This course equips students to navigate the transition from senior cycle into adult life through four integrated strands: understanding themselves, exploring post-school pathways, appreciating community, and engaging directly with the workplace. Students build a digital portfolio containing four Applied Learning Tasks, including a personal statement, career progression plan, collaborative community enterprise project using design thinking, and a reflective workplace placement report. They master SMARTER goal-setting, values clarification, transferable skills analysis, labour market research, and practical competencies in applications, interviews and enterprise, developing self-awareness, adaptability and informed decision-making for Ireland’s evolving society and economy.
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The opening module of LCW builds the self-awareness and forward-looking decision-making that the rest of the course rests on. You explore who you are now (your values, aptitudes, achievements, interests and transferable skillset) and use that foundation to investigate the real pathways open to you after school. You set up your Digital Portfolio, meet the experiential learning cycle, and complete two Applied Learning Tasks: a Personal Statement and a Career Progression Plan aligned to it.

Strand 1: Understanding Myself
Welcome to LCW: Tell Me About Yourself Quiz
What Is Personal Development? the SMARTER Framework Quiz
Identifying Areas for Personal Development Quiz
A Goal That Lands After the Leaving Cert Quiz
Reviewing a Goal: on Track, Off Track, or Wrong Goal Quiz
What Are Values? Why They Matter Quiz
Priority Values: the Values Card-sort Quiz
Why Priority Values Change Quiz
Aptitudes: Your Natural Tendencies Quiz
Achievements: Hard-won Successes Quiz
Interests: Things You Enjoy Quiz
What Other People See Quiz
Self-assessment in Practice Quiz
Classifying Skills: Technical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal Quiz
Reading a Job Role Description Quiz
Transferable Skills: the Core Concept Quiz
How a Transferable Skillset Supports Adaptation Quiz
Recognising Your Strong Transferable Skills Quiz
Recognising Transferable Skills That Need Work Quiz
Feedback from Others: Why Self-reflection Has Limits Quiz
Receiving and Recording Feedback Quiz
What Is a Personal Statement, and What Is It for? Quiz
Different Formats of Personal Statement Quiz
Personal Statements as Foundational Quiz
Drafting Your First Personal Statement Quiz
Revising for Voice and Specificity Quiz
Peer Review and Feedback Quiz
Tailoring for an Audience Quiz
Saying It Out Loud Quiz
Strand 1.1 Synthesis and ALT 1 Bank Quiz
Strand 2: Understanding My Progression Opportunities
The Eight Pathways After School Quiz
Pathway Hierarchy and Guidance Balance Quiz
Apprenticeships in Ireland Quiz
Traineeships and Further Education and Training Quiz
Higher Education Quiz
Travel, Community, and the World of Work Quiz
What Is a Career Field? Quiz
What Drives Interest in a Career Field? Quiz
How to Research a Job Role: Methods Quiz
Conducting Your Research Quiz
How Your Personal Statement Connects to a Job Role Quiz
Additional Education and Training Opportunities Quiz
Providers of Education and Training Quiz
Investigating Specific Post-school Options Quiz
Opportunities and Challenges Across Providers Quiz
Why People Work Quiz
Changing Employment Patterns Quiz
Employment Rights: Universal Protections Quiz
Young Worker Protections Quiz
Employee Responsibilities Quiz
Tax, PRSI and Revenue Registration Quiz
Entrepreneurship in the Labour Market Quiz
Labour-market Trends and Their Drivers Quiz
Remote Work, Hybrid Work, Self-employment, Freelancing Quiz
AI in the Workplace Quiz
From Strand 1.2 Findings to Progression Milestones Quiz
Starting Your Career Progression Plan (ALT 2) Quiz
Drafting Your Career Progression Plan Quiz
Aligning the Career Progression Plan to the Personal Statement Quiz
Refining, Peer Review and Banking ALT 2 Quiz

This module shifts from me and my future to me and the world I am part of: the local, national and global communities you belong to, and the workplace you are preparing to enter. You appreciate the role of community, recognise enterprise within it, develop transferable skills through a collaborative design-thinking task, and engage practically with the workplace through a work-experience or work-shadowing placement. Two Applied Learning Tasks land here, and your Personal Statement is revisited twice more so that by the end of LCW it reflects your full two-year development.

