Job Family Trees
Interested in a career in Marketing or IT but not sure what jobs actually exist? Use our Job Family Trees worksheet to learn about your chosen sector, find out about different pathways and job roles, explore their entry requirements and career prospects.
There are thousands of different career paths you can follow. These are grouped together in sectors, sometimes called industries or job families. The manufacturing sector, for example, involves creating products – from designing and producing to packaging and distributing them. It can involve working in factories, research and design labs or offices, and offers hundreds of different job types – from food scientist to motor mechanic.
You will no doubt be familiar with some sectors – like retail or education – whereas others you may not have come across before or know what jobs exist within it. Even if you do have an idea what sector you’d like to work in one day, exploring the different jobs on offer can help you broaden your options and consider roles you may move into or that share similar duties or prospects.
How to use
Our ‘Job Family Trees’ Worksheet allows you to learn about different sectors – what they do, the type of careers they offer, key trends and considerations affecting future growth and potential employers.
Ten different worksheets are included covering each of the following sectors, plus a blank copy for you to create your own if you wish:
- Logistics
- Education
- Hospitality
- Manufacturing
- Life Sciences
- Creative & Cultural
- Construction & Property
- Retail
- IT & Technology
- Health & Social Care
Choose your sector(s)
Start by choosing the sector you’d like to work in or would like to learn about. You may wish to choose more than one if you’re undecided.
Then use the prompt questions to learn more about your chosen sector or ‘job family’. You can use our Career Guides to help you understand more about this sector here in Stockport. Many contain the latest GMACs infographics with a summary of the number of people employed in this sector across GM, the skills required and most popular job titles for example.
Try to think about the types of careers that might be available in this sector, the local employers you may decide to work for or ask for a work placement, average salaries, whether it is in high-demand and key trends that may affect its future growth. Use the first box to record what you have learnt.
Then you have the opportunity to explore specific jobs that may be involved in this sector. You can use the National Careers Service website to help you. For example, if you pursue a career in IT and Technology, you may have the opportunity to work as:
- 3D printing technician
- App developer
- Business analyst
- Cyber intelligence officer
- Data scientist
- Digital product owner
- IT service engineer
- IT support technician
- Media researcher
- Network manager
- Robotics engineer
- Social media manager
- Software developer
- Technical author
- User experience (UX) designer
- Web content editor
Try to find out the average salary, essential qualifications and key skills required to take on this job. Again, you can use the National Careers Service website or try searching on job boards like Indeed, Total Jobs and CV Library to find live vacancies in the local area.
For example:
Job Title: Web Developer
Average Salary: £20-60,000
Essential Qualifications: A-Levels, an Apprenticeship or University Degree (Maths and Computer Science subjects)
Required Skills: knowledge of programming languages and software development methods, work experience as a junior developer, ability to use a range of computer operating systems, hard ware and software, analytical thinking, flexibility, initiative
