Career and Technology Foundations

The following is taken from the Alberta Ministry of Education document Career and Technology Foundations Draft Program of Studies:

Career and Technology Foundations (CTF) allows students to explore their interests and passions as they learn about various career possibilities and occupational areas. The CTF Program of Studies is based on three essence statements and 14 learning outcomes. The three essence statements outline the essential characteristics of CTF and provide the context for the learning outcomes. The CTF learning outcomes identify what students are expected to learn and what will be assessed. These competency focused learning outcomes are the same for grades 5 to 9. The CTF curriculum honours student diversity, and promotes the meaningful and authentic exploration of various occupational areas. This curriculum supports programming decisions at the local level (e.g., time, resources, instructional approaches, assessment, reporting and organization for instruction). This is to ensure that CTF courses are responsive to the needs of students, teachers, schools and communities.

CTF Essence Statements and Learning Outcomes

CTF is exploring interests, passions and skills while making personal connections to career possibilities.

  • I explore my interests and passions while making personal connections to career possibilities.
  • I use occupational area skills, knowledge and technologies.
  • I follow safety requirements associated with occupational areas and related technologies.
  • I demonstrate environmental stewardship associated with occupational areas.

CTF is planning, creating, appraising and communicating in response to challenges.

  • I plan in response to challenges.
  • I make decisions in response to challenges.
  • I adapt to change and unexpected events.
  • I solve problems in response to challenges.
  • I create products, performances or services in response to challenges.
  • I appraise the skills, knowledge and technologies used to respond to challenges.
  • I communicate my learning.

CTF is working independently and with others while exploring careers and technology.

  • I determine how my actions affect learning.
  • I develop skills that support effective relationships.
  • I collaborate to achieve common goals.

The CTF Learning Process

The CTF curriculum supports learning experiences that allow students to explore occupational areas common to Career and Technology Studies (CTS) and CTF through challenges or tasks. CTF is not a prerequisite for CTS high school courses. The CTF learning process promotes the development of literacy and numeracy and competencies while exploring a variety of occupational areas belonging to five clusters: Business, Communication, Human Services, Resources and Technology. CTF challenges or tasks that integrate at least two occupational areas provide students with an opportunity to experience the interconnectedness of skills, knowledge and technologies associated with various occupational areas. Students engaging in CTF challenges or tasks, alternate between the processes of planning, creating, appraising and communicating in non-linear manner.

Plan: To develop a step-by-step proposal.

Create: To make a product, performance or service by using one’s own thought or imagination.

Appraise: To use ongoing assessment to guide decision making.

Communicate: To share or receive information in order to express ideas and gain understanding.

Though CTF supports flexible, interdisciplinary learning and encourages the use of challenges to develop relevant and meaningful hands-on learning experiences for students, pedagogy used to deliver the CTF curriculum is a local decision that provides opportunity to effectively use local resources and recognize local guidelines and expertise.