Request for Proposals: Scoping the Canadian Career Development Landscape

Canada currently lacks comprehensive baseline data on the overall size, scope and composition of its career development sector. Having this valid and credible information is critical to inform the field itself as well as related stakeholders as to the magnitude, characterization and impact of this varied group of professionals.

CERIC is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to undertake first-of-its-kind market research about the field. The purpose is to make visible the field by answering fundamental questions around how many professionals are practising career development in some form in the country, where are they located and what is their primary focus. As part of gaining a full picture of the career development landscape across the country, this RFP also seeks to identify select high-level outcome measures that flow from the delivery of career services. Additionally, CERIC has a special interest in understanding the state of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity (EDII) among career professionals in Canada through this RFP.

This RFP invites interested researchers to submit a detailed proposal that will enable CERIC to select the research/consulting team that it determines is best suited to complete the project according to the enclosed criteria.

CERIC’s interest in this project is three-fold:

1. To develop a composite picture of the career development field in Canada: Who is doing what kind of career services and where

• Produce a snapshot of the total number of professionals, broken down by relevant categories
• Create a model that reflects the landscape of those engaged in career development work, both formally and informally with a focus on those at the nucleus of the field

2. To identify the impact of the career development sector in Canada for employers, educators and government policymakers through a limited number of high-level metrics

• These stakeholder impact measures could be, for example, related to staff retention, student graduation, jobseeker employment or mental health
• Additionally, determine the market impact of career development in Canada in terms of its contribution to the country’s economy

3. Given the increased awareness of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity (EDII), to answer whether those providing career development services reflect learners and clients who face additional barriers to career development

Deadlines for this RFP are as follows:

• Request for Proposals Released: February 23, 2022
• Intent to Submit: March 25, 2022 (submit name & contact info to sharon@ceric.ca)
• Proposal Deadline: April 29, 2022
• Award of Contract: June 29, 2022
• Project Initiation: July 25, 2022

To learn more about the Scope of Work, Target Audience, Deliverables, Budget and Duration, and Eligibility Requirements, please download the RFP. For any inquiries, please contact CERIC Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Sharon Ferriss at sharon@ceric.ca.