The IB Career-related Programme Education for a better world
The IB Career-related Programme: preparing students to follow their chosen pathways in life What is an IB education? The IB continuum of international education, for students aged 3 to 19, is unique because of its academic and personal rigour. IB programmes challenge students to excel not only in their studies but also in their personal growth. The IB aims to inspire a quest for learning throughout life that is marked by enthusiasm and empathy. The IB aspires to help schools develop well-rounded students, who respond to challenges with optimism and an open mind, are confident in their own identities, make ethical decisions, join with others in celebrating their common humanity, and are prepared to apply what they learn in real-world, complex and unpredictable situations.
The CP enables students to:
• follow their chosen education and career pathways in life • combine academic subjects with their personal and professional interests and skills
• engage in learning that makes a positive difference to their community
• think critically and creatively • communicate clearly and effectively in a variety of situations • effectively work independently and in collaboration with others • consider new perspectives and other points of view • develop greater self-confidence and self-awareness
An IB education:
• focuses on learners— IB programmes are student-centred and promote healthy relationships, ethical responsibility and personal challenge
• develops effective approaches to teaching and learning— IB programmes are taught by teachers who help students to learn how to develop the attitudes and skills they need for both academic and personal success
• works within global contexts—IB programmes increase understanding of languages and cultures and explore globally significant ideas and issues
• explores significant content—IB programmes offer a curriculum that is broad and balanced, conceptual and connected.
At the heart of all IB programmes is the IB learner profile. IB learners strive to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. These attributes represent a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond intellectual development and academic success.
For more information about the IB, please visit www.ibo.org
What is the IB Career-related Programme? The IB Career-related Programme (CP) is designed for students interested in pursuing a career-related education in the final two years of secondary school. It provides them with an excellent foundation to support their further studies, as well as ensure their preparedness for success in the workforce.
• demonstrate high levels of resilience, flexibility and agility of mind
• be internationally-minded and globally aware • apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios and situations.
The CP educational framework The CP is comprised of three elements: Academic courses from the IB Diploma Programme (DP)— Students complete at least two DP courses in any of the subject groups: studies in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics and the arts. CP students should choose DP courses that are relevant to their careerrelated studies. DP courses provide and enhance the theoretical underpinnings and academic rigour of the CP. CP students have the option of enrolling in authorized online DP courses offered via their IB World School.
“I think the combination of life experience, work experience and a qualification makes us ideal candidates for many universities and employers. I have tailored my pathway around my career choice and the subjects I need to go on to study at university. I’ve chosen Early Childhood Studies with Youth Studies and two extra DP courses: English and Psychology.” —Lauren Thorpe, student at Dane Court Grammar School, United Kingdom
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Grade 11 and 12 Academic Pathways | IGBIS
The CP core components—Students develop personal qualities and professional skills, as well as intellectual habits required for lifelong learning. The CP core components give context to the DP courses and the career-related study and draw all aspects of the framework together. The personal and professional skills course aims to develop responsibility, practical problem-solving, good intellectual habits, ethical understanding, perseverance, resilience, an appreciation of identity and perspective and an understanding of the complexity of the modern world. Emphasis is placed on the development of skills needed to successfully navigate higher education, the workplace and society. Service learning is the practical application of knowledge and skills toward meeting an identified community need. Through service, students develop and apply personal and social skills in real-life situations involving decision-making, problem-solving, initiative, responsibility and accountability for their actions. Language development ensures that all CP students have access and exposure to a second language. The opportunity to learn a second language is a central tenet of an IB education and increases students’ understanding of the wider world. Students are encouraged to begin or extend the study of an additional language that suits their needs, backgrounds and contexts. It develops students’ oral, visual and written linguistic and communicative abilities. Grade 11 and 12 Academic Pathways | IGBIS
The reflective project is an in-depth body of work produced over an extended period and submitted toward the end of the programme. Through the reflective project, students identify, analyse, discuss and evaluate an ethical dilemma associated with an issue from their career-related studies. This work encourages students to engage in personal inquiry, intellectual discovery, creativity, action and reflection, and to develop strong thinking, research and communications skills. Career-related studies—Students are provided with practical, real-world approaches to learning designed to prepare them for higher education, an internship or apprenticeship, or a position in a designated field of interest. The career-related studies are offered by the school and should be aligned with student needs and progress toward further study or direct employment. Each school chooses the career-related studies most suited to local conditions and the needs of its students. The career-related studies must satisfy IB criteria for accreditation, assessment and quality assurance.
