A Curriculum for Career Development
of Educational Staff
Markus Ammann
University of Innsbruck, Austria
Lea Avguštin
National School for Leadership in Education, Slovenia
Tatjana Ažman
National School for Leadership in Education, Slovenia
Alma Rovis Brandić
Education and Teacher Training Agency, Croatia
Vesna Ivasović
Education and Teacher Training Agency, Croatia
Werner Mauersberg
University of Innsbruck, Austria
Polona Peček
National School for Leadership in Education, Slovenia
Inga Seme Stojnović
Education and Teacher Training Agency, Croatia
Mihaela Zavašnik Arčnik
National School for Leadership in Education, Slovenia
A curriculum is an intellectual output 2 (io2) of the project. The cur-
riculum consists of 5 modules that cover 21 basic career competences,
supporting individuals in their career management. The aims, topics
and expected outcomes are described for each module and, at the end
of the document, recommendations for trainers are listed. The cur-
riculum could be useful for all of those in the educational field who want
to purposely develop their career competences. It specifically addresses
headteachers as leaders who are partly responsible for the career devel-
opment of educational staff members.
Keywords: educational staff, career, career guidance, career
development, career competences, curriculum
Introduction
A curriculum for the career development of educational staff is
one of the intellectual results of the Erasmus+ project LeadCa-
vodenje 2|2017: 123–133
Markus Ammann et al.
reer taking place from 2015 to 2017 in close partnership between
Slovenia, Croatia and Austria. The idea of designing a curriculum
for educational staff members arose from the analysis of recent
national and international policy papers, other documents and
practice related to life-long learning career guidance. The project
group noted, and wanted to draw attention to, the importance of
career development competences for educational staff members,
as there are several indicators showing that training for educa-
tional staff career development has been neglected in most coun-
tries. 21 basic career competences supporting individuals in their
career management have been assembled in the curriculum. It is
intended for all those individuals in the educational field who want
to purposely develop their career competences. It specifically ad-
dresses headteachers as leaders who are partly responsible for the
career development of educational staff members. We believe that
the educational staff who are well-educated and well-trained in
career development are, in turn, going to be able to develop stu-
dents’ career competences, as they are the ones who will be facing
difficult and important career decisions and transitions in their ca-
reers.
The curriculum consists of 5 modules. The aims, topics and
expected outcomes are described for all five of them and, at the
end of the document, recommendations for trainers are listed. The
design of the curriculum is based on the most significant deficits
that have been detected after analysing a questionnaire that asked
questions in different fields of career competences (basic know-
ledge, self-potential, self-leadership strategies and enactment). This
questionnaire was given to teachers (as potential participants) in
three different countries. It was then agreed to use the above-
mentioned fields of competences as a framework for the design
of the curriculum. Module 5, My Learning Process, was added to
provide time for reflection on the learning process and get feed-
back from the participants. Furthermore, the fields of compet-
ences were important for a more detailed description of the mod-
ules. A common scheme for the description of all modules was
therefore developed. All modules include the following items: de-
scriptions, aims, topics and the expected outcomes of learning. For
a substantive elaboration of the curriculum, the different career
competences within the fields were clustered and for each cluster
categories were identified. Those categories represent the struc-
ture of each module in the form of different topics. The last stage
of the curriculum design was the validation and review.
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Aims, Topics, Expected Outcomes
The title of the curriculum is I Am a Teacher – I Create My Ca-
reer. It is structured around basic career competences, arranged
in four clusters: basic knowledge, self-potential, self-leadership,
and enactment. At the beginning of the project, 40 important ca-
reer competences were used as a starting point for the design of
the questionnaire, the purpose of which was to measure the ex-
tent to which the teachers had already developed these compet-
ences. In the process of designing the curriculum, this set of com-
petences was reconsidered by the project members again; some
of these competences were rewritten in a more user-friendly lan-
guage while others, if too similar to stand on their own, were com-
bined into one. The curriculum covers 21 career competences for
the 21st century (table 1).
The Curriculum
The curriculum is divided into five different modules as presented
below. The curriculum is designed to be carried out in a timespan
of five days. Approximately eight hours of work are foreseen for
each module. It is understood that the various modules can also
be taught individually over a longer period of time. The described
curriculum is to be seen as a proposal and potential framework
for training. It is the trainer who is responsible for the method-
ological and didactical implementation of classes. As a support
sample, educational materials were developed for each module
and can be used as a guideline in carrying out different modules
(see Intellectual Output No. 3 for details).