Strand 1: Appreciating My Community
What Is a Community? Quiz
Positive Influence of a Community Quiz
Volunteering: the Concept Quiz
Ways to Volunteer Quiz
Investigating a Real-life Community Issue Quiz
Forms of Enterprise Quiz
For-profit Business and Community Enterprise Quiz
Social Enterprises Quiz
Identifying Enterprise That Addresses a Community Need Quiz
Competencies Associated with Entrepreneurship Quiz
Critical Thinking and Problem-solving Quiz
Design Thinking: a Human-centred Approach Quiz
The Stages of Design Thinking Quiz
Forming Small Groups for the Collaborative Task Quiz
Clarifying: Choosing and Defining a Real-life Community Issue Quiz
Ideating: Generating Solutions Quiz
Developing: Refining the Strongest Idea Quiz
Implementing: a Realistic Plan Quiz
Reflecting on the Process Quiz
Presenting Your Collaborative Response Quiz
Mid-strand Personal Statement Revisit Quiz
Reflection Frameworks for ALT 3 Quiz
Identifying Your Transferable Skills from the Task Quiz
Drafting Your ALT 3 Reflection Quiz
Peer Review and Revision Quiz
Build Your Placement Skill Log Quiz
Considering Audience for Future Presentations Quiz
Final ALT 3 Submission Quiz
Mid-year 2 Portfolio Review Quiz
What Strand 2.1 Taught You, and What You Take Into Work Quiz
Strand 2: Engaging with the Workplace
Methods of Applying for a Job Quiz
Components of a Job Application: CV and Cover Letter Quiz
AI in the Job Application Process Quiz
What Is a Competency-based Application Form? Quiz
Identifying Career- and Job-based Competencies Quiz
Using Authentic Examples to Illustrate Competencies Quiz
Completing a Competency-based Application Form Quiz
Shortlisting: How Applicants Are Selected Quiz
The Interview Process: Structure and Effective Personal Presentation Quiz
Practising an Interview Quiz
Dealing with Disappointment and Building Resilience Quiz
Why Broad Workplace Engagement Matters Quiz
Tailoring Your Personal Statement to the Placement Quiz
Making Contact with a Workplace Organisation Quiz
Workplace Conditions and Requirements Quiz
Public Social Media Presence: Opportunities and Risks Quiz
Setting Expectations for the Workplace Quiz
Briefing for Placement Day 1 Quiz
Placement Day 2 Quiz
Closing the Placement Well Quiz
Requesting Effective Workplace Feedback Quiz
Reflecting on Placement Feedback Quiz
Planning a Workplace Interview Quiz
Reflecting on Workplace Engagement Quiz
Linking the Placement Back to Your Progression Quiz
Final Personal Statement Revisit Quiz
ALT 4: Identifying Areas for Further Progress and Development Quiz
Drafting Your Response Plan Quiz
Creating and Assessing Your ALT 4 Plan Quiz
Course Synthesis and Portfolio in Action Readiness Quiz

The opening module of LCW builds the self-awareness and forward-looking decision-making that the rest of the course rests on. You explore who you are now (your values, aptitudes, achievements, interests and transferable skillset) and use that foundation to investigate the real pathways open to you after school. You set up your Digital Portfolio, meet the experiential learning cycle, and complete two Applied Learning Tasks: a Personal Statement and a Career Progression Plan aligned to it.

Strand 1: Understanding Myself
Welcome to LCW: Tell Me About Yourself Quiz
What Is Personal Development? the SMARTER Framework Quiz
Identifying Areas for Personal Development Quiz
A Goal That Lands After the Leaving Cert Quiz
Reviewing a Goal: on Track, Off Track, or Wrong Goal Quiz
What Are Values? Why They Matter Quiz
Priority Values: the Values Card-sort Quiz
Why Priority Values Change Quiz
Aptitudes: Your Natural Tendencies Quiz
Achievements: Hard-won Successes Quiz
Interests: Things You Enjoy Quiz
What Other People See Quiz
Self-assessment in Practice Quiz
Classifying Skills: Technical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal Quiz
Reading a Job Role Description Quiz
Transferable Skills: the Core Concept Quiz
How a Transferable Skillset Supports Adaptation Quiz
Recognising Your Strong Transferable Skills Quiz
Recognising Transferable Skills That Need Work Quiz
Feedback from Others: Why Self-reflection Has Limits Quiz
Receiving and Recording Feedback Quiz
What Is a Personal Statement, and What Is It for? Quiz
Different Formats of Personal Statement Quiz
Personal Statements as Foundational Quiz
Drafting Your First Personal Statement Quiz
Revising for Voice and Specificity Quiz
Peer Review and Feedback Quiz
Tailoring for an Audience Quiz
Saying It Out Loud Quiz
Strand 1.1 Synthesis and ALT 1 Bank Quiz
Strand 2: Understanding My Progression Opportunities
The Eight Pathways After School Quiz
Pathway Hierarchy and Guidance Balance Quiz
Apprenticeships in Ireland Quiz
Traineeships and Further Education and Training Quiz
Higher Education Quiz
Travel, Community, and the World of Work Quiz
What Is a Career Field? Quiz
What Drives Interest in a Career Field? Quiz
How to Research a Job Role: Methods Quiz
Conducting Your Research Quiz
How Your Personal Statement Connects to a Job Role Quiz
Additional Education and Training Opportunities Quiz
Providers of Education and Training Quiz
Investigating Specific Post-school Options Quiz
Opportunities and Challenges Across Providers Quiz
Why People Work Quiz
Changing Employment Patterns Quiz
Employment Rights: Universal Protections Quiz
Young Worker Protections Quiz
Employee Responsibilities Quiz
Tax, PRSI and Revenue Registration Quiz
Entrepreneurship in the Labour Market Quiz
Labour-market Trends and Their Drivers Quiz
Remote Work, Hybrid Work, Self-employment, Freelancing Quiz
AI in the Workplace Quiz
From Strand 1.2 Findings to Progression Milestones Quiz
Starting Your Career Progression Plan (ALT 2) Quiz
Drafting Your Career Progression Plan Quiz
Aligning the Career Progression Plan to the Personal Statement Quiz
Refining, Peer Review and Banking ALT 2 Quiz

