Student Workbook
The Career
Clusters
In this student workbook
you'll apply what you've learnt
about the Career Clusters to
your future pathways
Welcome
This workbook can help you extend your ideas
and thoughts about the Career Clusters, so that
you can apply what you've learnt to your own
life and career plans.
Follow along with the lessons and complete the
activities - each activity has been carefully
designed to get you thinking about what may
be possible.
We want you to be the one in charge of your
future, because when you know who you are
and where you want to go it gets easier to take
control.
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Unit 1 - What are the
Career Clusters
There are six Career clusters, and they help us think differently about how people
work.
The research shows us that when we think about work, most of us think about the
same key jobs as everyone else – I’m talking about jobs like ‘lawyer’, ‘teacher’,
firefighter’, ‘doctor’ – the visible jobs.
In fact, around half of all teenagers Half of all teenagers
aspire to just 1% of all jobs – that’s right,
50% of teenagers want to work in just
10 key jobs.
But the majority of adults don’t actually
work in these jobs at all – they work as
managers, salespeople, technicians, and
operators, and this is where the Career
Clusters come in.
Instead of using industries to group jobs
aspire to just 1% of all jobs
together, the Clusters are groups of jobs
that share a set of core technical and
transferable skills, key tasks, work
settings, and common outcomes, and
you’ll find people from each Cluster in
every industry.
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What does this mean for you?
You'll grow, change, shift, and adapt throughout your career, and as you progress
you can use the skills and knowledge you gain in one job in your next job. But you'll
probably find that you stay within the same Cluster to some extent.
In fact, if you work out which Clusters are right for you, then you can use that
knowledge to look for jobs that suit your strengths in any industry you choose.
Let's take a quick look at the six Career Clusters:
Makers Informers Guardians
Makers 'make things Informers advise, teach, and Guardians protect our mental
happen' - they grow crops, guide so we can manage and physical wellbeing. They
build homes, repair our legal, financial, and provide medical care, fitness
vehicles, and keep the social responsibilities, and training, safety awareness,
power on. participate in society. and keep us looking great.
Coordinators Linkers Innovators
Coordinators plan, prepare, Linkers help us find, Innovators design, engineer,
and administer our events, choose, secure, and use and manufacture things we use
systems and economy. They things. They can help us in all areas of our lives, from
play a vital role in making sure with products and physical the clothes we wear, to the
everything runs smoothly. items, or with the services food we eat, the homes we live
and support we need. in and the roads we drive on.
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Unit 1 Activity
Jobs + Clusters
To start thinking differently about work, match the jobs with the Cluster you
think they belong in. Remember though, some jobs could fit in more than one
Cluster....
Coordinator
Innovator
Guardian
Informer
Maker
Linker
Financial Planner
Pilot
Health and Safety Officer
Curator
Travel Agent
Power Plant Manager
Florist
IT Support Officer
Engineer
Pharmacist
How did you go?
This is a tricky activity, and it's ok if you couldn't make a decision about some
jobs. We each bring our own ways of working to each job, which means many
jobs will need you to work across multiple Clusters.
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Unit 2 - You'll find every
Cluster in every workplace
Every single workplace needs people from all six Career Clusters to be able to
function. This doesn't mean that you need to hire one person from each of the six
Clusters - it's just that every workplace needs the same sort of tasks to operate,
regardless of it's structure; and that they need to be taken care of by someone.
Let's look at how a cafe works as an example:
To run a coffee shop, you need someone to make the coffee (Maker) and serve the
coffee (Linker), but sometimes these are the same person.
You're also going to need an Accountant (Informer) to manage money, payroll, and
financial transactions, and a Cafe Manager (Coordinator) to coordinate the staff, keep
track of stock, and run the place.
A Food Technologist (Innovator) has developed the 24 types of nut milk you can
choose from *chuckle*, and as food safety is always important, a local Food Safety
Officer (Guardian) will pop by to ensure everything is up to standard.
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Want more examples?
Check out these workplaces below. Keep in mind that most jobs allow you the
flexibility to complete your tasks in the way that works best for you, so you could
bring two (or more) Clusters together in many roles.