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For schools interested in offering the Career-related Programme
“The IB Career-related Programme is a successful and flexible programme of study that is designed to be
Flexibility
both interesting and accessible to students, allowing
A key feature of the CP is that it provides flexibility to accommodate local conditions. Schools can provide a highly respected IB education by creating their own distinctive versions of the CP, geared toward the needs and backgrounds of students while meeting local, regional or national education requirements, as well as addressing industry and government priorities.
them to develop and prepare skills and knowledge to take them forward in their future career paths. It has enabled students to have access to a broad and aspirational curriculum that gives them a number of pathways to follow upon completion.” —Ms Sian Carr, Principal, Skinners’ Kent Academy, United Kingdom
Quality assurance Any school, or group of schools, wishing to offer the CP or any other IB programme (ie the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme) must first be authorized to do so by the IB. The requirements are the same for all schools, and the authorization procedure is designed to ensure that schools are well-prepared to implement the IB programme(s) successfully. All IB World Schools are required to participate in an ongoing process of review and development, using the same programme standards and practices.
Services and support As part of its ongoing commitment to the development of a highlyskilled global learning community, the IB provides a wide range of high-quality professional development opportunities to help new and experienced school leaders and educators understand, support and successfully deliver IB programmes.
Interested in learning more about the CP? Watch a video, download brochures and read more online at www.ibo.org/en/cp.
Learn more about the process of becoming an IB World School at www.ibo.org/become or email ibid@ibo.org.
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Become an IB student Teach at an IB World School Become an IB World School Volunteer or work for the IB
Support our mission and join the IB community at www.ibo.org
or contact your IB Global Office: IB Africa, Europe, Middle East IB Asia-Pacific IB Americas
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International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme The Core The International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (CP) is designed for students interested in pursuing a career-related education in the final two years of secondary school. The CP offers a learning and assessment programme that promotes access to an IB education while supporting and complementing a student’s career-related studies. The CP provides the flexibility to allow for local differences. Each school adapts the CP to meet the needs, backgrounds and contexts of its students, while incorporating the rigor of IB Diploma Programme courses, the components of the CP core, and discrete career-related studies. To be awarded the CP Certificate, students must: • complete all components of the CP core to a satisfactory level • earn a minimum score of 3 in at least two IB Diploma Programme (DP) courses attempted (between 2 and 4 Standard Level or Higher Level DP courses) • complete a career-related study to the school’s satisfaction. The school-chosen career-related studies are not offered or awarded by the IB, and should be determined by the local context and aligned with student needs and progress toward further studies or direct employment. It is the school’s responsibility to determine the appropriate career-related studies which fulfill criteria set by the IB. The CP core consists of four components: language development • approaches to learning
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community and service
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reflective project
The CP core The core is at the heart of the CP and enhances student’s personal and interpersonal development, with an emphasis on experiential learning. The CP core provides students with a combination of academic and practical skills designed to: • empower students to be responsible for their own learning and development • challenge students to establish and achieve meaningful goals
Key aspects of the CP core • The IB provides the curriculum and assessment framework including the assessment criteria for the reflective project • The school determines and develops the delivery, content and assessment for approaches to learning, language development and community and service, while fulfilling all CP requirements
• provide students with flexible strategies to deal with familiar and unfamiliar situations
• The school assesses the reflective project, based on the criteria set by the IB, and submits it at the end of the two year programme. The IB moderates a sample of reflective projects from each school
• involve authentic activities that allow students to develop both the capacity and the will to make a difference
• Concurrency of learning is important, and all CP core components should take place throughout the two years of the programme
• give students the opportunity to learn, plan, act and reflect
• Both formative and summative assessment should be used for the CP core components
• develop both practical and intellectual skills.
• A minimum of 230 hours is recommended for the CP core components
Approaches to learning The approaches to learning (ATL) course aims to develop the personal qualities, values and skills of the IB learner profile. It fosters responsibility, practical problem-solving, good intellectual habits, perseverance, resilience, an appreciation of identity and perspective, and an understanding of the complexity of the modern world. Emphasis is on the development of global competence and the transferable 21st century skills needed to successfully navigate higher education, the workplace and society, as well as the learner’s ability to reflect on and improve such skills.
to, an extension of DP group 1 or 2 courses, a school-designed course, an externally provided course, or monitored self-directed study.
