These tools, usually delivered in the form of quizzes, are fun ways for students to consider their career interests, their existing knowledge and skills, and what they want their future to look like. They typically include questions about preferred tasks, work environments, and communication styles and can help start a conversation among students and families about what career options could be a fit for a particular student, while also fostering self-knowledge.

Examples:
● Xello Assessments: Matchmaker, Personality Style, Mission Complete and Skills Lab
● O*NET Interest Profiler
● CareerOneStop Interest Assessment
● Holland Code (RIASEC) Test
● NCcareers.org Assessment Tools (North Carolina)

These tools help students organize and present their knowledge, skills and experiences as they apply for advanced courses and experiences like capstones and internships as well as college, apprenticeships and more. They typically include a course transcript and evidence of completed projects and experiences in formats like documents, images, videos or slides.

Examples:
● Case Study: How a Linked Learning Classroom is Using Xello to Support their CCR Framework
● Digital Portfolios (Colorado)

While your job as a counselor is not job placement, you can help CTE learners – and all students – understand trends in the local, regional or state labor market with information like:
● High-wage and/or high-demand jobs
● Fastest-growing jobs
● Projected job openings in one, five or 10 years
● Descriptions of jobs, including working conditions, anticipated wages and education and training pathways that lead to those occupations

This data can help students explore broad career areas that interest them; learn about current high-demand and emerging occupations; consider the conditions, earnings and lifestyle they’re looking for; and identify the educational options that will get them where they want to go.

Examples:
● Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
● KYStats.org (Kentucky)
● Labor Market Dashboard (State Center Community College District, Fresno, CA)

Industry partners, CTSOs, nonprofits and other partners offer career resources that can be shared with students and families and integrated into career lessons or CTSO chapter meetings. These may include job descriptions, video interviews, virtual field trips and more in a particular industry or occupation or across multiple career fields.

Examples:
● FFA AgExplorer
● Get Into Energy
● ConnectED Day at Work Videos

In some localities, schools and employers have developed networks that help match students and teachers with employers and industry representatives for purposes like finding guest speakers, coordinating job shadows and internships, and identifying mentors.

Examples:
● Case Study: Building and Growing a Work-based Learning Community Network With Xello
● Case Study: Xello and The Future of Work Florida: Connecting Florida's businesses with tomorrow’s workforce
● Pikes Peak Business & Education Alliance (Colorado)

Within your school or district, students may be allowed or required to take part in courses that focus on or include career awareness and planning. These may include one or more of the following:
● Semester-long or full-year courses that focus on identifying student strengths, interests and goals; researching careers; and gaining financial literacy.
● Career-focused lessons or units that are integrated into CTE courses.
● Short-term rotations through the CTE program areas available in your school or district.
● Summer camps that enable students to explore a particular career area or industry. Some of these optional experiences may be targeted to particular learner groups like girls in STEM.

While you may not have primary responsibility over these career exploration activities – that task will more likely fall to CTE teachers and administrators or staff like work-based learning or career development coordinators – you may be engaged to deliver lessons or to help integrate career planning activities into coursework.

Examples:
● College and Career Awareness Program (Utah)
● 9th Grade Exploratory (Silver Lake Regional High School, Kingston, MA)
● Career Exploration Lesson Plans (Nebraska)
● EmpowHer Trades Camp (North Iowa Area Community College)