Ottawa, Jan. 16, 2017 – More than 900 career development professionals will gather in Ottawa next week for the 11th annual Cannexus National Career Development Conference. The biggest event in the country for professionals working in career counselling, employment and workforce development takes place Jan. 23-25, 2017. Delegates will explore the latest research and advance the conversations around important topics in the field.

In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, highlights of the three-day conference include a line-up of all-Canadian keynotes, featuring Indigenous activist Roberta L. Jamieson of Indspire, career researcher Louis Cournoyer from the University of Quebec in Montreal, and social entrepreneur Marc Kielburger, co-founder of WE. It will also feature the launch of CERIC’s new publication Retain and Gain: Career Management for Small Business, authored by workforce expert Lisa Taylor of Challenge Factory.

This year Cannexus will examine current trends including the increased focus on career-oriented experiential learning in schools by provincial governments (e.g., Community-Connected Experiential Learning in Ontario), navigating the gig economy in light of Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s recent comments on “job-churn,” and the impact of automation on the future of work as we enter a fourth industrial revolution, as reported by the World Economic Forum. There will be more than 130 education sessions that will probe:

  • New research on the impact of career services in Canadian post-secondary institutions
  • Techniques to overcome unconscious bias during job search
  • Evidence-based strategies for Indigenous employment success
  • Managing maternity leave career transitions and women’s career development
  • Helping older workers make the transition into “second adulthood”
  • Practical approaches to take refugees from fear to employment

What: Cannexus National Career Development Conference

When: January 23-25, 2017

Where: Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa

Key times:

Monday, Jan. 23

8:30 a.m. – In the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, Roberta L. Jamieson, president and CEO of Indspire, talks about her commitment to removing today’s inequities and creating a better future for all of Canada’s peoples.

1:30 p.m. – A launch screening of the documentary film, Redirection: Movers, Shakers and Shifters by Dr. Suzanne Cook of York University, investigates how older workers are redefining retirement and making later life career transitions.

1:30 p.m. – An expert panel with business leaders including Fred Boulanger, CEO, Macadamian Technologies; Lori Johns of Kinaxis and Amber Hall of Equator Coffee Roasters, discuss strategies from the new Retain and Gain: Career Management for Small Business Playbook.

Tuesday, Jan. 24

8:00 a.m. – A dynamic breakfast presentation by Lisa Taylor, author of Retain and Gain: Career Management for Small Business, in association with the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and HRPA Ottawa, helps SMEs to attract, engage and retain staff as well as grow their business.

8:30 a.m. – Career development expert and professor Louis Cournoyer from University of Quebec in Montreal shares his research on what makes a good career decision, in the age of multiple career transitions in a professional lifespan.

11:30 a.m. – TED-style talks called Spark! offer insights from speakers such as Khalil Z. Shariff (Aga Khan Foundation) on the unique role Canada has to play in a divided world and Ted Graham (GM Canada) on lessons about innovation from his experience as an Uber driver.

Wednesday, Jan. 25

8:30 a.m. – Keith Neuman, executive director of Environics Research, reveals findings of a pioneering new study on Canadian Millennials, and takes an in-depth look at the social values that drive the future workforce, to understand their career orientation and employment needs.

10:30 a.m. – Admired social entrepreneur Marc Kielburger, co-founder of WE, talks about engaging the next generation of change-makers and transforming today’s youth.

Cannexus is hosted by the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) and supported by its founding sponsor, The Counselling Foundation of Canada, along with a broad network of 35 organizations in the career development sector.

The full agenda for the conference is available at: www.cannexus.ca/cannexus17-schedule/. Follow the Cannexus National Career Development Conference on Twitter at @cannexus or with the hashtag: #Cannexus17.

About CERIC

The Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) is a charitable organization that advances education and research in career counselling and career development, in order to increase the economic and social well-being of Canadians. It funds projects to develop innovative resources that build the knowledge and skills of diverse career professionals. CERIC also annually hosts Cannexus, Canada’s largest bilingual career development conference, publishes the country’s only peer-reviewed journal, The Canadian Journal of Career Development, and runs the free ContactPoint / OrientAction online communities, which provide learning and networking in the career field. www.ceric.ca

For further information:

Sharon Ferriss
Director, Marketing, Web & New Media, CERIC
sharon@ceric.ca | 647.466.0564