Career Pathway Selection

Career readiness Arts, Career pathway selection, Career Pathways, Career Planning, Career readiness, Career Tracks, CBC career pathing, CBC career pathways, CBC Grade 9, CBC subjects, Choosing career paths, Grade 9, Senior School career pathways, Senior School subjects, Senior School Tracks, Social Sciences, STEM

Is Your Grade 9 Child Ready to Choose a Career Path in 2025? Time is running out!

The CBC Revolution: A New Era in Kenyan Education

The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is a way of learning that helps students develop real-life skills instead of just memorizing information for exams. It focuses on teaching things that are useful and can be applied in everyday life. The CBC uses a mix of classroom lessons and practical activities, along with regular assessments and feedback, making learning more engaging and meaningful. It also focuses on mastering concepts, meaning students don’t just learn facts, but learn how to use acquired competencies in real-life situations. A well-implemented CBC helps students prepare for life beyond the classroom by promoting important skills like creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, lifelong learning, and social responsibility.

In Kenya, the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) has been adopted as the national curriculum. The learning journey starts with Pre-Primary (2 years), followed by Lower Primary (3 years), Upper Primary (3 years), Junior Secondary (3 years), and Senior Secondary (3 years), after which students can transition to tertiary institutions.

Facing the Future: The Career Pathway Dilemma for Grade 9 Learners

In 2025, Grade 9 students will need to make important decisions about their studies and future careers. They will choose:

a general career pathway to follow in Senior School. There are three options to choose from:
- Arts and Sports Science
- Social Sciences
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
a specific career track from 9 different options.
the specified number of elective subjects, which will be studied along with core subjects that all students in the same track must take.
a Senior School that offers the career pathway, tracks, and subjects that they are interested in.

Unpacking the Stress: The Struggles of CBC Learners

The first group of students under Kenya’s new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) has, no doubt, faced many challenges. These students are the pioneers of a new, untested system, tasked with charting a course for others to follow with limited resources, support, and confusing untimely guidelines. The system is still being developed and many things are being tested for the first time. The requirement to choose career pathways at the end of Grade 9 presents additional challenges, some of which are highlighted below:

Learners do not have a clear picture of their entire academic journey from, start to finish, so they find it difficult to plan and prepare well for the future. Since the CBC system is still new in Kenya, stakeholders in education including students, parents, teachers, and even education authorities are still learning how it works. Although the curriculum framework is available, everything else is still being developed and organized into clear deliverables, processes, facilities, materials and exams, for implementation. It is worth noting that majority of students do not understand CBC, let alone the complexities of career pathways, tracks, and subjects.

Learners have limited time to choosing their career pathways, with the first CBC class in Kenya expected to do so in 2025 at the end of Grade 9. However, many students don’t understand the basic steps in career planning, and that in order to make good choices they must be skilled in the smaller steps that lead to the final decision. They need time to learn, research, practice, and test their options before settling on a particular pathway. The decisions they make will shape not only their educational and professional futures, but also the future of Kenya’s workforce, making it essential that they receive the right guidance and timely support to make informed choices. Due to their age and limited knowledge, many students may make poor choices based on what is popular, what friends want, or what guardians suggest, instead of what matches their own skills and interests. Later, learners may regret their choices with serious consequences which may include a sense of loss, bitterness, reduced trust in adults and the system, wasted resources and potential, unfulfilled expectations, and unproductive careers. Some students are bound to feel overwhelmed by the pressure to make big decisions without enough support, causing stress and anxiety, impacting their mental health.
Most parents are navigating the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) with little understanding of its true scope or the long-term impact it will have on their children’s futures. Unfamiliar with the fundamental shift from traditional, exam-focused learning to a system that emphasizes skills, competencies, and personalized learning pathways, many are simply going with the flow, unaware of the challenges and opportunities ahead. Ultimately, this gap in understanding puts parents at risk of unintentionally limiting their children’s potential, leaving learners underprepared to fully capitalize on the curriculum’s potential, and undermining their growth and success in a rapidly changing world.
Teachers, already overwhelmed with their teaching responsibilities, simply do not have the time, competence, or tools to guide students effectively through the career pathway selection exercise. In fact, many teachers lack basic training in CBC and resources to implement it effectively. Without sufficient investment in appropriate teacher training, there is a real risk that students could be steered toward pathways that do not serve their best interests, ultimately undermining the very goals of the CBC. Large class sizes, bureaucratic hurdles, and other contextual factors also make it difficult for teachers to provide personalized support.
The government, already grappling with limited resources to effectively train teachers for the demands of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), is about to face an even greater challenge: developing and executing a clear and effective approach to career pathway selection, and ensuring teachers are adequately equipped to guide students in making informed choices. This task is not just a logistical hurdle, it is a critical responsibility, as the decisions made today will shape the future of tomorrows workforce. With the complexity of emerging industries, evolving job markets, and the unique needs of every student, teachers will need specialized training to help students identify career pathways that align with their skills, interests, and potential. The government’s ability to rise to this challenge will be pivotal in shaping a generation that is both well-prepared and market ready.
Given the limited time available, there is a significant risk that the government may rely on subject scores to determine career paths and place students in senior schools. Relying on the performance of children in certain subjects to dictate their career pathways is not only shortsighted but a fundamental misunderstanding of how interests, skills, and potential develop. This approach overlooks the complex factors that influence academic performance, such as test-taking anxiety, teaching quality, socio-economic background, and even natural aptitude, which may have little to do with a child’s true passion or long-term potential. For example, a child who struggles with mathematics due to a lack of access to quality resources may still excel in creative or interpersonal fields. By pushing children into careers based solely on their performance in narrow academic criteria, adults risk stifling their interests and preventing them from discovering satisfying, meaningful careers. In the short term, this can lead to disengagement, burnout, and lower self-esteem. In the long term, society suffers as individuals are channeled into jobs that do not reflect their strengths or desires, potentially leading to widespread dissatisfaction, underperformance, and a workforce devoid of innovation and personal fulfillment.
Since the rollout of CBC, it has become common for poorly planned resources to be quickly created and released at key moments in the curriculum, including course-work and reference materials, exams, and other learning resources and tools. Due to the urgency to address immediate needs, quality assurance is often compromised. This has, often, led to students and their support groups using either incorrect, superficial, or low-quality materials, which don’t support revision and learning ahead. The same is likely to happen in 2025 for career pathways, and for rollout of Senior School. Currently, career materials are mainly for older persons, focusing more on the work environment and offering little about academic preparation. The language used is complex, and the concepts are presented ways that are hard for Junior Secondary students to understand. support tools like aptitude and personality tests only cover small parts of the career planning process. Available online materials are not comprehensive and spread across different sites, making it hard to find everything in one place. Even adults with work experience struggle to understand the process. To address these challenges, many educators may, knowlingly or unknowingly, be forced to adopt temporary, substandard solutions from entrepreneurs out for quick profits, without considering their impact on students, and at high costs to unsuspecting parents/guardians.
If the existing curriculum framework is followed, learners will also be required to choose schools that offer the career pathways, tracks, and subjects that they are interested in. With barely a year to go, the government has yet to provided clear guidelines on school categorization, even though learners are expected to transition to Senior School at the beginning of 2026. This is causing untold anxiety not just for learners and parents/guardians but also for schools as they cannot plan properly or early enough to have the right facilities and resources for effective education.

