CERIC announces 9 on-demand webinars available on the Learning Hub
July 6, 2026Retain and Gain: Career Management for the Public Sector Playbook
July 6, 2026
Author(s)
Lorraine Godden, Nicki Moore, Heather Nesbitt and Stefan Merchant
Publisher
CERIC
ISBN
978-1-988066-85-1
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Exploring Possibilities! Journeying Through Career-Related Learning in Grades 4–6: A Teaching Toolkit
Synopsis
Career development is a lifelong process that begins in the early years. In elementary school, engaging in career conversations is not about getting children to make decisions about what job they will have in the future. Rather, it is a time when we ask our young learners to begin the process of investigating themselves, finding out more about their interests and aptitudes, and considering what type of life they feel they might want to lead.
Young children are already developing skills and engaging in experiences that build their capacity for successful learning and positive, harmonious career and life outcomes. However, many elementary school teachers may not be fully aware of how their day-to-day teaching activities connect to their important role in developing these critical career-related skills and attributes with their students. Exploring Possibilities! Journeying Through Career-Related Learning in Grades 4–6: A Teaching Toolkit helps to shine a light on the value and many ways of undertaking career-related learning in elementary schools.
Underpinned by research and data collected from educators, parents, students and industry partners, Exploring Possibilities! will help educators understand the ways that their teaching practices develop foundational career-related skills, such as healthy habits of mind and being, social and emotional skills, self-confidence and self-efficacy. The hope is that this teaching toolkit will inspire educators to go on a journey to explore the possibilities in career-related learning for children in Grades 4-6.
This guide introduces internal career centres as workforce infrastructure – a way to intentionally connect existing career, learning and talent efforts into a co-ordinated system that supports mobility, capability-building and adaptability at scale. Designed for real-world conditions, the playbook helps organizations strengthen what they already have, rather than starting from scratch.
The frameworks and tools are adaptable across sectors, organization sizes and maturity levels.
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Free Webinar
Empowering Educators: Exploring Possibilities for Children’s Career Learning in Grades 4-6
Insights from the authors
- Embracing The Role of Career Educator: Exploring possibilities in elementary schools Canadian School Counsellor, Winter 2024
- Career-Related Learning in Elementary Schools: Seriously? Canadian Association of Principals (CAP) Journal, Winter 2024
- Career Literacy: When should you teach kids about careers? Toronto Sun, July 2024
London Live with Mike Stubbs
We would love to hear what you think of the book, especially how you are using it to inform your work with young children. Please share your insights on how the book has impacted your practice with the research team via email to lorraine@ironwoodconsulting.ca
About the authors
Dr. Lorraine Godden is a qualified teacher and educational researcher. She is the FUSION Skills Development National lead at Carleton University and a part-time Faculty Lead at Yorkville University. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Asia Pacific Career Development Association.
Nicki Moore is a Senior Lecturer in Career Development at the International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby (UK). She is a Fellow of the UK’s Career Development Institute, a Fellow of the National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Dr. Heather Nesbitt is an educator, researcher and mother. She is an Ontario-qualified primary/junior teacher with over 15 years of experience at both primary and post-secondary levels. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University and a Sessional Faculty Member in the School of Education, Trent University.
Dr. Stefan Merchant is an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. A former teacher, school administrator and father, he researches the development and assessment of foundational skills such as collaboration, self-regulation and work habits.
More from the researchers
Visit the project page on CERIC’s website to download additional reports produced by the authors in the development of the teaching toolkit:
- Supporting Career Development in Children: A Literature Review
- Supporting Career Development in Children: Curriculum and Policy Review
- Supporting Career Development in Children: A Review of Business and Industry Partnerships