Website: CareersPortal
CareersPortal.ie was launched in 2008 by the Irish Minister for Education and Science. The site provides bespoke information for users of all ages, including students in secondary school, their parents and Career Guidance professionals.
The portal includes comprehensive, up-to-date information across a range of areas relevant to the career development of young people. Users can review 33 employment sectors, making use of video material and career interviews to explore related occupations, associated courses and any skills shortages. Current job vacancies in each sector are listed daily. The site profiles the typical tasks, skills required, salary information and entry routes linked to over 1000 jobs within an occupational database.
Also available are employer profiles, explaining procedures for recruitment, internships and work experience opportunities. Employee videos and career interviews are presented alongside links to any current vacancies available. These supplement hundreds of jobholder interviews with people employed in Ireland who explain the choices they have made in their careers, the education they received, their current job, what it involves and their advice to others interested in this area.
Students can use the site to help with subject choice through lower and upper secondary education, with the career choices made by hundreds of current employees presented alongside the relevant subjects. Moreover, students can apply for WorkXperience placements advertised by employers on a searchable database alongside a range of related resources for learners, teachers, parents and employers. In addition, users can use the site to find courses that match their interests and aspirations on a searchable database of education and training programmes at upper secondary and tertiary level alongside the points required to assist in determining eligibility for individual courses and signposting alternative progression routes available. Users can find full details furthermore of available Jobs/Current Vacancies, apprenticeships and up-to-date Labour Market Statistics across all sectors and occupations, clearly indicating where the jobs in demand are now or are likely to be in the future.
The site also provides substantial resources for both parents and guardians to support students in making informed career and college decisions and Guidance Professionals who have access to a range of resources and tools that support the delivery of guidance, along with notices for upcoming CPD training and guidance related news and events available nationally. Finally, CareersPortal.ie includes materials for use in secondary schools. Teaching staff have access to teaching resources/programmes, notably through the REACH+ Career and College Preparation Programme). Students are encouraged to create a personal Career Portfolio (Career File) to assist in planning and managing their career development. This includes access to a range of self-assessment tools, enabling users to find out how their interests, personality, skills etc. can connect with different courses and careers. A free eight-page Career Report, which includes job and course matching, can be generated, and printed. Students can create shortlists of courses and occupations which are of interest to them and store them in their digital portfolio for further exploration.
