Why Early Careers Education Matters
The Passport to the Future: Primary School Project aims to broaden career aspirations from an early age. A 2023 UK Parliament report highlighted that schools lack the time and resources to provide effective career education. It also emphasized the importance of introducing career guidance early to help children explore diverse opportunities and challenge stereotypes.
Addressing the Challenge in Central Bedford
In 2024, primary schools in central Bedford—one of the most deprived areas in the borough—identified a concerning trend. Many students limited their career dreams to being a footballer, YouTuber, or influencer. These professions, often seen as quick routes to success, raised concerns among educators for being unrealistic and restrictive.
A New Approach: Passport to the Future
The Passport to the Future: Primary School Project introduces a structured reflection process for final-year primary students. Through engaging activities, they explore their strengths, interests, and real-world career paths. Instead of focusing solely on fame-driven roles, they gain insights into a variety of professions that match their talents and ambitions.
How the Project Works
Each section of the project features a unique background design, with distinct colors separating input and reflection. In the reflection areas, students find carefully selected motivational phrases alongside white spaces where they can draw or paste images of inspiring figures. This process encourages them to research these individuals, understand their careers, and discover the values that shaped their success.
Would you like to learn more about my approach to design? Explore my creative process.
The project required creating a personal document for children, encouraging them to reflect on their goals and explore different career opportunities and areas of interest. The proposed path is an educational reflection in three terms:
- inspiration
- testimonies
- discovery
each of the phases is based on school terms
- Autumn (Term 1)
- Spring (Term 2)
- Summer (Term 3)
Each term has a section where the student is guided to reflect on the initial objectives.
The graphic design is inspired by creating 3 macro areas (Terms) which are divided into 2 sections:
A – Input to the student
B – Reflections and tracking of changes to the objectives
Each macro area has a unique background design, with different colors distinguishing input from reflection. In the reflection sections, I have carefully selected motivational phrases and included a white space where students can draw or paste an image of a character. This encourages them to research the person’s identity, career, and values.
In collaboration with the project leader, we chose the title “Passport to the Future” precisely to underline the transition from primary to secondary school and leave a trail for the student to follow.
The booklet is set up, at least on the first page, like a passport, the cover instead wants to give a successful feature with the silhouette with British colours but without using the colours of the UK passport.
