The Cannexus National Career Development Conference brought together a record 1,000 participants to Ottawa from Jan. 23-25, 2017 to exchange information and explore innovative approaches in career counselling and career development.
Conference highlights included:
- All-Canadian keynotes for the country’s 150th anniversary: Roberta Jamieson of Indspire advocated for Indigenous peoples in shaping Canada’s future; UQAM Professor Louis Cournoyer shared his research on good career decisions; and Marc Kielburger had everyone on their feet with the story of how the We Movement is empowering youth.
- The launch of CERIC-funded resources: Retain and Gain: Career Management for Small Business Playbook authored by Lisa Taylor of Challenge Factory, Redirection: Movers, Shakers and Shifters documentary film by York University’s Dr Suzanne Cook and Hope-Centred Career Interventions with UBC’s Dr Norm Amundson and partners.
- Cannexus delegates received a special preview of a new national Environics Institute study that for the first time presents the social values of the Millennial generation and challenges the stereotypes often applied to today’s young adults. Co-sponsored by The Counselling Foundation of Canada, the study will be released publicly on Wednesday.
The conference featured the popular Spark! TED-style talks in addition to more than 130 education sessions that examined topics ranging from new research on the impact of career services in Canadian post-secondary institutions to practical approaches to take refugees from fear to employment.
The latest programs, products and services were also showcased by 33 exhibitors in addition to special zones focusing on Social Enterprise, Workforce Development, Diversity Engagement and Reconciliation.
In a post-conference survey, a total of 98.4% of respondents rated Cannexus as good to excellent. The majority of delegates indicated that they plan to either use what they learned at work right away or incorporate it over time with 72.5% stating they plan to share what they learned with their colleagues to impact change broadly. Comments included:
“Liked the inspiration and practical/theoretical expertise gained from educational sessions as well as the opportunity to network and engage in conversation with like-minded individuals.”
“Valued the opportunity to broaden my connections with other career professionals in a welcoming environment and through sessions that were thoughtful, grounded and informed.”
The conference was covered in the media with several Cannexus17 presenters interviewed on CBC Radio about their work, including author Lisa Taylor, researcher Suzanne Cook and Ted Graham, a Spark! presenter.
To learn more about Cannexus17:
- Access the speaker presentations and handouts
- See photos from this year’s conference
Cannexus17 was presented by CERIC and supported by The Counselling Foundation of Canada with a broad network of 35 supporting organizations and sponsors.
The dates for the next Cannexus are January 22-24, 2018 in Ottawa. The Call for Presenters will open in March and the submission deadline is June 15, 2017.
