The Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling
January 31, 2013Career development professionals a critical bridge to employment for clients with mental health challenges
February 12, 2013With a record number of delegates and rave reviews, the Cannexus13 National Career Development Conference was another outstanding professional development experience for Canada’s career development community.
More than 750 professionals from across the country gathered in Ottawa from January 28-30, 2013 to exchange information and explore innovative approaches in the areas of career counselling and career development.
Just a few of the many highlights of the conference:
- Three memorable keynote presentations, including an inspirational keynote from Dr. Cindy Blackstock on how we can all make a difference in the education of Aboriginal children; a stirring address from Roxanne Sawatzky who shared personal stories of helping clients move through change to grasp “the second bar of the trapeze”; and an energizing closing keynote from Mark Tewksbury & Debbie Muir on how to develop the traits of great champions – for example picking your own “power words” such as proud and fierce.
- More than 140 education sessions, covering all aspects of career development. Among the most popular topics were sessions on: positive psychology, graduate unemployment, hope-centred career development, online career counselling, labour market information, career assessments, social media and jobs, chaos theory in work/life, and post-secondary career education.
- The many networking opportunities: A packed First-Timer’s Session brought together new delegates to gain an overview of the conference and make some connections. The popular Reception, sponsored by The Counselling Foundation of Canada, saw networks expanded and renewed as delegates enjoyed drinks and visited the exhibitor booths. And Cannexus Connections allowed attendees to engage in lively facilitated discussions on a topic of interest over lunch.
Feedback on the conference has been very positive. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the survey. A total of 95% of delegates rated the conference as good to excellent. Furthermore, 86% stated they would apply what they learned right away to enhance their work with 94% indicating that over time they plan to incorporate the knowledge gained. The winner of the Porter Airlines ticket for completing the survey is Jill Ferguson at the University of Guelph. Congratulations, Jill!
Here is what some attendees had to say about Cannexus13:
“The conference was excellent! With so many speakers and topics to choose from, I was able to select sessions in every time slot that were relevant to my work with clients and to my growth as a career development professional. I met many interesting people, and I was able to make valuable connections that I intend to follow up on. Not only that, but I enjoyed myself thoroughly! I look forward to applying various pieces of learning to my work. I hope/plan to attend Cannexus again in the future.”
– Operations Co-ordinator/Employment Counsellor
Women’s Employment Outreach, Halifax NS
“Just wanted to let you know you did a fantastic job with Cannexus 13! We had a lot of fun and many great conversations at the conference about career development. Your keynotes were very inspirational, and overall the entire conference was a huge success from our point of view. Congrats and awesome job!”
– Marketing Co-ordinator
Career Cruising, Toronto, ON
Watch in the coming weeks for the launch of a new Virtual Cannexus. Approximately 20 of the top sessions at Cannexus13 were filmed and will be made available online. The full package will be available for $69. This is a great option if you missed the conference or you want to share the learning with your colleagues.
Thanks again to all of our delegates, presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, advertisers, supporting organizations and volunteers who are part of the growth and success of Cannexus! A very special thank you to The Counselling Foundation of Canada for its ongoing support.
Be sure to mark the dates for next year – January 20-22, 2014 when the growing Cannexus conference moves next door to the spectacular new Ottawa Convention Centre.
