Career Connections Toolkit

Career awareness begins in elementary school. The Career Connections Toolkit equips educators, families, and industry partners with engaging, practical resources that help connect hands-on STEM learning with exciting future pathways and careers.

Explore The Works Museum’s collection editable resources that can be adapted for classrooms, museums, after-school programs, at home learning and community events, completely free thanks to a Minnesota STEM Ecosystem Partnership Grant, made possible through funding from the Minnesota Legislature and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)*

*The State of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) funded (in whole or in part) this workforce development product (training, event, curricula, etc.) through a grant. The grant recipient created this product. DEED does not endorse this product or make guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability or ownership of the information herein or elsewhere.

Group of women smiling and standing behind a table with craft supplies at an outdoor event under a tent. City buildings and a bridge are visible in the background.

  • STEM Role Model Volunteer Guide – Resources and best practices for STEM professionals volunteering in classrooms and programs

  • Ask Me About STEM Buttons and Badges – Downloadable and editable engagement tools that make STEM role models easily identifiable and encourage meaningful student conversations

  • Passports and Bingo Activities – Downloadable and editable interactive games that motivate students and families to meet multiple STEM professionals, ask questions, experience STEM and engineering around them, and explore a variety of careers

  • Conversation Guides – Q&A prompts and discussion activities that help educators and volunteers facilitate engaging conversations about career pathways, education, workplace experiences, and advice for young learners. Includes multiple formats that allow classrooms to tailor the experience

  • Posters and Activities – Printable STEM professional profiles that highlight diverse career journeys and showcase role models.

  • Identi-Beads – Helps users reflect on their interests, strengths, and STEM identities while making connections to future careers.

  • Family STEM Survey Template – A customizable survey schools can use to identify parents and caregivers working in STEM or skilled trades who may be interested in volunteering or sharing their career experiences.

Meet STEM Role Models representing a variety of backgrounds and industries at our next Family Event

Meet the Engineers

Learn more about women working in engineering with our Meet the Engineer series, featuring IF/THEN Ambassador role models from around the United States. The Works Museum is a proud member of the IF/THEN® Champions Network.

Click on the engineer profile for downloadable engineering activities and classroom resources. 

Image of Ritu Raman, a biomedical engineer, smiling and sitting at a desk with a laptop, in a lab with scientific equipment and a human skeleton model in the background.
Portrait of Erika Anderson, a mechanical engineer, wearing a safety helmet and work uniform, smiling in her work environment.
A woman in NASA work attire sits in front of a spaceship, holding a scientific instrument, with a cosmic background. Text introduces her as Engineer Dana Bolles, working at NASA Headquarters, involved in science communication for the Search for Life Beyond Earth.
Portrait of a woman in a blue jacket holding a small patterned object inside a museum, with a large skeleton exhibit in the background, promoting Helen Tran, a chemist.
Woman smiling and gesturing with hands in an educational or science exhibit setting, with informational displays and a model of a satellite in the background.
A woman smiling at the camera, holding a crochet blue eyeball doll, sitting in a lab with crochet toys and science equipment around. Text introduces her as biomedical engineer Ana Maria Porras, who studies microbes in guts and loves engineering and crochet art.