Ottawa, Jan. 10, 2018 – The Cannexus National Career Development Conference will bring 1,000 career development professionals together in Ottawa from Jan. 22-24, 2018 to explore the skills and strategies required by the workforce of tomorrow. The biggest annual event in the country for professionals working in career counselling, employment and workforce development comes as Canada takes on the 2018 G7 Presidency and focuses on “Preparing for jobs of the future.”

Recently, Statistics Canada released 2016 Census findings that highlight the changing nature of the labour market that will be addressed at the Cannexus conference including: the rising unemployment rate for youth aged 15-24; immigrants now accounting for nearly 25% of Canada’s labour force; the doubling of the number of Canadians aged 65 and older who are working – and an overall shift in the economy away from full-time employment.

There will be more than 150 education sessions that will probe:

  • Ethical practices in the “gig economy”
  • How AI, robotics and automation will impact work
  • Using gamification to engage millennials in career development
  • Supporting youth with mental health issues during job search
  • Moving from hope to work for Syrian refugees
  • New research on military veteran career transition
  • The rise of “seniorpreneurs” in Canada
  • Role of parents and teachers in career development of children ages 3-8
  • Beyond generation jobless – navigating the school-to-work transition
  • Not every computer-related job is IT – how computing careers are evolving
  • Overcoming barriers to employment for immigrant professionals

The conference will also feature the launch of three new publications from CERIC, Bridging Two Worlds: Supporting Newcomer and Refugee Youth by University of Winnipeg’s Dr. Jan Stewart and Dr. Lorna Martin; Computing Disciplines: A Quick Guide for Prospective Students and Career Advisors by Dr. Janet Miller and Randy Connolly of Mount Royal University in Calgary; and The Early Years: Career Development for Young Children by Dr. Mildred Cahill of Memorial University of Newfoundland.

What: Cannexus National Career Development Conference

When: January 22-24, 2018

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

Key times:

Monday, Jan. 22

7:00 a.m. – The Exhibitor Showcase opens with 40+ exhibitors such as Brickstorming (using LEGO for career development), Canadian Hearing Society (employing people with disabilities) and Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank), plus three “zones” focusing on Mental Health, Reconciliation and Social Enterprise.

8:30 a.m. – “Canada’s Changing Landscape: The Next Big Shift”: With the long reign of baby boomers’ economic domination coming to an end, Chantal Hébert, a political columnist with the Toronto Star, speaks on Canada’s major shifts, both in electoral demographics and leadership in the workplace.

Tuesday, Jan. 23

10:00 a.m. – A Workforce Development Spotlight throughout the day examines the intersection of meeting employer hiring needs while improving employment opportunities, especially for vulnerable populations. Participants include: Hospitality Workers Training Centre, Atkinson Foundation and the U.S.-based National Association of Workforce Boards.

11:30 a.m. – TED-style talks called Spark! offer insights from speakers Eugenia Duodu on empowering youth from marginalized communities through STEM; Ahmad Edilbi on his new model of volunteering that encourages refugees starting from zero to help each other; Dr. Tayyab Rashid on how executives can reinvent their careers; and Jessica Bolduc on her experience “working in the reconciliation industry” in the post-Truth and Reconciliation Commission era.

Wednesday, Jan. 24

7:45 a.m. – A large-scale mural illustrating key themes around the future of work that have emerged over the course of Cannexus is finalized and discussed.

10:00 a.m. – “How to Write a Sitcom About Muslims – Very Carefully!”: Zarqa Nawaz, creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie, explores growing up as a Canadian of Muslim faith and shares her perspectives on Islam and comedy, gender and faith, multiculturalism and plurality.

The full agenda for the conference is available at: http://cannexus.ca/cannexus18-schedule/. Follow the Cannexus National Career Development Conference on Twitter at @cannexus or with the hashtag: #Cannexus18.

Cannexus is hosted by CERIC and supported by its founding sponsor, The Counselling Foundation of Canada, along with a broad network of 32 organizations in the career development sector and a range of sponsors.

About CERIC

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; annually hosts Cannexus, Canada’s largest bilingual career development conference; and publishes the country’s only peer-reviewed academic journal, Canadian Journal of Career Development. www.ceric.ca

To obtain a media pass, to arrange interviews or for further information:

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