Career Connections Start Here
Help learners meaningfully connect STEM learning to real-world careers.
Why It Matters
Career awareness grows through integrated experience, not only exposure. Combining hands-on engineering with careers exploration helps learners:
- recognize the wide range of STEM-related careers available to them
- connect their interests and strengths to future opportunities
- see how STEM skills are used across different industries
How YES Builds Career Awareness
YES integrates career awareness into every unit through real-world engineering challenges.
Learners:
- Take on the role of STEM professionals
- Solve authentic, complex problems
- See how careers connect across sectors
As a result, learners begin to see themselves in STEM careers.
What Learners Do in YES
Across all YES units, learners
- engage in real-world problem solving
- use engineering practices to design and improve solutions
- work collaboratively and communicate ideas
- reflect on their thinking and learning
Through these experiences build transferable durable skills, including:
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Collaboration
- Perseverance
Connect STEM Learning to Career Skills
YES curricula are grounded in engineering practices that mirror real work.
- Explore the full alignment of engineering practices and durable skills (link: durable skills and engineering practices alignment doc)
Go Deeper: Career Explorations
Some YES units include dedicated Career Explorations.
These explorations support learners to:
- Explore specific careers connected to the unit
- Engage in real-world scenarios and decision-making
- Reflect on their own interests and next steps
These activities build on core STEM learning and offer deeper exploration and choice.
Careers for Engineers Posters
Here are a few ways you can use Careers for Engineers Posters, available in English and Spanish, in your classroom:
- Print them!
- Post them on the wall throughout the year.
- Have students review before or after teaching a related engineering unit.
- Share them electronically!
- Encourage students to explore hyperlinked resources.
- Make them available to families.
Each poster is available in two formats:
- Printable with a QR code for scanning
- Digital with clickable links to additional resources