The NYSED/CUNY CareerKit project includes ten sector-based CareerKits and one multi-sector introductory CareerKit. Career Fundamentals is a 640-page CareerKit with a broad focus across many industry sectors. This introductory CareerKit is ideal to use with students who are not yet sure of their career directions, or in a class in which interests in multiple industry sectors are represented.

It contains many of the same activities included in sector-based CareerKits, but uses example careers in a variety of sectors. Students learn about the big picture of the labor market in Unit 1, reflect on and research their own career interests in Unit 2, learn about education and training requirements in Unit 3, hear directly from workers in the field in Unit 4, dive into the nuts and bolts and choosing a career and finding a job in Unit 5, and read about parenting (also a big job!) in Unit 6.

Unique to the Career Fundamentals CareerKit is an introduction to all 10 industry sectors. Students read about the kinds of jobs, work settings and education that is common to each sector, then rank their interests, before setting off to explore careers of interest to them. Higher level and lower level versions of these readings are included.

As students rank their interests, they create a bar graph, which can be used as the source material for graph-reading activities.

Next, students compare and contrast two sectors. Which work settings are typical in each sector? What kind of training is required? What are employers looking for in new hires?

How to use the Career Fundamentals CareerKit

1. Go to tinyurl.com/cunycareerkits.
2. Use the Skills Chart to locate activities based on the literacy or numeracy skill you want students to practice.
3. Using the skills chart, go to the unit that contains the activity you want.
4. Read the activity and consider whether you want to make any adaptations to the activity, based on your students’ skills and needs.

Contact Ellen Baxt for a Microsoft Word version of the student handouts if you want to make any adaptations.