Career clusters give students the opportunity of getting information about different professions so that they will be able to identify the right ones for them. They are usually based on the interests and ability of students so that they will be paired with the career tracks that are compatible with them.
Career clusters were created in 1994 and was part of the Educate America Act. They are designed to bring together similar career types that may be ideal to a certain type of person. The aim of the creation is to get students ready for the ever increasingly competitive job market.
Moreover, there are 16 various career clusters as acknowledged by the Career Clusters Series and there are different types of careers in each cluster. For example, within the cluster of Agriculture and Natural Resources, there are lots of careers like logger, mining engineer, fish and game warden and groundskeeper. Each of the clusters can be explored by students in accordance with their interests and in some cases personality tests are taken to pair them with precise clusters.
By going through different career pathways, students will have the opportunity to be aware of jobs they may have never known existed before. In addition to this, they will
be able to discover the educational and training requirements for the jobs so that they will be able to adequately prepare for them. They can decide to attend colleges or trade school or seek some other path in order to achieve their goals.
Furthermore, career clusters introduce students to real-world concepts of responsibility and how to accomplish goals through planning. They will also be aware of the amount of money they can possibly earn and what is required of them in higher education as well as the job market.
However, it is important to correct some misconceptions some people may have about the clusters. They are not designed to definitely place students in precise careers but to be a source of guide for them. It is not uncommon for students to change interests or life goals often, hence, the clusters are designed to expose them to career ideas and not set them on a track they cannot change. Students should take note that the pathway to choose must be one that they have natural talents or liking for so that they will be able to perform to expectation and achieve their life goals.
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