For Educators - Learning Activities

Skills and Interests Identification

Curriculum Connection: Careers, Technology

Background

This activity can stand on its own or it can be done as part of a larger self-awareness unit. Although the resources illustrate only one field of work, they demonstrate to students that a range of occupations exists in any one industry and that people with a variety of interests and skills are needed in the field.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• Research occupational possibilities
• Explore a field of work
• Relate personal characteristics to occupational possibilities
• Read text
• Find information
• Make decisions

Materials Needed

• A class set of the CARS Reference Guide or access to the electronic For Youth section (CD-ROM/Internet versions) (available from CARS).
• Copies of the Skills and Interests Assignment Sheets (PDF)

Time Needed

• 40-60 minutes

Suggested Procedure

• Ask students to complete the My Skills worksheet. They are to use check marks to indicate the level of each skill that they think they have now. Lead a discussion about different ways in which skills can be acquired both in and outside school.
  • Examples: Teamwork skills through sports, musical groups, clubs, helping a friend; communicating by speaking through giving presentations, volunteer work, part-time work in the future; problem solving through math, science, technology, resolving an argument, fixing a problem with your bicycle or any other piece of equipment, finding a temporary solution to a hole in your shoe.
• Have the students highlight both their strongest skills and the ones they want to improve in some way.
  • Ask students to use the interest-mapping activity from the CARS For Youth section. Again, have them highlight their strongest interests in some way.
  • Now ask students to examine the profiles contained in the CARS resources to get a picture of the variety of work available in the field.
  • Then have students select three occupations from the field that best suit their own skills and interests. Have them record the occupations and the characteristics that match. If students have difficulty matching occupations to their preferences, give them the option to select one or two occupations from outside the field that could involve working with this field (e.g. one of the variety of occupations involved in the advertising industry).
  • Have students incorporate the information they find into their educational or career portfolio, if they have one. Have them attach a note explaining what they learned from this activity.

Optional

• If comparable resources are also available for other fields of work, use all of these and allow students to select the field that is closest to their personal preferences.
• In this case, it would be important that students share their findings so that they have an appreciation of the variety of work available in all the fields.

back to top