Primary School Airport Hotel
Informer - Teacher Informer - Legal Officer Informer - Accountant
Coordinator - Reception Staff Coordinator - Flight Scheduler Coordinator - Hotel Manager
Innovator - Textbook Designer Innovator - Aeronautical Engineer Innovator - Architect
Guardian - School Nurse Guardian - Biosecurity Officer Guardian - Lifeguard
Linker - Enrolments Officer Linker - Flight Attendant Linker - Concierge
Maker - IT Department Maker - Air Traffic Controller Maker - Housekeeping
Building Site Museum Marketing Agency
Informer - Surveyor Informer - Curator Informer - Strategic Director
Coordinator - Project Manager Coordinator - Collection Manager Coordinator - Scrum Master
Innovator - 3D Building Printer Innovator - Experience Designer Innovator - Graphic Designer
Guardian - Site Safety Supervisor Guardian - OH&S Officer Guardian - Diversity & Inclusion Director
Linker - Tool Sales Rep Linker - Tour Guide Linker - Social Media Manager
Maker - Crane Operator Maker - Display Builder Maker - Signwriter
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Unit 2 Activity
Clusters you know
Pick a workplace you feel comfortable with and know a bit about, and
brainstorm some of the tasks that fall under the area of each of the six Career
Clusters. Remember - this is about tasks, not jobs.
Which workplace are you focusing on?
Tasks that Coordinators do: Tasks that Innovators do:
Tasks that Linkers do: Tasks that Makers do:
Tasks that Informers do: Tasks that Guardians do:
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Unit 3 - Where
do you fit?
We've been talking about the Clusters quite a bit, and you probably
already have a good idea of where you fit within the Clusters.
Most of us belong in more than one Cluster, and we can float
between them throughout our career (which means you're not stuck
in one Cluster forever).
There are also Clusters that are clearly not right for you. In fact, if
you work out which ones these are, you'll know to avoid choosing
careers which you would normally find in these Clusters.
Knowing where you fit can help you find work that suits your skills
and plays to your strengths. So you're more likely to enjoy it.
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One thing to be aware of...
Sometimes, people get a bit stuck with
working out where they fit, and when
they already have their heart set on a
career that conflicts with their Cluster, it
can cause issues.
It's ok if you know what you want to do
when you leave school, but sometimes Here's an example:
we fixate on a career because it sounds
good, even though we don't know all Imagine you want to become a doctor,
that much about it. but you're more of an Innovator than a
Guardian.
If your chosen career-path and your
Cluster are in conflict, then it might be a Lots of young people aspire to be
sign you need to do more research. doctors (around 15% of all 15 year olds
actually), but there are lots of other jobs
in healthcare that are as well paid and
exciting.
If you find out that you're an Innovator,
but you still want to work in medicine,
you could look at careers in biomedical
engineering (for example) instead of
pushing ahead with becoming a doctor.
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Unit 3 Activity
Which Cluster?
By this point, it's likely you've got a good idea of which Cluster suits you best.
But just to check, rate how you feel about each one on the scale below:
Are you a Guardian?
doesn't sound like me sounds just like me
Are you an Informer?
doesn't sound like me sounds just like me
Are you a Linker?
doesn't sound like me sounds just like me
Are you a Innovator?
doesn't sound like me sounds just like me
Are you a Maker?
doesn't sound like me sounds just like me
Are you a Coordinator?
doesn't sound like me sounds just like me
How did you go?
If you found this activity pretty easy, then you probably feel quite comfortable
with your Cluster choices - if not, maybe you need to reflect a bit more.
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That's it!
Workbook
Complete
Congratulations, you've completed
the Career Cluster Workbook.
You've learnt about the Clusters and
how they can be used to make better
career choices that reflect your
unique skills and strengths.
From here, it's time to explore - so
start looking for roles that align with
your Cluster and interests.
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Study Work Grow t/a Ponder Education has exercised its best efforts and judgement in compiling the information in this workbook however you
acknowledge that: 1) it is provided for information and general advisory purposes only and does not constitute professional, legal or career advice; 2)
it should not be relied upon or regarded as a comprehensive assessment or evaluation or recommendation of your skills, competencies or
personality or your prospects of success in a particular vocation, field or industry; 3) we recommend you contact any relevant educational institution
or professional or trade organisation before making any decisions about a career or future plans; 4) to the extent permitted by law we make no
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