Latest issue of CJCD examines Career Engagement of Canadian Career Development Practitioners
February 10, 2016New literature search features the Impact of Caregiving on Careers
February 22, 2016Marking the 10th anniversary of Canada’s National Career Development Conference, Cannexus16 brought together a record 900+ delegates in Ottawa from Jan. 25-27 to exchange information and explore innovative approaches in career counselling and career development.
Conference highlights included:
- Keynotes on timely issues facing Canada: University of British Columbia Professor Norman Amundson examined Green Career Development; Ratna Omidvar of the Global Diversity Exchange discussed her own immigrant experience and the integration of Syrian refugees; and Justice Murray Sinclair and author Wab Kinew addressed reconciliation with Aboriginal Peoples
- Amid the fanfare of a military marching band, CERIC launched its Military to Civilian Employment: A Career Practitioner’s Guide. The launch included remarks from Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs, General (retired) Walter Natynczyk; Lt-Gen Chris Whitecross, Chief of Military Personnel with the Canadian Armed Forces; and Angela Mondou, President of Canada Company. A free copy of the guide was made available to all delegates
- The CERIC 2015 Survey of Career Service Professionals, completed by more than 1,000 career service professionals, was released at Cannexus and the subject of a panel discussion among leaders in the field. The survey takes place every four years and encompasses demographics of the sector, research and learning needs, as well as issues keeping career professionals up at night
The conference featured the return of the popular Spark! TED-style talks in addition to more than 130 education sessions tackling everything from how to help post-secondary students with career-planning anxiety to the redefinition of “retirement” for 50+ Canadians to managing maternity leave career transitions. The latest programs, products and services were also showcased by 48 exhibitors, including new zones that focused on Social Enterprise, Skilled Trades & Technology, Career Apps, Military Transition and Workforce Development.
A total of 96% of delegates rated the conference as good to excellent while 85.4% said they would use what they learned at work right away, 96.8% said they plan to incorporate it over time and 94.5% said they would be sharing their learning with colleagues. Comments included:
“The sessions provided inspiration, new ideas and provocative food for thought that I can bring to my practice.”
“I enjoyed the breadth of sessions – from the focus on 1:1 support, to program planning to program evaluation, to bigger picture career trends – it exposed me to a number of topics I was most interested in.”
“The keynotes were excellent, workshops attended were informative and directly useful to my organization, networking opportunities were everywhere and amazing. I am looking forward to the next Cannexus!”
The conference was also covered extensively in the media, in particular the launch of the military guide, with reports appearing on CTV News, Radio Canada and Rogers TV.
To learn more about Cannexus16:
- Access the speaker presentations and handouts
- See photos from throughout this year’s conference
- View slideshows (past keynote insights and past images) celebrating the Cannexus 10th anniversary
Cannexus16 was presented by CERIC and supported by The Counselling Foundation of Canada with a broad network of 40 supporting organizations and sponsors.
The dates for the next Cannexus are January 23-25, 2017 in Ottawa. The Call for Presenters will open in March and the submission deadline is June 15, 2016.
