IB Career-related Programme

The IB Career-related Programme (CP) is the newest offering from the IB. This pathway for post-16+ pre-university study blends the nuanced educational principles of the more traditional IBDP with the unique opportunity for students to develop and hone specific career-related skills through real-life experiences and professional mentorship.  

First established and offered to students in 2006 as the IB CC (Career Certificate) and renamed in 2014 as the Career-related Programme, the IB Career-related Programme stands out for its emphasis on professional learning opportunities. Essentially, the IBCP combines IB Diploma Programme courses with a prominent focus on career-related studies and practical experience. 

There are little more than 150+ schools worldwide offering the IBCP, making us one of a small group of schools worldwide to offer both programmes. The IBCP offers an education experience that combines academic subjects with the student’s personal and professional interests and skills. Different IBCP schools offer different career pathways.

At Fairgreen, our focus is on careers that center on sustainability in its various forms, including environmental, economic and social.  We have partnered with the Sustainability Management School (SUMAS) of Switzerland in the development and implementation of our IBCP programme. Fairgreen students who choose our IBCP route will be taking some of their coursework online with professors from SUMAS while meeting weekly on campus with their advisor, complemented with field experiences they will be completing with mentors in the specific area of focus within sustainability they choose to specialise in, such as environmental, social, or economic sustainability. 

The service-led learning and personal and professional skills development that is the hallmark of the IBCP is why universities across the world recognize this programme as an ideal pathway leading to direct entry into undergraduate study.

The core elements of the IBCP are:

• Personal and Professional Skills – transferable skills for the workplace and beyond
• Service Learning – identifying and meeting an authentic community need
• Reflective Project – an extended, in-depth study of an ethical issue
• Language Development – 'Language development ensures that all students have access to and are exposed to a language programme that will assist and further their understanding of the wider world. The ability to communicate in more than one language is essential to the IB’s concept of an international education'. ibo.org

Fairgreen's IBCP will provide students with a combination of academic subjects, professional skills and personal interests. Students will:

• Have the opportunity to think creatively and critically;
• Work independently and in collaboration with others;
• Develop greater self-confidence and self-awareness;
• Become more internationally minded and globally aware; and most of all,
• Will apply their knowledge to real world scenarios and situations.

Esol Education's former school, Deira International School, was one of the first 6 schools in the world to introduce the programme in 2009. Their IBCP graduates have gone on to successful futures in academic and vocational post-secondary education, apprenticeships, and directly into employment. Some examples are:

• Hospitality degree at Breda University of Applied Science, Netherlands
• Foundation degree in Computer Gaming at SEEVIC College UK
• Undergraduate Hospitality degree at Glion Hotel School and Hospitality Management, Switzerland
• Flight Training at the Fly-By School in Spain