The Career Pathways program has been designed to help Bethlehem Area School District students on their path to deciding what they would like to do after high school. Students begin their journey by exploring personal skills, interests, and aptitudes through career assessments which supply them with ideas about how one of the five Career Pathways might “best fit” their personality.

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A career path is a broad spectrum of careers that share similar characteristics and for which employment requirements call for common interests, strengths, and competencies. The U.S. Department of Education has identified sixteen (16) Career Clusters that were designed to help students focus on an area of interest and possible career path. BASD’s Career Pathways Program combined the clusters to create five broader and more flexible paths for student exploration and instruction. The five Pathways used by the Bethlehem Area School District are as follows:

 

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It is recommended that students select a Career Pathway during course selection of their 8th grade year. Students will then be able to examine specific careers and post-high school educational programs related to their Pathway. In addition, elective course recommendations and service learning options will be available to assist parents and students in making course selections that will be most beneficial to their academic and career goals. This information will help students see a connection between what they learn within the classroom and the skills they need for success in their adult lives and the work world.

Students will explore the Career Pathways in more depth in their freshman seminar class, and revisit their progress and goals during their junior seminar class. The goal is not to tie students down to a career path, but to have them continually explore their career interests, reflect on their experiences, and adjust their course of action as needed throughout high school.

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There are wonderful resources available to students who are unsure of what they would like to pursue after high school:
 

• The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corperation creates a comprehensive list of in-demand careers each year. This list identifies occupations that are being commonly sought by Lehigh Valley employers, thus helping students find a career path that will likely result in more easily securing employment. It is organized by career field and level of education. Students can reflect on the amount of schooling or training they are willing to do and the salary they are looking to make and find specific job titles in their field of interest to start exploring.
   

• PA CareerLink Lehigh Valley has a large bank of career paths on their website created by organizations around the Lehigh Valley. Students can browse through the organizations, search by industry, or even search by job title. Through this website, students can learn what skills and qualities organizations are looking for in an employee, as well as the exact steps they need to take achieve their professional goals. 

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Once students have an idea about their career interests, they are invited to explore the district's five Pathways. Below you will find links to each Pathway and the courses that fall within each along with their descriptions.​​​​​​​