The content of the curriculum is divided into five modules, as
explained below. Each module follows an identical structure: the
title of the module, an overall description, aims, the characteriza-
tion of each of its three topics (Module 5 only has two topics) and
expected outcomes.
The title of the first module is My Career – My Dream, the
second I Am the Leader of My Career, the third is called My Per-
sonal Mastery, the fourth I Plan My Career and the fifth My Learn-
ing Process.
Module 1: My Career – My Dream
Description. Module 1 provides an introduction to the topic in gen-
eral, an overview of the structure of the curriculum, and seeks a
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table 1 Career Competences for the 21st Century
Module Career competences
1 Basic
knowledge
I understand the recent theories and concepts of career development and their
relation to local, national and global changes.
I understand the different segments of the labour market and their influence on
conducting my career development.
I understand the meaning and the importance of my career development for my
professional and personal life.
2 Self-
potential
I improve and enrich my professionalism.
I interact confidently and effectively with others to build networks.
I develop a range of scenarios for my preferred future.
I make effective career decisions.
I follow my career path.
I manage changes.
3 Self-
leadership
strategies
I am aware of how I change and grow throughout life.
I am aware of my skills, strengths and achievements.
I reflect on my needs, aspirations and opportunities.
I continually reassess my goals, values, interests and career decisions.
I learn from my own experiences, formal and informal learning opportunities to
inform and support my career choices.
4 Enactment I am able to set short-term and long-term goals for my career.
I am able to develop strategies to reach short-term and long-term goals.
I am able to acquire information that helps me in my attempt at changing jobs.
I am able to manage the whole process of finding, applying for and getting a job.
I am confident, resilient and able to learn when things do not go well or as
expected.
I am aware of what might interfere with my goals, and I am able to develop
strategies to overcome these barriers.
I use/am confident about using different (self-) assessment/(self-)evaluation
tools and techniques.
5 Reflection
on all
competences
I reflect on my learning path through the lense of the 21 competences from the
previous four modules. This enables and motivates me to consider potential
future steps for my career path and take them.
The last part of this module is dedicated to the evaluation of the curriculum.
deeper understanding of the present situation of participants’ ca-
reers. At the beginning of this module, the participants acquire
general information about the curriculum regarding the outlines
of the programme and the outcomes that the participants will
achieve. Within this module, the focus is on ‘me’ and ‘my career’
over the course of time. This means reflection on one’s career,
goals, decisions and future plans.
Aims. The aims of the module are:
• to introduce participants to the curriculum;
• to enable participants to reflect on their career path;
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A Curriculum for Career Development of Educational Staff
• to encourage participants to reflect on their career compet-
ences and career management skills;
• to create a career vision.
Topic 1: Introduction. The curriculum consists of 5 modules. In
this introductory phase, the participants focus on the overview of
the general aims of these modules. The main methods and tech-
niques are presented. At the beginning, the participants are en-
couraged to express their expectations, needs and wishes regard-
ing their careers. Opportunities for the transfer of acquired know-
ledge/skills are also discussed.
Topic 2: My Career Path. Within this topic, the participants reflect
on their career path. The development and improvement of per-
sonal career planning skills are examined. This means reflection
on one’s own career, participants’ motivation, dreams and future.
Participants are encouraged to address the changes and goals of
their future career.
Topic 3: Career Competences and Career Management Skills. The
main purpose of this topic is to self-assess one’s own career man-
agement competences. Strategies are introduced to help the par-
ticipants become aware of the level of their own career compet-
ences and career management skills. They are encouraged to re-
flect on these in order to assess which one should be developed
and worked on. This is a necessary prerequisite for starting a ca-
reer planning process.
Expected Outcomes. After the completion of the module, the parti-
cipants will be more:
• connected to their career vision;
• informed on the different modules of the curriculum as an
overview;
• knowledgeable about their career path;
• aware of their career competences and career management
skills.
Module 2: I Am the Leader of My Career
Description. This module introduces the participants to the ba-
sics of career guidance and career management skills. Relevant
theoretical models are presented, basic terminology is introduced
and applicable skills for the 21st century career management are
presented. Participants are informed about the relevant career
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guidance policies and the labour market. The participants relate
the acquired knowledge to their own career development.
Aims. The aims of the module are:
• to obtain a basic knowledge of career management skills;
• to be informed about national policies regarding career guid-
ance and the labour market;
• to assess their career management skills;
• to be able to relate personal career development to career
management skills;
• to build on the future directions.