This module shifts from me and my future to me and the world I am part of: the local, national and global communities you belong to, and the workplace you are preparing to enter. You appreciate the role of community, recognise enterprise within it, develop transferable skills through a collaborative design-thinking task, and engage practically with the workplace through a work-experience or work-shadowing placement. Two Applied Learning Tasks land here, and your Personal Statement is revisited twice more so that by the end of LCW it reflects your full two-year development.

Strand 1: Appreciating My Community
What Is a Community? Quiz
Positive Influence of a Community Quiz
Volunteering: the Concept Quiz
Ways to Volunteer Quiz
Investigating a Real-life Community Issue Quiz
Forms of Enterprise Quiz
For-profit Business and Community Enterprise Quiz
Social Enterprises Quiz
Identifying Enterprise That Addresses a Community Need Quiz
Competencies Associated with Entrepreneurship Quiz
Critical Thinking and Problem-solving Quiz
Design Thinking: a Human-centred Approach Quiz
The Stages of Design Thinking Quiz
Forming Small Groups for the Collaborative Task Quiz
Clarifying: Choosing and Defining a Real-life Community Issue Quiz
Ideating: Generating Solutions Quiz
Developing: Refining the Strongest Idea Quiz
Implementing: a Realistic Plan Quiz
Reflecting on the Process Quiz
Presenting Your Collaborative Response Quiz
Mid-strand Personal Statement Revisit Quiz
Reflection Frameworks for ALT 3 Quiz
Identifying Your Transferable Skills from the Task Quiz
Drafting Your ALT 3 Reflection Quiz
Peer Review and Revision Quiz
Build Your Placement Skill Log Quiz
Considering Audience for Future Presentations Quiz
Final ALT 3 Submission Quiz
Mid-year 2 Portfolio Review Quiz
What Strand 2.1 Taught You, and What You Take Into Work Quiz
Strand 2: Engaging with the Workplace
Methods of Applying for a Job Quiz
Components of a Job Application: CV and Cover Letter Quiz
AI in the Job Application Process Quiz
What Is a Competency-based Application Form? Quiz
Identifying Career- and Job-based Competencies Quiz
Using Authentic Examples to Illustrate Competencies Quiz
Completing a Competency-based Application Form Quiz
Shortlisting: How Applicants Are Selected Quiz
The Interview Process: Structure and Effective Personal Presentation Quiz
Practising an Interview Quiz
Dealing with Disappointment and Building Resilience Quiz
Why Broad Workplace Engagement Matters Quiz
Tailoring Your Personal Statement to the Placement Quiz
Making Contact with a Workplace Organisation Quiz
Workplace Conditions and Requirements Quiz
Public Social Media Presence: Opportunities and Risks Quiz
Setting Expectations for the Workplace Quiz
Briefing for Placement Day 1 Quiz
Placement Day 2 Quiz
Closing the Placement Well Quiz
Requesting Effective Workplace Feedback Quiz
Reflecting on Placement Feedback Quiz
Planning a Workplace Interview Quiz
Reflecting on Workplace Engagement Quiz
Linking the Placement Back to Your Progression Quiz
Final Personal Statement Revisit Quiz
ALT 4: Identifying Areas for Further Progress and Development Quiz
Drafting Your Response Plan Quiz
Creating and Assessing Your ALT 4 Plan Quiz
Course Synthesis and Portfolio in Action Readiness Quiz

