ABSTRACT
Teachers have encountered a careers cartoon strip 'Neville Sponge' in which hero investigates the world of careers. One character interviewed by Sponge says that he wants to become a brain surgeon because – 'I've got a CSE in woodwork and I'm good with me 'ands'. This quote highlights a common problem in the approach to Careers Education and Guidance (CEG), namely that for many it is a process for putting round pegs in round holes. How can a curriculum, based on a conceptual base which helps the young person, be organised? Buck and Inman suggest four criteria for curriculum planning: Objectivity and the use of evidence, Using Concepts, Participatory and experiential teaching and learning styles, and Key questions to explore fundamental issues. These criteria and questions provide the framework for more detailed exploration of specific issues in economic and industrial understanding (EIU) and in CEG as well as in the other cross-curricular themes.
