Planning CTS Pathways with Students

As students progress through each level of learning in CTS, they participate in career planning while exploring career options in a variety of occupational areas. To encourage student success:

• Encourage the creation and completion of personal inventories.
  
  
• Develop portfolios or other means of collecting information that link CTS and other course learning experiences to career path building.
  
  
• Remind students to review current senior high school course selections, extracurricular activities, hobbies, and interests and find common themes that connect to imagined or anticipated future roles. Are there gaps? What might students have to change to satisfy specific needs for their individual career path building? How might their experiences in CTS support their possible options?
  
  
• Review plans to help students clearly define goals.
  
  
• Encourage students to think about possibilities.

Assess Interests, Skills, and Personality

Students may complete one or more interests, skills and personality tests to provide insights into personal strengths, aspirations and abilities. Several tests can be found on the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website in the Self-Assessment Tools section.

Explore and Investigate Career and Education Opportunities

A variety of resources are available to investigate careers of interest. Encourage students to consider the wide range of work options available, try finding out the specifics of particular careers of interest, and investigate recent trends in business and industry.

Various resources and tools are available on the ALIS website. Search for the link to CAREERinsite from the ALIS homepage.

Information about various occupations is available from the OCCinfo section on the ALIS website.

Information about various certification and registration requirements is available from the CERTinfo section on the ALIS website.

Information about wages and salary expectations is available from the WAGEinfo section on the ALIS website.

Information about post-secondary institutions throughout Alberta and Western Canada is available from the EDinfo section on the ALIS website.

Plan a CTS Pathway

Together with the student, reflect on all the information gathered on interests, skills, personality, and career and education possibilities while exploring CTS courses and pathways for that student.

Review CTS courses offered and discuss options. If possible, have the student discuss the CTS program with older students or graduates. Investigate the prerequisites required for courses of interest. Examine sample CTS pathways and consider how they might be modified. Use Pathway Planning on the Alberta Education website.

Teachers and counsellors should provide students with guidance and support during the pathway planning process.

Review, Reflect On, and Revise CTS Pathway

At least once a year, students should reflect on their CTS pathway and the courses taken during the year. Encourage students to use the Pathway Planning tool to help organize and record their thoughts. If necessary, make revisions to the CTS pathway based on the student’s reflections.

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