Primary Careers Tool – Science

The Primary Careers Tool is a database of over 100 STEM careers sorted by National Curriculum topic in Science.  By clicking on the topic a selection of careers will be randomly presented.

Each career includes a simple explanation of the job, a link that searches for counter-stereotypical images of that type of STEM worker and three attributes that are needed by people who do that job. It doesn’t take long to put this information into presentation slide (see right) that can be used in a science lesson. The slide enables discussions about the career, by asking the children if they could do that career and whether they share any of the attributes. The counter-stereotypical images also let the teacher challenge current stereotypes held in the class.

Using the Primary Careers Tool allows teachers to find out about careers that may be new to them, and introduce those careers simply in their lessons. Over time, children will come to realise that studying science opens up a whole world of possibilities to them.

This presentation outlines the research background to the Primary Careers Tool.