The Kansas Career Development Process Model is a comprehensive (K-12) model that provides structure for the IPS Framework developed by districts to deliver: 

• Career development information and lessons. 

• Career advisement. 

• Work-based learning opportunities. 

• Social-emotional learning. 

• Family engagement. 

• Connection to postsecondary opportunities. 

• Business and industry partners. 

Planning a district-wide program that supports all the elements of the Kansas Career Development Model is essential for students to successfully transition from school to work. 

The Kansas Career Development Cycle consists of four quadrants. Each quadrant links to three related components. 

Know Yourself: Students increase their skills and knowledge about who they are as an individual as they begin to build their “personal success identity.” 

Explore Options: Students explore the many career options available. Career exploration skills consist of identifying and analyzing various career options in terms of education, training experience and competencies needed. 

Make Choices: Students gain skills in career planning and management that focus on identifying goals with the best-fit, then creating an action plan (an Individual Plan of Study) to accomplish those goals. 

Take Action: With an action plan (Individual Plan of Study) students take steps to increase their knowledge and skills around their desired goal, market themselves and prepare for employment. 

With a rapidly evolving labor market and dynamic shifts in high demand occupations in Kansas, it is essential that our youth have the skills and knowledge to navigate the career development process by translating what they know about themselves and options they have explored into an individualized plan that they can take action upon - the Individual Plan of Study 

The first area of the career development process, Know Yourself, focuses on nurturing and guiding students in identifying and increasing their knowledge about themselves: their talents, skills, strengths, interests, and values. 

One of the first steps in helping students build their individual success identity is to focus on their strengths, skills and talents. Students should identify their personal skills, strengths and talents through personal reflection and career matching activities. The goal of this stage is to heighten awareness of personal aptitudes and inclinations, as well as possible future career paths that align with those strengths. 

Students learn that knowing about themselves and connecting strengths to career opportunities are part of a lifelong process.  

The Explore Options quadrant of the Kansas Career Development Cycle focuses on enabling students to develop their career exploration skills through many activities. 

Students explore career pathways and programs of study, gain information and analytical skills related to labor market needs and identify postsecondary options related to areas of career interests. In addition, students participate in Work-Based Learning activities associated with the Work-Based Learning Continuum that includes: 

• Career Awareness

• Career Exploration 

• Career Preparation

In designing lessons/activities it is recommended that students identify three tentative career and life goals. We stress tentative, because each year students should engage in Know Yourself and Explore Options activities allowing them the opportunity to reexamine what they know about themselves and what they have learned (explored) about options as they relate to emerging career opportunities. 

High Quality Career Clusters and Pathways and Programs of Study: A Career Cluster is a grouping of occupations and broad industries based on commonalities. The 16 Career Clusters organize academic and occupational knowledge and skills into a coherent course sequence and identify pathways from secondary schools to two- and four-year colleges, graduate schools, and the workplace. Students learn in school about what they can do in the future. This connection to future goals motivates students to work harder and enroll in more rigorous courses. 

Kansas’ secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) Division has adopted the National Career Clusters model of 16 career clusters and has developed 36 pathways within these clusters. Technological advances and global competition have transformed the nature of work. Tomorrow’s jobs will require more knowledge, better skills, and highly flexible workers who continually update their knowledge and skills. Our goal is to provide students with relevant contexts for learning through pathways to postsecondary success. Career Clusters link what students learn in school to the knowledge and skills they need for success in postsecondary education and careers. Career cluster pathways and Pathway Programs of Study are designed to provide a smooth transition from high school to postsecondary education (technical colleges, community colleges and universities), apprenticeship opportunities, the military and/or the workplace. Kansas stakeholders from education, business and industry developed the courses that enable this transition. Kansas has developed 36 pathways that address the need for high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand careers in the 21st Century. 

CTE Career Pathways and Programs of Study provide a structure or framework that align education and training with the needs of the labor market, provide a range of postsecondary options, result in a high school diploma with industry-recognized credential, certification and/or workplace experience. Pathway Programs of Study identify; pathway course sequence, industry- recognized credential options, dual college credit options, work-based learning experiences and CTE student status.  

The third quadrant of the Kansas Career Development Cycle is Make Choices. The Make Choices quadrant focuses on decision-making, goal-setting and building a plan - the Individual Plan of Study (IPS). 

Career guidance/advising activities should be woven into students’ educational experiences. They should encourage exploration of skills outside the classroom and in the community, including work-based learning opportunities, early access to college courses, online training/ course opportunities, and participation in youth development organizations. Students need exposure to careers through job shadowing, career mentorships, simulated work-based experience, mock interview and summer experiences. Lessons and activities that support the Make Choices quadrant in high school might include: 

• Investigating training and degree programs that align to career and life goals 

• Comparing postsecondary institutions. 

• Navigating the postsecondary application and transition process. 

• Networking with business and industry partners. Conduct informational interview to learn directly from business and industry partners the type of skills and postsecondary training they are seeking. 

In addition to career specific activities, lessons and activities focused on financial literacy, financial planning, funding a postsecondary plan, and understanding the costs of living independently, dangers of credit card debt and car loans should be included in this stage. The Individual Plan of Study will serve as the blueprint that guides students in the selection of high school courses, postsecondary programs and potential advanced education/training options that align with their career interests. 

The fourth quadrant of the Kansas Career Development Cycle focuses on implementing the Individual Plan of Study (IPS). 

Students participate in work-based learning experiences to build a career portfolio, to see how academic and technical skills are applied in authentic settings, and to self-assess their employability skills and areas of improvement. Work-based learning experiences focus on career preparation. Students have the opportunity to participate in Internships, Entrepreneurship, Clinical Experiences, Service Learning, School-based Enterprises, and Apprenticeships. 

The Measuring and Reflecting Student Learning - Work-Based Experience Portfolio and Employability Skills Rubric document outlines these employability skills and provides a rubric for pre and post scoring.

Additional career management skills are part of the 2nd and 3rd rings of the Kansas Career Development Process and will be covered in more detail in those sections of this guide.