Teacher Preparedness for Integrating Career Guidance into Competency-Based Curricula: Insights from Kenya and International Best Practices

The global shift towards Competency-Based Education (CBE) highlights an increasing emphasis on equipping learners with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for adaptability, employability, and lifelong learning. Central to this agenda is career guidance, which helps learners connect competencies to future educational and occupational paths. In Kenya, the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) was introduced in 2017 to replace the 8-4-4 system, incorporating "career and life skills" as a cross-cutting competency. However, the integration of career guidance remains inconsistent, mainly due to deficiencies in teacher preparedness, resource limitations, and policy ambiguities. This study, based on a desktop review of global and Kenyan literature, examines teacher preparedness to incorporate career guidance into CBE. The findings reveal that while international models such as Finland’s transversal competencies and U.S. Career and Technical Education programs demonstrate successful alignment, Kenya faces challenges in professional development, assessment alignment, and systemic coordination. The lessons suggest the need for sustained teacher training, explicit curriculum–career mapping, resource provision, and employer engagement. The paper concludes that integrating career guidance within CBE is crucial for fostering learner agency, career maturity, and transition readiness, and recommends targeted reforms and further research to enhance practice in Kenya.