to see the relevance of what they are learning in school. Implementing career education at a young age has a direct correlation with increased social mobility and confidence.

Supporting primary teachers in career education

Developed based on research backed methodology, myfuture’s primary school resources are aligned to the Australian Curriculum and the Australian Blueprint for Career Development.

The resources are individually tailored to specific cohorts across Foundation to Year 6. Each resource includes a framework for teachers to follow and three lesson plans covering:

• Personal management
• Learning and work exploration
• Career building.

The lesson plans work in sequence with one another, allowing students to first identify the things they are good at, match their skills to relevant professions and then understand the steps they need to take to achieve their goals. Through this process, students gain an understanding of key concepts related to career development and gain transferable skills.

Also included is a workbook that can be printed for students to fill out in the lessons.

Moving forward

In an ever-transforming and globalising workforce, having an open mind to a variety of professions is a key component in developing resilience and adaptability. It's critical to address careers early with students, to ensure they are aware of the career pathways available and can develop self-knowledge to support decision-making in their future.