Middle school is a critical time for helping students connect their interests, learning experiences, and future opportunities.
On October 9, I-WIN convened a virtual roundtable focused on strengthening middle school career exploration. Participants discussed challenges, shared resources, and highlighted promising practices for helping students connect their interests and strengths to future educational and career pathways.
Key takeaways and innovative strategies shared:
- Engaging families as partners in career exploration through activities that extend learning beyond the classroom, such as having students share career research with family members as a homework assignment and hosting family showcase events where students present projects and learning experiences.
- Building early awareness of high school career and technical education (CTE) opportunities by providing opportunities for current high school CTE students to demonstrate projects and share their experiences with younger students.
- Helping students identify and reflect on their strengths, interests, and aspirations through activities such as talent showcases, skills inventories, and guided reflection exercises that encourage students to connect what they enjoy and do well with future educational and career pathways.
- Using student interests to inform career exploration experiences, including selecting guest speakers, designing classroom activities, and creating learning opportunities that align with students’ expressed career interests and goals.
One of the strongest messages from the discussion was that meaningful middle school career exploration requires more than a single event or career day. Participants emphasized creating a progression of experiences that helps students discover their interests, engage their families, explore pathways, and connect learning to future opportunities.
Resources Shared
Community Models
- Elm Middle School Career Studies Elective Courses
- CareerSpark Case Study
- Navig8 Lake
- Aurora region where an elementary school partnered with high school CTE students to create awareness
- CareerSpark STEAM Expo geared toward 8th-grade students. This event is hosted in partnership with Junior Achievement of Central Illinois and Learning Technology Center. Join us on April 20th and 21st in Springfield! Stay tuned for information at DoIT STEAM
- Naperville CUSD 203 – Career Motive-8 (career exploration event for 8th graders): Overview video
- More than 350 8th graders from the Galesburg area participated in the “Welcome to the Real World and Career Exploration” 2026 experience. The biannual event inspires students’ aspirations, prepares them for the challenges and opportunities of the future, and introduces them to diverse career options. This event is made possible through collaboration and support by Delabar CTE at the Regional Office of Education #33, the University of Illinois Extension (Henderson, Knox, McDonough, & Warren Co.), and Sandburg. Photo album
Resources and Models
- Association for Middle Level Education: A Playbook for Career Exploration
- Middle School PaCE Framework
- Advance CTE: Career Exploration in Middle School
- A video competition founded in the Lehigh Valley, PA, to introduce middle schoolers to manufacturers and manufacturing jobs.
Discussion Themes and Promising Practices
Theme 1: Engaging Families in Career Exploration
Why it matters: Participants consistently identified families as key partners in helping students explore careers and make informed pathway decisions.
Strategies Shared:
- Embed career conversations into classroom assignments by having students share what they learned about a career with family members.
- Host family career nights and student showcases where parents can interact with student projects and career-related learning.
- Create opportunities for families to learn about local career pathways, CTE programs, and workforce opportunities.
Theme 2: Building Awareness of High School Pathways
Why it matters: Students and families often lack awareness of available high school programs and pathway options.
Strategies Shared:
- Partner with feeder elementary and middle schools to introduce students to CTE opportunities earlier.
- Conduct CTE “roadshows” featuring demonstrations and student ambassadors.
- Highlight multiple career pathways and credential options available through local high schools.
Theme 3: Helping Students Discover Their Interests and Strengths
Why it matters: Effective career exploration starts with self-awareness.
Strategies Shared:
- Use talent inventories, interest surveys, and reflection activities.
- Encourage students to identify skills and strengths they already possess.
- Connect student interests to classroom projects, guest speakers, and career exploration activities.
- Facilitate conversations about how interests can evolve into future careers.
Theme 4: Making Career Exploration Hands-On and Experiential
Why it matters: Students are more engaged when they can experience careers rather than simply hear about them.
Strategies Shared:
- Career fairs and career speakers
- Junior Achievement programming
- CareerSpark and similar career exploration events
- Virtual reality career experiences
- Industry demonstrations and workplace simulations
- Project-based learning connected to careers
Theme 5: Leveraging Community Partnerships
Why it matters: Schools cannot provide comprehensive career exploration alone.
Strategies Shared:
- Partner with employers, community organizations, chambers of commerce, and workforce agencies.
- Bring industry professionals into classrooms.
- Showcase the variety of jobs that exist within a single industry.
- Create connections between local workforce needs and student exploration activities.