In response to youth-led research highlighting gaps in careers education and work readiness in our region, we developed the Careers Explorium in 2022. This framework includes 16 resources proven to help young people become work-ready, addressing issues like limited employer connections, work experience, and local labour market insights.

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Careers Explorium is a collection of high-quality career exploration resources designed to help schools, job agencies and industry partners guide young people toward the right opportunities for them. 

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We know that many young people in our region don’t have a clear picture of the range of careers available, or the steps needed to reach them.  

Too often, students narrow their choices to a small number of “popular” jobs, even when those options may not suit their interests or strengths. This can lead to costly missteps , including changing courses, disengaging from training, or withdrawing from higher education. 

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The good news is that research also shows that nine  experiences during the teenage years that can make a real difference. These experiences are linked with faster transitions into employment, higher pay and greater job satisfaction.  

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The explorium provides a curated menu of evidence-based and industry-embedded resources to help those working face-to-face with young people to provide these experiences. 

 

Over the past three years, we have:

• Built a framework of essential work-readiness experiences.

• Curated and developed high-quality, adaptable careers resources, two of which have won awards.

• Conducted youth-led research to influence school-to-work reform, briefing 1,000 decision-makers on key issues like gender disparities in trades.

• Launched the My Local Jobs website, connecting employers and young people with real-time regional job opportunities.

These initiatives aim to equip young people with the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to successfully transition into the workforce