"I want to do what my Dad does." "I'd be good at painting because I
like drawing."Statements such as these made by children provide evidence that career
development learning begins early in the childhood years. Children
observe and try to understand the world around them and begin to
imagine themselves in adult life. Career development learning can be
unintentional and intentional. Unintentional career development learning,
as reflected in the children's statements, is unavoidable as children
observe and participate in the world around them that includes seeing
adults at work. Intentional career development learning is provided in
formal settings such as career education classes. Career development in
childhood has received less attention in theory, research, and practice
than other lifespan periods such as adolescence. A limited number of
career theories offer accounts that inform our understanding of children's
career development, yet few of these provide guidance for facilitating
intentional career learning for children. This presentation focuses on
career development learning in childhood with a view to connecting
theory, research, and practice. The aims of this presentation are twofold.
First, the presentation will consider examples of statements made by
children in a selection of research projects in relation to career theories.
Second, it will overview relevant career theories and distil a set of theory
informed key features of intentional career development learning that can
guide practitioners.