Topic 1: Basics of Career Management Skills. The main aim of the
first topic is to familiarise the participants with the basics of ca-
reer management skills. They get to understand different contem-
porary theories, learn about the best examples of practice and re-
flect on their career management skills. They are thereby actively
involved in the process of improving their career management
skills.
Topic 2: National Policies, Strategies and Labour Market. The main
aim of this topic is to inform participants about national policies
regarding career guidance and labour market. Participants reflect
on the received information and compare it to the current state of
their careers.
Topic 3: My Career Development in Relation to Career Management
Skills. The aim of the third topic is to connect the knowledge of
career management, national policies and current labour market
and compare it with the state of participants’ careers. Participants
identify the gap between the current state of their management
skills compared to its preferred future state and build on the steps,
which leads towards future directions in one’s career path.
Expected Outcomes. After the completion of the module, the parti-
cipants will be more:
• aware of the meaning, notions and concepts of career man-
agement skills;
• informed about national policies and labour market;
• have a basic knowledge of the majority of relevant theories
and concepts in career guidance and management;
• confident to build on the future career directions.
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A Curriculum for Career Development of Educational Staff
Module 3: My Personal Mastery
Description. Modul 3 aims to empower the participants in leading
their career development. Participants identify values, skills and
goals in relation to their career development, then compare and
contrast them with the findings of the self-analysis. They use these
insights to enhance their future career path.
Aims. The aims of the module are:
• to identify and analyse the most influencing factors in career
development;
• to link the identified factors to career competences;
• to get familiarised with tools and techniques for the identific-
ation of influencing factors in career planning.
Topic 1: Identifying Factors That Influence My Career. The main
aim of this topic is to make the participants aware of the factors
that influence their career.
The four biggest influencing factors, i.e. the participants’ per-
sonal characteristics (e.g. values, strengths, expectations), the par-
ticipants’ immediate surroundings related to family and friends
and significant others, the participants’ professional surroundings
as well as the participants’ broader social environment (national,
international) will be addressed.
Topic 2: Assessing the Influencing Factors. The main aim of this
topic is to enable the participants to use techniques and tools for
assessing, identifying and analysing their values and skills in rela-
tion to the four biggest influencing factors.
Topic 3: Managing Change and Decision-Making in My Career.
The main focus of this topic is on the evaluation of participants’
goal achievement in order to make changes. The second focus is to
reflect upon participants’ past career decisions, transition factors
and goals setting.
Expected Outcomes. After the completion of the module, the parti-
cipants will be more:
• aware of the influencing factors in relation to identified ca-
reer competences;
• confident in career decision and change making;
• aware of the use of tools and techniques for the identification
of the influencing factors in career planning.
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Module 4: I Plan My Career
Description. Module 4 is based on the previous modules. Parti-
cipants work with current concepts of career guidance. The focus
is on planning a specific career, while keeping work-life balance
in mind. Module 4 also deals with different activities in relation to
a potential career transition.
Aims. The aims of the module are:
• to help participants design and implement their own career
decisions;
• to foster a resilient attitude towards unexpected events;
• to show a variety of strategies;
• to introduce the participants to job application and assess-
ment tools and techniques.
Topic 1: Career Planning ‘Level 2.’ This part of the module encour-
ages participants to set medium and long term goals for their ca-
reer. In order to achieve them, different strategies are identified
that fit the participants’ wishes, expectations and attitudes. Poten-
tial obstacles are identified, analysed, and measurements are dis-
cussed.
Topic 2: Using Skills. Participants are introduced to a broad vari-
ety of possibilities available in case they want to change or move
on with their career. Strategies like acquiring information, net-
working or application processes are shared. The participants also
question and evaluate possible decisions and consequences that
have to be made in and/or result from the course of this decision-
making process. The development of a resilient attitude towards
failure or unexpected events is also fostered.
Expected Outcomes. After the completion of the module, the parti-
cipants will be better:
• able to set short-term and long-term goals;
• able to develop strategies and make decisions to reach these
goals;
• skilled in managing a successful application/transition pro-
cess;
• skilled in using self-evaluation and self-assessment tools;
• able to deal with the unexpected and be resilient.
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Module 5: My Learning Process
Description. The main aim of the module is to evaluate parti-
cipants’ learning path throughout the curriculum and their pos-
sible transfer of knowledge and skills.
