Career Passport

The Career Passport project‚ originally supported by the U.S. Department of Labor‚ helps young people document their life experiences and translate these experiences into employability skills‚ knowledge‚ and attitudes. The Passport‚ created by the National Institute for Work and Learning (NIWL)‚ is a formal document which is useful for job search and college applications‚ as the process of developing the Passport is a natural counseling tool. The Passport presents a systematic process for developing an experience-based resume that documents nonwork as well as work experiences and details the skills‚ attitudes‚ and knowledge gained through these experiences. It results in a formal product or document in which youth present the many marketable skills they have developed through their life experiences. With the support of Private Industry Councils‚ State Departments of Education‚ local Boards of Education‚ the DeWitt Wallace Fund‚ and the MCI Communications Corporation‚ Career Passport programs have been implemented in several states, including California‚ Kentucky‚ Maryland‚ Massachusetts‚ New York‚ and South Carolina.

Career Passport materials‚ originally published by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education‚ consist of a Career Passport Student Workbook and a Career Passport Leader’s Guide. The Student Workbook contains worksheets for students to record information in nine areas: personal information; education and training; work experiences; volunteer and community experiences; family-related activities; hobbies‚ interests‚ and achievements; skills‚ strengths‚ and abilities; plans; and references. The appendices also include materials vital to the process: examples of skills‚ attitudes‚ and abilities; the Career Passport summary form; a sample Career Passport; and a glossary of relevant terms. The Leader’s Guide presents four processes for guiding students in developing Career Passports: completing the Student Workbook; preparing Career Passports from the Student Workbooks; storing Career Passport materials; and using Career Passports.

Career Passport is a registered trademark of the Academy for Educational Development. NIWL offers technical assistance and training for implementing a Career Passport program. For more information on the Passport‚ please visit the NIWL Resource Center.