As high school teachers head back to their classrooms, many are already thinking about how to help their students stay organized. Kristie Jones, a grand prize winner of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, is happy to share the best tool at her disposal: a Student Career Portfolio. As a carpentry and construction teacher, Kristie sets her students up for success by giving them a template at the beginning of the year to keep track of their achievements through hands-on projects, certifications, and more. The result? An organized portfolio for students to use when pursuing a variety of opportunities after graduation.

“This digital career portfolio template has been a game-changer for my students, helping them connect classroom learning to real-world career readiness,” says Jones. “As they built their portfolios throughout the year, students developed essential components like cover letters, resumes, and reference lists, while also showcasing their certifications, volunteer work, and hands-on projects with photos. Because it’s digital, they can access and update it anytime, anywhere – making it a living document they can continue to build on. The process challenged them to reflect, stay organized, and take ownership of their futures in a meaningful way.”

Use this link to view the template, download a copy, and adapt it to best meet the needs of your students this year.