Career Development in Primary Schools

Career Development / Life Long Learning making inroads into Primary Schools

A new, 12 month pilot project that involves 3 school clusters with four to six primary schools in each cluster is currently being trialled as part of the Australian Government’s Career Development Lighthouse Schools initiative, funded through the Department of Education and Training (DEST). This project is a collaborative partnership between the Career Development Services Branch within the Department of Education and Training and the Western Australian Primary Principals’ Association (WAPPA).

The project utilises the “Australian Blueprint for Career Development” (ABCD) and the “Guidelines in Best Practice in Early Childhood Education 0-8 Years” booklet.  The guidelines booklet is a comprehensive tool to assist school staff to develop a greater understanding of how to implement best practice principles in teaching and learning, to enhance children’s development across eight core areas including:

Area One: Early Childhood Learning & Development
Area Two : Cognitive Development
Area Three: Social & Emotional Development
Area Four: Early Childhood Curriculum
Area Five: Early Childhood and Teaching
Area Six: Assessment and Accountability
Area Seven: Parent and Community Relationships
Area Eight: Early Childhood within a Whole School

Trial Sites

As part of the trial, each school works collectively in school teams to explore, develop and implement best practice in the early years of schooling (0-8 year olds), with specific links to lifelong learning and the career development competencies as articulated in the Australian Blueprint for Career Development (ABCD).  Three professional development days have been scheduled over the course of the school year, to up skill participating schools.  School Principals attend each of the professional development days and lead and facilitate the discussion and planning for implementation at the school level.  Participating schools include:

Bunbury / Collie Cluster	Canning Cluster
Amaroo Primary	Ashburton Drive Primary
Australind Primary	Campbell Primary
Clifton Primary	Canning Vale Primary
Dalyellup Primary	Forest Crescent Primary
	Gosnells Primary
Joondalup Cluster	Wirrabirra Primary
Conolly Primary
Currumbine Primary
Kinross Primary
Mullaloo Beach Primary

This innovative approach to embedding career development / lifelong learning competencies into the early years of schooling has been recognised by the Department of Education and Training (DEST), who have chosen the project to be a national research project.

For further information, please contact Mary Erceg on 9264 5692 or mary.erceg@det.wa.edu.au.