Introducing the transition curriculum

Last month James Calleja, director of the EU’s vocational training development centre, Cedefop, suggested students should engage in careers education from the age of 11.

Mick Carey, head of Careers Europe, agreed: “I’m not saying every 11-year-old should be sing their career, but it is useful to start them thinking in terms of what they enjoy, what kind of person they are, their strengths and weaknesses.”

I doubt anyone would argue with this, but the question is how? Some years ago, my school was part of a major research project by the University of Birmingham to investigate how students identified their career path. The findings influenced us enormously. Primarily it showed that students made their career choices by year 8. So much so, that by year 10, when careers guidance kicked in, we encountered real reluctance to consider other options.