Each student is required to maintain a language portfolio to chart their progress in the course. The IB may require schools to provide samples of language portfolios as evidence that this component has been satisfactorily implemented. The nature and criteria of assessment in language development is determined by the school, using both formative and summative assessment. The The ATL course focuses on four key areas: critical and ethical thinking, assessments offered should be varied, ensure that measurement of intercultural understanding, effective communication and personal student achievement is valid, reliable, consistent, authentic and fair, development, which are explored within the four global contexts of: and differentiated according to the school’s expectations. Language technologies, communities, environments and workplaces. Schools development runs concurrently with the other CP core components design and develop the ATL course to reflect and bring together and a minimum of 50 hours is required. Schools report to the IB all aspects of the CP into a coherent framework of exploration and whether each student has satisfactorily completed the language understanding. A minimum of 90 hours is required for this course, development component. and both formative and summative assessment are used to evaluate students’ progress during the course. Schools report to the IB whethReflective project er each student has satisfactorily completed the ATL component. The reflective project is an in-depth body of work produced over an extended period and submitted towards the end of the CP. It is the Community and service product of the student’s own initiative and is designed to draw For community and service, students work with community memtogether the student’s DP courses, the other three components of bers to undertake service activities that satisfy identified community the CP core and the student’s career-related studies. Through the needs. The concept of community may be viewed from a local or reflective project students identify, analyse, discuss and evaluate an global perspective. The component is based on the principle of ethical dilemma associated with an issue from their career-relatservice learning, whereby service is a vehicle for new learning of ed studies. This work encourages students to engage in personal academic value. The emphasis is on developing local knowledge, inquiry, intellectual discovery, creativity, action and reflection, and to civic responsibility, social aptitude and personal growth. Community develop strong thinking, research and communications skills. and service provides students with opportunities to use their existing skills and knowledge in real-life situations, while developing learning, The reflective project can be submitted in different formats including, but not limited to, an essay, website, electronic presentation, short responsibility, practical and social skills and caring for others. play or film, or storyboard. However, the following features must This component is usually directly related to the student’s reflective be included and are assessed: an explanation showing knowledge project, and activities are ideally linked to the student’s career-related and understanding of the issue and its context; awareness of the studies. The nature of the assessment is determined by the school, ethical dimension of the issue and its impact on the community; but students are expected to reflect on their service experiences research that supports differing viewpoints and critical evaluation as part of the assessment. Community and service is ongoing, and of those viewpoints; reflection; articulation of the student’s own occurs regularly, throughout the CP with a minimum of 50 hours evidence-based viewpoint; supporting evidence from a variety of outside class time devoted to it. Schools report to the IB whether sources including proper references, citations and bibliography; each student has satisfactorily completed the community and service the effective use of language; and formal presentation of the work. component. Depending on the format, the maximum word limit is between 750 (with accompanying material) and 3,000 words.
Language development Language development develops students in the areas of oral, visual and written linguistic and communicative abilities through a focus on receptive, productive and interactive skills. This component ensures that all CP students are exposed to an additional language that will increase their understanding of the wider world. Language development should include one or more interrelated themes consisting of a variety of topics. There are various ways through which students can undertake language development including, but not limited
The school ensures that each student receives direct supervision, guidance and oversight from a qualified person in the school. Students are expected to devote a minimum of 40 hours to the reflective project. The school assesses all students’ reflective projects using the assessment criteria set by the IB. The IB selects a sample to be moderated by external examiners. The maximum possible score is 30 and the IB awards a scaled grade as follows: 26–30 A; 21–25 B; 16–20 C; 10–15 D; 0–9 E. Any student receiving a grade of ‘E’ cannot be awarded the CP Certificate.
For further information on the IB Career-related Programme, visit: http://www.ibo.org/CP/. To learn more about how the CP prepares students for success at university and in the workplace, visit: http://www.ibo.org/CP/recognition/ or email: recognition@ibo.org. © International Baccalaureate Organization 2014 International Baccalaureate® | Baccalauréat International® | Bachillerato Internacional®
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