A recent Gallup study of Gen Z students (ages 12-27) illustrates the ongoing emphasis to create student-centered learning experiences that connect career education to real-world careers. The report found that as many as 54% of students report feeling a lack of engaging learning experiences in school, and only about half (51%) report feeling prepared for their future. Students not pursuing a 4-year degree after high school are less likely to feel motivated by, interested in or excited about what they are learning in school than their college-bound peers, and only 40% feel prepared for their future.
What makes for engaging experiences? Nearly half of respondents (46%) say opportunities to engage with the material in a hands-on way drive their interest, and about one in three (35%) most enjoy what they are learning when they can connect it to the real world.
The ‘25-’26 school year presents an opportunity to reimagine career exploration activities, lessons, and courses to drive motivation and create engaging connections that gets students excited about their futures.
Here are five career education guiding practices to evaluate for next year:
1. Start Planning for Earlier Career Exploration Activities
Why it matters: A 2024 report from the American Student Assistance highlights the benefits of starting career exploration in middle school. By helping students identify their career interests sooner, schools can empower them to make more informed decisions about which high school classes and extracurricular activities to pursue, ensuring their academic path aligns with their future goals.
Best Practice: Implement immersive career exploration activities beginning in middle school to help students build self-awareness, expand their understanding of career options, and develop plans for reaching future goals. Consider how Transfr Trek’s career discovery tools can support your students’ early career awareness and career exploration journey.
2. Integrate VR into Career Preparation and Training Courses
Why it matters: While working in their curriculum development teams, educators require adequate time to evaluate existing materials, review new standards and learning outcome requirements, and consider how to leverage new technologies like virtual reality. Providing additional planning time allows educators to understand how these tools can be integrated into their career preparation and training curriculum to further enhance student learning objectives.
Action step: Explore the Virtual Training Facility Curriculum Planner, a modular instructional planning resource filled with activity plans, guides, and materials designed to help educators seamlessly integrate VR into their CTE curriculum using a stations model. This will be available in Transfr later this year, but you can request early access here.
3. Develop Local Industry Partnerships
Why it matters: Through partnerships with local industries and employers, students can begin seeing their career plans and pathways in action within their own communities. Creating opportunities for students to take their learning and training from the classroom to the workplace makes the abstract a reality.
Action step: Explore partnerships with local industry and workforce development boards to identify and build work-place learning experiences in your region. Tailor your career exploration programs to foster these opportunities and help students further experience clear pathways to well-paying local jobs. Emphasize the value of building connections with local industry professionals through mentorships, internships, career fairs, guest speakers, and networking experiences.
4. Prepare Your Technology Infrastructure
Why it matters: Transfr understands that every school faces technical challenges from time to time. We are excited to now offer compatibility with Clever and Classlink to make student log in with Transfr more effortless. Additionally, Transfr will be introducing additional rostering and sign-on integrations over the summer to further simplify planning and use of Transfr programs in your classrooms.
Action step: Connect with your IT team to set up integrations with your student information system (SIS) and ensure your headsets are running the most recent update from Transfr prior to students returning in the fall.
5. Support Career and Technical Educators and School Counselors with Professional Development From Transfr
Why it matters: Comprehensive training can help educators and school counselors continue to provide high quality Career and Technical instruction and career advising. The summer is a great time to plan and participate in professional development in preparation for a new academic year.
Action step: Incorporate training on integrating Transfr into your school’s professional development schedule. To learn more about how Transfr can support your educators, schedule a professional learning session with one of our workforce implementation and integration specialists.
Looking Ahead to the 2025-2026 School Year
By considering these steps now, you’ll be able to continue to offer engaging career education experiences next school year.
Remember that career education isn’t just about showing students their options—it’s about creating experiences that engage and motivate students by connecting the dots between their education and training options today with their ability to succeed in their future.
Interested in learning how Transfr’s immersive career exploration and skill-building solutions can support your district’s goals for the 2025-2026 school year?
