Researching Career Paths

Unit Context

This lesson is Lesson 4 of 30 in the unit "Navigating Career Pathways." It develops research skills required to explore specific careers by investigating job responsibilities, qualifications, and future trends closely aligned with the NSW Curriculum for Careers Education for Years 7–12, particularly accommodating learners with diverse needs and developmental levels.

NSW Curriculum Reference

This lesson supports the following NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) aims for Careers Education within the Humanities and Social Sciences domain:

Developing students’ ability to investigate and understand a range of career options.
Enhancing decision-making skills through research and reflection on career pathways.
Encouraging respect, responsibility, and maturity in the workplace.
Supporting students to establish realistic post-school goals based on informed career research.

This lesson aligns with the following competencies:

Research and inquiry skills: locate, select, organise, and communicate information relevant to economic, business, or career issues.
Understanding qualifications and workplace expectations.
Developing skills for respectful and mature behaviour in work settings.
Use of digital tools for research and presentation.

The focus also reflects differentiation needs for students with autism, cognitive delays, and mental health issues, utilising repetition, authentic connections, and scaffolded processes for skill development.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 45-minute lesson, students will be able to:

Identify key resources and strategies for researching different career paths.
Describe specific job responsibilities and required qualifications for two researched careers.
Understand how future trends might impact the careers researched.
Begin to reflect on personal interests and skills in relation to career options.
Use respectful language and behaviour when discussing career choices and workplace expectations.

Lesson Structure and Timing

Time	Activity	Description	Teacher Notes/Differentiation
5 mins	Warm-Up: Career Brainstorm	Begin with a whole-class discussion: What jobs/careers do students know or are interested in? Write answers on board or visual chart.	Use visual prompts and simple language. Provide sentence starters for students with communication challenges (e.g., "I want to be a... because...").
10 mins	Introduction to Research Skills	Explain that researching a career means finding out what the job involves, what training is needed, and what the future might look like for that job. Model how to find reliable information using simple websites or printed career profiles.	Use a large-screen digital device or printed resources with clear headings and pictures. Provide a step-by-step visual flowchart that shows the research process.
15 mins	Guided Career Research (Partner Work)	In pairs, students select one career from a prepared list of diverse, accessible job options (e.g., Chef, Nurse, Electrician, Graphic Designer). Provide a simple research template with prompted questions: What do people do in this job? What education or training do they need? Is this job growing or changing?	Support students with reading difficulties by providing dyslexic-friendly texts (clear fonts, bullet points, pictures). Circulate to support pairs as needed. For students requiring more support, use a simplified fact sheet instead of independent research.
5 mins	Sharing Discoveries	Each pair shares one interesting fact about their career with the class. Reinforce respectful listening and use of polite language.	Use a 'talking stick' or object to manage turn-taking. Praise efforts to listen and speak kindly.
5 mins	Reflection and Goal-Setting	Students individually write or dictate one thing they learned and one question they still have about careers. Option: use a visual template with sentence starters ("I learned that..."; "I want to find out more about...").	Provide alternative means of expression (drawing, speech-to-text) for diverse learners. For extension, ask advanced students to suggest why knowing future job trends is important.
5 mins	Closure and Preview	Recap the importance of researching careers before making job or training decisions. Preview the next lesson which focuses on exploring qualifications more deeply.	Use visuals summarising the day's learning. Provide simple, positive reinforcement for participation.

Materials and Resources

Career fact sheets or dyslexia-friendly career profiles
Research template with guided questions and visuals
Large screen or printed posters demonstrating research steps
Visual flowchart/graphic organiser for research process
Talking stick or similar item for respectful sharing
Writing/drawing materials or speech-to-text devices

Differentiation Strategies

For Autism and Behavioural Needs: Structure activities clearly with visual schedules. Use consistent routines and positive behavioural reinforcements. Allow movement breaks if needed.
For Students with Literacy Difficulties or Dyslexia: Provide materials with dyslexia-friendly fonts, bullet points, and images. Offer oral instructions and allow verbal or visual responses.
For Advanced Learners: Encourage researching an additional career independently, or predicting how technology might change their chosen careers by 2030. Facilitate a short discussion on transferable skills.
For Students with Mental Health Issues: Offer low-pressure participation options. Allow students to work quietly if overwhelmed. Use calming strategies throughout.

Assessment and Reporting

Formative assessment: Observe students’ participation in discussion and pair research, noting their ability to locate and understand career information.
Checking for understanding: Review students’ simple reaction/reflection forms to gauge comprehension.
Informal feedback: Provide verbal encouragement and personalised feedback on research effort and respectful communication.
These outcomes feed into developing individual transition plans and ongoing career counselling.

Authentic Real-World Connection

Link career exploration to students’ own life goals and next steps beyond school to enhance motivation.
Use real examples of local jobs or familiar community roles.
Emphasise importance of respectful communication as a critical workplace skill.

This detailed lesson plan aims to make career research accessible, supportive, and meaningful, fostering confident and informed career pathway exploration for students with diverse learning needs in NSW schools.

Teaching Instructions