Preparation for the World of Work - career investigation and planning
What the exam tests
You must carry out and write up a career investigation: the role, the entry routes, the working conditions and your own suitability, backed by sources. The career investigation is a core portfolio item, and exam questions ask how to research a career.
What a career investigation contains
- Job title and main duties.
- Skills, qualities and qualifications needed.
- Entry routes and NFQ levels.
- Working conditions: hours, location, environment, travel.
- Pay and progression.
- Employment trends and demand.
- Sources used.
- Personal suitability: interests, aptitudes, values.
Routes after Leaving Certificate
- CAO higher education (NFQ levels 6–8).
- PLC Post-Leaving Certificate courses (NFQ levels 5–6), often with progression links.
- Apprenticeships (NFQ levels 5–9), earn and learn, managed through SOLAS and employers.
- Traineeships and direct employment.
Sources
Qualifax, Careers Portal, the CAO handbook, professional bodies, college prospectuses, job adverts and interviews with people in the role.
Worked example
A student interested in physiotherapy checks CAO points and subject requirements, compares an honours degree with a PLC in sport and exercise science as a progression route, interviews a chartered physiotherapist, and notes that observation hours strengthen an application. The conclusion links the findings to the student's interest in sport and helping people.
Traps
Writing a generic description with no sources; ignoring entry requirements; confusing PLC with apprenticeship; omitting personal suitability; failing to compare two routes; no conclusion.