Keywords
carrier preparation
skills development
career education
program design
integrative narrative review
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
Career preparation is frequently framed around skills young people should acquire. Although useful, such lists can overlook how motivation, environmental support, and opportunities for career-management action shape skills development and use. This article provides a scholarly overview of the Career Resources Model, informed by a narrative review and integrative synthesis. It shows how a career-resources perspective can broaden skills-development research and practice by connecting individual capability with direction, access, and action. Four principles translate this perspective into recommendations for designing programs and assessing their coverage of career resources. This guidance helps researchers, academic programs, career centers, employers, and community partners identify gaps, coordinate support, and distribute responsibility for career preparation more realistically. Although centered on education-to-work and early-career transitions, the approach can be adapted for career change and renewal across the lifespan. Together, these contributions frame career preparation as a shared responsibility and offer a foundation for meaningful, sustainable careers.
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