CERIC’s Insight into Canadian Post-Secondary Career Service Models project has been awarded to PSE Information Systems, led by Dr Peter Dietsche and Jim Lees. The project will establish the importance that both Francophone and Anglophone universities and colleges place on the provision of career development services to their students and highlight “impressive models” of career services across the country.

In response to the RFP issued in April, a significant number of high-quality proposals were received. Based on input from CERIC’s Practical & Academic Research Committee, the CERIC Board of Directors selected PSE to undertake the 10-month project.

As part of the project, PSE plans to obtain comprehensive information on career services from among 93 Canadian universities and 122 colleges in a large sample. Additionally, models of career services will be identified through analysis of several components such as per-capita investment in career services by institution, student use and satisfaction statistics by semester of study, degree of collaboration with campus stakeholders and stakeholders’ perception of impressive models.

The project, which includes collaboration with an Advisory Panel of post-secondary career service leaders, will involve an online questionnaire expected to be in the field during the month of October.

Deliverables will consist of a research report, available in mid-December 2016, a presentation of the research project and results at the Cannexus17 National Career Development Conference in January, and a Career Services Models Guide to be provided in May 2017 focusing on lessons learned from the impressive models of career services that are identified.

For more than three decades, PSE Information Systems has examined the impact of policy and practice on student educational outcomes in Canadian and US universities and colleges. Dr Dietsche has extensive research and administrative experience at universities, colleges and CEGEP levels. Lees is currently Co-ordinator of Counselling Services in the Student Success Centre at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, ON.