The pressure on Grade 9 learners to choose a career pathway next year is overwhelming, and the consequences of making the wrong choice will be far-reaching. Prepared or not, when it is time to choose career paths, tracks, subjects, or schools, students will have to make a decision, whether it is the right one or not.

The time to act is now. Parents, teachers, and communities must step up to ensure that these learners have the knowledge, tools, and support that they need to make informed choices that will positively shape their futures. The stakes are too high for inaction.

You, yes you, reading this blog, could be the guiding light that helps these learners find their way. Do you have or know of a Junior Secondary learner (Grade 7, 8, or 9) in your family or community? One of the best things you can do for them and their parents/guardians is to share this important information with them. Raising awareness is a huge step toward solving the problem. You can help by sharing a link to this feature with them or taking the time to talk to them, so they can plan ahead and act in time.

Preparing for the Big Career Decision: The Ultimate Guide for Learners

Given the importance of proper education and support to help learners become active and meaningful contributors to society, and the challenges that they currently face including curriculum gaps, age-related limitations, lack of resources and competent support, and uncertain program processes, it is very clear that Junior Secondary learners, especially the inaugural cohort, urgently need a well-thought out effective solution to assist them as quickly as possible.

We must end the confusion and unpreparedness by effectively equipping the students with the knowledge and skills that they need to handle and overcome both current and future academic and career challenges, and prepare for fulfilling careers. The key is to have a comprehensive solution that all children, including vulnerable populations and those in marginalized areas, can access at the same standard of quality, thereby promoting equal opportunity.

A robust careers program will help students to excel despite system challenges by empowering them to take charge of their academic and career goals, and proactively find opportunities to achieve them, supported by the school curriculum. The good news for learners and parents feeling pressured is that all is not lost. Although time is running out, there is a great solution to help you prepare you or your child for the important career pathway decision ahead!

The Cardinal Education Network, (TCEN) offers a comprehensive careers program comprising 23 online lessons that simplify career planning by breaking down complex concepts into easy-to-understand content for Junior Secondary learners. Students have access to information and tools that help them undertake self-assessment, explore their dream careers, and set goals to achieve them. The program supports the CBC mission by guiding learners through the structure and provisions of CBC, including the various career pathways, tracks, and subjects in easy-to-understand ways, equipping them to make informed choices. Hands-on activities, links to helpful resources, quizzes, and alerts help to reinforce learning and track progress.

The program allows students to learn at their own pace, anytime and anywhere, helping even CBC’s first cohort prepare in time for the career pathway selection. Students can register and access the program using any internet-enabled device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, making it easy to integrate in daily schedules. A dedicated Learner Dashboard facilitates a personalized experience, allowing students to complete lessons independently or with support from a parent/guardian, or teacher. The course is priced at KES. 1,500 only, making it affordable and accessible for everyone.

The Do-It-Yourself career course is suitable for learners of all ages, curricula, and levels, including working adults. It is strongly recommended for Kenya CBC students in Junior Secondary to prepare effectively for career pathway selection. The course is also recommended for teachers and parents, as it will equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to provide meaningful support to the children. To register and take lessons, visit https://class.cardinalelementary.com/login/.