Top resources to support careers education in the classroom
According to the Gatsby Foundation, good career guidance is necessary for social mobility, and young people without significant social capital to draw upon have the most to gain from substantial career support.
Here are some ways you can initiate career discussions in your classroom by utilising the National Centre for Computing Education's and Isaac Computer Science's collection of free resources.
Isaac Computer Science Journeys
Our Computer Science Journeys are a collection of short blogs written by a diverse group of computing professionals, apprentices, and students, and reflect a wide variety of career paths. From software developers to environment artists, these are the perfect resources to signpost your students to for an insight into where a future in computing can take them.
Why not ask your students to explore these for homework and present back to the class on “careers in computer science”?
Careers in Computer Science video collection
Also on the Isaac Computer Science platform are a comprehensive collection of computer science career videos. Each short video is narrated by an expert in their field, where in just three minutes they explain a career such as Cybersecurity, Databases or Networking. These videos make a great stimulus for a lesson on computer science careers, and are easy, cost-free ways of enriching your day-to-day lessons.
The videos are also embedded in the relevant sections of the curriculum content, for quick access on the go. For example, when teaching Malware, you will find a video from one of our career professionals, Veno Senthil at Cisco. Make sure you play this in class and discuss it, as it will put the learning into context for your students and show how the topic is relevant to a career in tech.
Likewise, when you start teaching Networking Hardware, you can refer to our helpful topic video narrated by the Head of Cisco Networking Academy, Elizabeth Barr.
Accessing careers support in one place
We know that finding ways to integrate careers into the computing curriculum can be a challenge. This is why our careers support page has been designed to act as a one-stop shop for resources to help you out.
All of our resources are free and tailored to support your school to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks. Each one also highlights the diversity of pathways leading to a successful career in computing, technology, and the digital industries.
The Computing Quality Framework
The Computing Quality Framework (CQF) is intended to help schools review their progress in developing an exemplary computing curriculum
One of the seven benchmarks of the CQF covers careers education, and to achieve Level 4 in the CQF, subject leaders must ensure their curriculum connects computing education to future careers.
To get accredited in the Computing Quality Framework and heighten your provision of careers education, register now!
About the author
Alan Harrison is a National Specialist for A level and GCSE Computer Science at the National Centre for Computing Education.