Career Development

The Vision 

Career education provides the opportunity for students to gain the necessary skills for attaining their highest levels of economic, personal, and social fulfillment.  Career development should be integrated within academic content throughout the curriculum and enhanced with business, industry, and CTE partnerships.  A student's educational experience should include the opportunity to attain his or her highest level of career potential through career awareness, exploration, and preparation.  The development of employability skills is essential to a student’s future career success and will allow them to think critically, problem-solve, and operate in a team environment.

The Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, with support from change agents like our Muskegon Area CTC, our local college access network, and Muskegon Promise Zone Authority; is working to create a menu of resources for all districts centered on High Quality Instruction that includes career education and career development. The resources found within this site may be used to assist all constituent districts with planning, implementing, and evaluating local efforts in career education. 

The Mantra  

“Every student has a career IN them. It is our job to find it WITH them.”   

The Guiding Principles 

Career Awareness, Grades K-5

Career awareness gives students the opportunity to become familiar with careers through learning that connects classroom instruction to future work. Career Awareness strategies introduce students to various types of careers.

Career Exploration, Grades 6-8 

Career exploration gives students the opportunity to explore and investigate Michigan’s 17 Career Clusters to discover which pathway and careers best align with their interests. Through embedded classroom lessons and activities, students start to develop an Educational Development Plan (EDP) and a Talent Portfolio. The goal of this is to create learning opportunities that support academic rigor, knowledge and skill development, and social emotional learning.  

Career Preparation, Grade 9-12 

During Career Preparation, high school students refine their career goals and the necessary educational preparation needed to be productive citizens in a global society. Various career preparation activities provide advanced/real-world experiences that help students link their career options and educational decisions. Students learn through coursework consistent with their career interest area, contextual learning, and Career Preparation while meeting academic standards.