Bridging sustainable development goals (SDGs) and career awareness through the implementation of a coaching-based career planning course

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine the effects of a coaching-based career planning course on students’ career awareness and to discuss the findings in the context of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 110 students enrolled at Çukurova University. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed method design consisting of two stages. The first stage was conducted as a quasi-experimental study with repeated measures between September 2024 and June 2025. The second stage took place one semester later (the fall semester) and was designed using thematic analysis, a qualitative research method. Both stages were conducted face-to-face. Findings According to the findings, the coaching-based educational intervention had a positive and statistically meaningful effect on students’ career awareness (p < 0.05). However, a single coaching-based course is not equally effective across all dimensions of career awareness. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first example of a coaching-based career planning course conducted in higher education in Turkey to bridge Career Awareness and SDGs.