A new CERIC-funded partnership project with Canada Career Counselling and the Vanier Institute of the Family will develop user-friendly career development resources for women on maternity leave and their employers. Called Making It Work! Managing Successful Maternity Leave Career Transitions, the project uses the term “maternity leave” inclusively to describe maternity, parental and adoption leave.

Maternity leave transitions are influenced by a number of factors including age, marital status, education level, culture and socio-economic status. Currently existing resources related to maternity leave pertain to singular groups or singular topics such as employment law.

The following have been identified as goals of the project:

  • Developing a socially inclusive, Canadian-specific online career management guide for a broad range of Canadian women transitioning to maternity leave and reintegrating to work after maternity leave
  • Developing a socially inclusive, Canadian-specific online career management guide for employers to more effectively assist female employees transitioning to and reintegrating to employment after maternity leave
  • Developing a webinar for HR professionals/managers and individuals with interest in this transition

Objectives of the project include understanding the individual experience of maternity leave on a broad range of diverse women’s career development scenarios, further understanding the HR/employer perception regarding employees’ transition to and from maternity leave, and serving as a resource for organizations and managers to assist employees in this career transition.

The project is expected to run through 2015.

Canada Career Counselling is a firm of 10 psychologists and career coaches, all specializing in career planning. The Vanier Institute of the Family is an independent, national, bilingual, non-profit organization committed to understanding families in Canada, in all of their diversity and complexity.

CERIC provides funding for research and learning projects in career development and encourages individuals and organizations alike to submit proposals for career counselling-related research or learning and development.