Why the student journey to career-readiness needs to begin in the primary years

It is no secret how important it is to equip young people with career-ready skills so that they can flourish in their preferred professions long after they complete education. So, why not start the journey to being career-ready in the primary years, where we embed essential life and work-based competencies – collaboration, confidence and critical thinking – into the curriculum?

Developing these skillsets in children will help them develop a growth mindset and independence in later life, with their own set of principles, decisions and judgments, rather than relying on others or blindly accepting what they are told.

 

Encouraging problem solving

At ACS Hillingdon, we directly teach our children how to be confident, caring and effective individuals, ready for whatever the future holds. Our learning environments are appropriate, stimulating and challenging for our students and are designed, beyond the teachers and parents, to act as a ‘third teacher’ to enrich learning and promote collaboration and exploration. Children are invited to hypothesise, discuss, take risks and develop confidently at their own pace. It does not need to be complicated. They can work together to design and build structures and explain their actions and ideas whilst being questioned by the class. For example, they plan a tea party, decide on the menu, prepare the tables and serve their guests. They grow, cook and eat vegetables and then present what they achieved to others.

These types of lessons also encourage students to make mistakes. All too often, we feel the need to prevent our young people from failing. Actually, learning from mistakes will ensure they develop into resilient individuals with the academic and emotional intelligence to tackle whatever career they choose in a rapidly changing world.

Furthermore, teaching young children problem-solving skills in the face of failure can support their emotional wellbeing. As adults, our instinct is to solve children’s issues for them. Instead, we should teach them to see us as a resource to help them solve problems on their own. Instead of solving it straight away, teachers can ask children questions that model problem-solving behaviours: ‘what have you tried already?’ and ‘what tool might help with that?’.

 

The importance of group work

According to a piece of research that we commissioned into the purpose of education, employers think good communication skills (88%) are the most important skill desired for people to thrive in the workplace. Primary school teachers are well-placed to support the development of communication and collaboration skills required through group projects. However, it requires a shift in thinking from ‘how do I support each individual child?’ to ‘how do I encourage my students to support each other as a group?’ This can be achieved by setting group tasks rather than individual activities, and using this as an opportunity to pose problems to the group that require a consensus, as well as supporting children to specify different roles for themselves when working together in play-based activities.

 

Fostering independence

On top of developing problem solving and communications skills, it is important for teachers to support children’s self-management skills by considering ‘how are we supporting children to notice and meet their own needs?’ Children are often used to having adults manage their responsibilities for them; by giving them the responsibility to manage tasks on their own, teachers are supporting them to develop their organisational skills and independence. Teachers should also set expectations in class for children to manage their own belongings, offering only as much support as is necessary for them to begin to pack and unpack their backpacks, manage their clothes, and retrieve materials for activities independently.

 

Career-readiness begins in primary years

Starting the journey to career-readiness in the primary years is not about narrowing children’s future choices but rather about broadening their horizons and fostering a mindset geared towards growth and adaptability. By embedding these principles early on, we set children on a path to prepare them for fulfilling and successful careers.

 

Sue Wakefield-Gray, Head of Department

and

Chelsea Wilson, Head of Department of Early Years

ACS International School Hillingdon