Not Too Early, Not Too Late: A Framework for Career Guidance in Competency -Based Education (CBE)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop a framework for providing career guidance to learners in Kenyan schools within a competency-based education framework. The framework will give guidance from early childhood to senior schools. It will help learners select careers and develop relevant competencies. Learners are often introduced late to career guidance, mostly when they must make key academic and career decisions, such as subject selection. This timing may limit their ability to make informed decisions about their future career pathways. The study uses a conceptual research design, grounded in a review and synthesis of existing literature on career development, school-based career guidance, and competency-based education. Relevant scholarly literature and policy documents were analyzed to identify key themes and stages of career development across educational levels. The study’s findings suggest that effective career guidance should be implemented in four stages: identity formation in early childhood, career exploration in upper primary education, pathway alignment in junior school, and professional positioning in senior school. These stages follow the principles of competency-based education, which emphasize learner strengths, skill development, and informed pathway choices. The study concludes that career guidance should be integrated throughout the education system rather than delivered as a single intervention during adolescence. It recommends that schools include age-appropriate career awareness activities at all stages. Teachers should connect classroom learning to real-world professions. Parents and policymakers should support early career exposure to enhance learners’ self-awareness and career readiness.