Teacher Resources

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Curriculum Mapping

See exactly how this course maps to official curriculum specifications

Curriculum Area
Outcomes
Module 1 - Strand 1: Understanding Myself
Personal development
LCW.M1.S1.PD.1 LCW.M1.S1.PD.2
My values
LCW.M1.S1.VAL.1 LCW.M1.S1.VAL.2 LCW.M1.S1.VAL.3 LCW.M1.S1.VAL.4
My skillset
LCW.M1.S1.SKL.1 LCW.M1.S1.SKL.2 LCW.M1.S1.SKL.3 LCW.M1.S1.SKL.4 LCW.M1.S1.SKL.5 LCW.M1.S1.SKL.6
Personal statements
LCW.M1.S1.PS.1 LCW.M1.S1.PS.2
Applied Learning Task 1: Personal Statement
LCW.M1.S1.ALT1.1
Module 1 - Strand 2: Understanding my Progression Opportunities
Exploring my progression opportunities
LCW.M1.S2.PROG.1 LCW.M1.S2.PROG.2 LCW.M1.S2.PROG.3 LCW.M1.S2.PROG.4 LCW.M1.S2.PROG.5
Work in its broadest sense
LCW.M1.S2.WORK.1 LCW.M1.S2.WORK.2 LCW.M1.S2.WORK.3 LCW.M1.S2.WORK.4 LCW.M1.S2.WORK.5 LCW.M1.S2.WORK.6 LCW.M1.S2.WORK.7 LCW.M1.S2.WORK.8
Applied Learning Task 2: Career Progression Plan
LCW.M1.S2.ALT2.1
Module 2 - Strand 1: Appreciating my Community
Appreciating my community
LCW.M2.S1.COM.1 LCW.M2.S1.COM.2 LCW.M2.S1.COM.3 LCW.M2.S1.COM.4 LCW.M2.S1.COM.5
Enterprise in the community
LCW.M2.S1.ENT.1 LCW.M2.S1.ENT.2 LCW.M2.S1.ENT.3
Collaborative problem-solving to support the development of a transferable skillset
LCW.M2.S1.CPS.1 LCW.M2.S1.CPS.2 LCW.M2.S1.CPS.3 LCW.M2.S1.CPS.4
Applied Learning Task 3: Reflection on the Collaborative Problem-Solving Task
LCW.M2.S1.ALT3.1
Module 2 - Strand 2: Engaging with the Workplace
Applying for a job
LCW.M2.S2.APP.1 LCW.M2.S2.APP.2 LCW.M2.S2.APP.3 LCW.M2.S2.APP.4 LCW.M2.S2.APP.5 LCW.M2.S2.APP.6 LCW.M2.S2.APP.7
Preparing for and engaging with the workplace
LCW.M2.S2.ENG.1 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.2 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.3 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.4 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.5 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.6 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.7 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.8 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.9 LCW.M2.S2.ENG.10
Applied Learning Task 4: Plan Responding to Workplace Feedback
LCW.M2.S2.ALT4.1

The curriculum does not include official reference codes for individual learning outcomes, so we have assigned a code scheme to make it easier to identify and track coverage.

What Students Will Learn

Learning Goals

  1. Develop deep self-awareness by identifying personal values, aptitudes, achievements, interests, and transferable skills, and articulating these through an evolving personal statement and digital portfolio.
  2. Understand the full range of post-school progression pathways in Ireland and create a realistic, SMARTER-aligned career progression plan that connects self-knowledge to future opportunities.
  3. Recognise the importance of community, enterprise, and collaborative problem-solving by investigating local issues, applying design thinking, and producing a credible group proposal.
  4. Build practical workplace readiness through job application skills, interview practice, work placement, feedback gathering, and reflective practice that links experience to personal development.
  5. Develop a growth mindset and lifelong learning habits by regularly revisiting goals, incorporating feedback, tracking transferable skill development, and planning for continued progress beyond the course.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Set up and maintain a digital portfolio that records personal development, self-assessments, and all four Applied Learning Tasks.
  2. Apply the SMARTER framework to create, review, and revise personal goals based on audits of values, aptitudes, achievements, interests, and skills.
  3. Write, revise, and tailor a personal statement that evidences strengths and is used as a foundation for applications and progression planning.
  4. Research and compare post-school pathways, providers, and job roles, then produce a career progression plan containing short-, medium-, and long-term SMARTER goals.
  5. Participate in a collaborative design-thinking project to address a real community issue, then reflect on the transferable skills developed using a chosen reflection framework.
  6. Complete a full competency-based job application, prepare for and practise interviews, and undertake a structured three-day workplace placement.
  7. Generate, receive, and reflect on feedback from peers, teachers, and workplace mentors to identify areas for further development and create an evaluated response plan.

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