Career Connections: Parent Resources

Career Connections Activities for Students

  • First Day of School

    Career Connections

  • Senior Internship Applications Begin

    Ms. Carson will begin meeting with Seniors during Senior Seminar classes to discuss applications for internships.  

    Career Connections

  • Grade 11 Career Connections Field Trip

    Juniors are invited to attend Aerospace Alley, a career fair sponsored by the Aerospace Components Manufacturers, held at the Convention Center in Hartford.  signed permission forms are required and must be turned in by October 22.

    Career Connections
  • Read more

  • ASVAB Assessment Interpretation

    Career Connections
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Resources for Parents

Does My High Schooler Need a Career Plan?

Young male and female characters are trying to find the right path direction and guide to destination Young male and female characters are trying to find the right path direction and guide to destination. Different strategies for life choices and hardship solutions. Flat cartoon vector illustration career path stock illustrations

 Your child needs to think about how they want their life to look after high school.   What values are important to them? What skills do they have? What’s their vision? What education is required for career paths that are of interest to them?  Understanding all of this helps students form their career goals. 

Westbrook High School wants to help.  Of course, access to quality elementary and secondary education is critical in preparation for a career whether it begins right after high school or after college, trade or technical school, apprenticeships or the military.  The school's Career Connections initiative provides opportunities for students to build awareness of the multiple opportunities available to them, to explore careers and to help them prepare for career options.  

EARLY EXPERIENCE & EXPOSURE SAVES MONEY

There are hundreds and hundreds of careers out there and available.  Usually teenagers are aware of only the big careers like doctor, lawyer, and ones held by those adults around them.  Teenagers also think a career option will come to them naturally even though we know career choices are made.  If your teen heads off to college,  they will see all the major & minor options.  They may think it all sounds interesting and jump around majors. That’s a costly thing to do, as it postpones graduation.  Career Connections experiences during high school help your student experience what it looks like in a chosen career path before they make post secondary decisions and, at least, helps them narrow down their choices before it costs additional money in post secondary education and training.

THEY WON'T PICK THE RIGHT JOB AT 17

We don’t expect teens to pick the right job at age 17, but we do know participation in Career Connections activities can narrow that field.  We want to help them narrow it down to 3 or 4 careers that they’d like.  That turns into tweaking some elective courses they select in high school or influencing them to put forth effort in academic courses and extracurricular activities so they gain skills and knowledge necessary for success.   Effort students put forth in high school influences the options they have beyond high school.   It will even help clarify the available options for post secondary education.

2025-2026 CAREER CONNECTIONS ACTIVITIES 

Westbrook High School is joining local business and industry partners to provide opportunities for your teenager to explore careers and to prepare for them for their future.  Activities include: 

  • Business and industry classroom guest speakers and mentors
  • Internships for Grade 11 and 12 students
  • Mock interview workshop
  • Resume writing workshops
  • LinkedIn workshop
  • Business/industry panels
  • Grade level job shadowing field trips
  • Senior Project mentors
  • Community Service options
  • School-based enterprises through career/technical education courses and school clubs
  • ASVAB Career Exploration program, consisting of career aptitude testing and interpretation
  • Career Interest Inventories through counseling office with follow up through advisory sessions
  • Career/technical education skills competitions (Project Manufacture Welding Competition, for example)

CAN YOU HELP?

We know that parents and family members have the greatest influence on a child's career decisions.  Strengthen your influence by building Career Connections at home.   

  • Communicate with your student that graduating from high school and gaining marketable skills is very important.  Because most people need additional education and training when they start a new job, doing well in high school prepares students for success with those opportunities.
  • Encourage your student to develop personal success skills, including  having a growth mindset, work ethic, professionalism, information literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, communications, collaboration, conflict resolution, and self-advocacy.  Many of these personal success skills are built into the Westbrook Public Schools Portrait of a Graduate attributes:  Effective Communicator, Responsible Decision Maker, Critical Problem Solver, Creative Thinker, Socially Aware, and Perseverant.  
  • Encourage your teenager to participate actively in Career Connections activities sponsored by the school and talk to them about what they learned from the experiences.  
  • Talk about career pathways and explore elective classes that Westbrook High School offers.  Earning college credit in high school through dual enrollment courses (UConn courses offered at the school) and Advanced Placement prepare students for post secondary education experiences.  Career technical education courses are excellent opportunities to explore the world of work and gain valuable workplace experience.   Help your student select a four-course instructional sequence focused on building skills and knowledge during Grades 9 through 12.  
  • Review your child's career interest inventory in Naviance.  Discuss career options based on interests.  
  • Encourage your child to join a school club, sport, or organization and to consider leadership in them.  
  • Create a timeline and calendar with important dates and deadlines, such as application due dates, scholarship deadlines, SAT assessment dates and Career Connections activities.  Refer to the Career Connections Learning & Career Development Continuum found in the Resources for Parents below.  
  • Visit CT Career Paths and review the education and training requirements for careers of interest.  You may also review the Occupational Outlook Handbook for a information about occupations across the country.  See links to these resources below in Resources for Parents.
  • Encourage big dreams in tandem with practical action steps.

Refer to Resources for Parents for additional support and resources.