Background. The extent to which secondary school students have developed professional orientation serves as  a key indicator of  their readiness for making professional choices. Concurrently, the structural aspects of professional orientation and the mechanisms contributing to its formation during ontogenesis remain inadequately explored. Additionally, there is a notable deficiency in empirical research within this domain. 

The aim of the study is to theoretically and empirically support the framework of career guidance among older adolescents. Understanding this framework will facilitate predicting their professional future and identifying priority areas for the development of professional interests. 

Methods. The study was conducted using the diagnostic complex “Proforientator.” Hierarchical cluster analysis was employed to identify groups of objects, and one-way analysis of variance was used to detect statistically significant differences among them. 

Results. Theoretical analysis of  approaches to  the research problem allowed for the identification and description of components of professional orientation. The combination of these components determines the vector of personal resource application and shapes the outcome of professional self-determination – a conscious, motivated choice of a profession. The results of empirical research enabled the identification and description of three groups of adolescents, provisionally labelled as “Socionomists,” “Business Engineers,” and “Eco-Technologists.” These groups outline a set of typical professions and key competencies for each, accompanied by recommendations for their development. 

Scientific novelty. The composition and content of the components within the structure of an individual’s professional orientation have been specified. Groups of older adolescents sharing similar structures of primary professional orientation have been identified and described. 

Practical significance. The research findings can be applied to purposefully organise career guidance activities within the framework of educational and advisory paradigms.