Aims. The aims of the module are:
• to reflect on and assess the participants’ learning process in
the curriculum;
• to identify possible action steps and future support to develop
colleagues’ and students’ career management skills;
• to evaluate the curriculum.
Topic 1: My Learning Path. Participants reflect and assess the
learning process. They analyse the knowledge they have gained
and skills related to career development, in order to identify po-
tential future career scenarios.
Topic 2: The Role of the Headteacher. The role of the headteacher
(expectations, experiences, best practices, suggestions, influences,
etc. in participants’ career development) is looked at.
Topic 3: Use of Career Knowledge and Skills. Participants reflect
upon the opportunities of transferring the career knowledge and
skills they have gained to their colleagues and students. The par-
ticipants share ideas on how colleagues and students can be sup-
ported in their career management skills.
Topic 4: Evaluation of the Curriculum. Participants evaluate the
curriculum by using different approaches and techniques in order
to improve the curriculum.
Expected Outcomes. After the completion of the module, the parti-
cipants will be more:
• aware of their career learning process;
• confident in supporting colleagues and students in career de-
velopment.
Recommendations
This curriculum has been designed as a continuous process. This
means that while the entire curriculum should be completed
within a certain timeframe, the needs and availability of parti-
cipants should be taken into account when planning the schedule.
This training is not considered mandatory but instead intended as
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a skill-enhancing programme that builds on the motivation and
eagerness of the participants.
It is not only the participants who will benefit from the comple-
tion of this course. It will affect the entire educational community
with all its stakeholders, from (preschool) teachers to headteach-
ers, parents and students.
The curriculum was created with knowledge available in 2017.
Since we are living in an ever-changing environment, the cur-
riculum should also be constantly revised and amended. Its eval-
uation after the completion of the modules ensures this.
As a support to the curriculum, sample educational materials
were developed and collected in Intellectual Output No. 3. The
provided materials should be viewed as a guideline for curriculum
implementation; however, the trainers should feel free to adapt
this material to their professional needs.
Being a trainer of this curriculum requires a positive attitude
towards career development and builds on previous knowledge,
which could be acquired in a train-the-trainer programme.
Kurikul za karierni razvoj strokovnih delavcev
v vzgoji in izobraževanju
Kurikul ima obliko Intelektualnih spoznanj 2 (is2) projekta. Sestavlja ga
pet modulov, ki zajemajo 21 osnovnih kariernih kompetenc, ki so v
oporo posameznikom pri lastnem upravljanju kariere. Za vsak modul so
opisani nameni, teme in pričakovani izidi, na koncu dokumenta pa so
navedena še priporočila za vodje usposabljanj. Kurikul bi lahko bil
koristen za vse na izobraževalnem področju, ki želijo namensko razvijati
svoje karierne kompetence. Posebej se nanaša na ravnatelje kot vodje,
soodgovorne za razvoj kariere strokovnih delavcev.
Ključne besede: strokovni delavci v vzgoji in izobraževanju, kariera,
karierna orientacija, razvoj kariere, karierne kompetence, kurikul
Markus Ammann is an Assistant Professor at the University
of Innsbruck. markus.ammann@uibk.ac.at
Lea Avguštin is a Project Coordinator and Lecturer at the National
School for Leadership in Education, Slovenia.
lea.avgustin@solazaravnatelje.si
Tatjana Ažman is a Senior Lecturer at the National School for
Leadership in Education, Slovenia. tatjana.azman@guest.arnes.si
Alma Rovis Brandić is a Senior Adviser for defectologists at the
Education and Teacher Training Agency, Croatia.
alma.rovis-brandic@azoo.hr
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A Curriculum for Career Development of Educational Staff
Vesna Ivasović is a Senior Adviser for psychologists and
psychology teachers at the Education and Teacher Training
Agency, Croatia. vesna.ivasovic@azoo.hr
Werner Mauersberg is a teacher at a secondary school and
a researcher at the University of Innsbruck.
werner.mauersberg@uibk.ac.at
Polona Peček is a Senior Lecturer at the National School
for Leadership in Education, Slovenia.
polona.pecek@solazaravnatelje.si
Inga Seme Stojnović is a Senior Adviser for Preschool Principals
at the Education and Teacher Training Agency, Croatia.
inga.seme-stojnovic@azoo.hr
Mihaela Zavašnik Arčnik is Programmes and Projects Manager
at the National School for Leadership in Education, Slovenia.
mihaela.zavasnik@solazaravnatelje.si
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