ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on school-based approaches that promote career exploration and development in children up to the age of 14. Evidence is also presented supporting the premise that career development interventions that deeply engage children in meaningful, personally relevant explorations of self and possible educational and world-of-work futures positively impact academic achievement. Children face formidable career development challenges and opportunities that will unfold for them as they move into adolescence. Among other challenges and opportunities, they will need to organise their high school studies around future educational and career pathway goals, select the right high school to attend, begin to create a career identity, participate in workbased learning experiences, and ultimately make truly informed decisions about which postsecondary educational and career training program to attend. There are two key career development transitions occurring approximately between ages 6 through 11 and then ages 12 through 14 that, when successfully negotiated, provide the adolescent significant adaptive advantages. Children who have mastered age-appropriate career exploration and development tasks during these transitions are more likely to proactively and successfully take advantage of opportunities and navigate potential career development obstacles that adolescence both presents to them and demands of them.
