Careers Wales launches primary school resources to inspire children about world of work

Careers Wales has launched a suite of resources for primary schools called ‘Careers City’, featuring quizzes, fact sheets, and videos about different jobs and industry sectors.

Created to teach Key Stage 2 pupils about careers and the world of work, the resources are available now for teachers to download and use in lessons.

The resources have been specifically designed to fit within the new school curriculum for Wales 2022 and feature a range of themes and topics which can be used in a fun, easy and engaging way.

The package also contains information and interactive tools for teachers to use within lessons including Mathematics and Numeracy, Languages, Literacy and Communication, Science and Technology and Expressive Arts.

The main learning tool centres around the ‘Discovery Map’ which  features buildings within ‘Careers City’ that represent key sectors of industry, such as shops to represent retail jobs, a recycling centre to demonstrate roles in energy and environment and a futuristic hub to feature jobs in life sciences.

As the school year progresses and teachers integrate the resources into their lessons, the aim is for the class to have learnt about all the jobs and sectors featured in Careers City by the end of the summer term.

The map can be adapted depending on the school’s local community and labour market and pupils can use it to explore Careers City and its jobs throughout the school year. For example, schools in more rural areas in Wales could focus on the tourism and farming sectors, whereas urban-based schools may feature more office space on their map.

The resources, initially piloted by schools in north Wales, were well received among teachers. One teacher who took part in the pilot said “[there is] definitely a gap in primary education and pupils will benefit from gaining knowledge of jobs and salaries to motivate themselves and become more independent learners”.

Chief Executive of Careers Wales, Nikki Lawrence said: “The new resources will help primary pupils learn more about the range of careers and the opportunities available to them in the future.

“We designed the resources to fit flexibly within the school curriculum and allow teachers to integrate them into their existing lesson plans each term. Most importantly, they will have the freedom to choose the level at which they would like to incorporate the information provided in the resource to add context to their class’s learning.

“It’s important to begin raising the aspirations of young people by broadening their horizons at an early age and help to address preconceived and stereotypical views about the world of work.”

Another teacher who took part in the pilot added: “we’ve started with two standalone lessons and we’ve set up the display.

“I can see now how throughout topics we can learn about new careers and add to the display”.

The resources are now available to download via the Careers Wales section of Hwb. For more information, visit the careers professional section of the Careers Wales websitehttps://careerswales.gov.wales/careers-professionals