The State of Career Development: Insights from Canada’s Career Service Professionals

 Moderator

• Candy Ho, Faculty, Educational Studies, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Panellists

• Akosua Alagaratnam, Executive Director, First Work
• Joanna Goode, Executive Director, Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE)
• Trevor Buttrum, Executive Director, Canadian Association of Career Educators & Employers (CACEE)
• Dinuka Gunaratne, Director, Career Development & Experiential Learning, Northeastern University

Original date and time

• June 13, 2025 – 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET (Check your time zone)

Price

• FREE webinar series

Language

• This webinar series was presented in English, with French subtitles available on the recording.

Accessibility

• This webinar series offered AI-generated live captions available in multiple languages

The career development field in Canada is experiencing a moment of both challenge and innovation. While professionals continue to provide essential support to diverse populations—from newcomers to youth to mid-career changers—they are doing so in an environment marked by evolving client needs, economic uncertainty and rapid shifts in workplace technology and culture.

This national webinar will convene a cross-section of career development leaders to reflect on the key findings of CERIC’s Survey of Career Service Professionals released earlier this year. Sector leaders will engage in a thought-provoking panel discussion on what those findings reveal when viewed through a regional or sector-specific lens.

From workforce precarity to the promise of emerging technologies like AI, panellists will explore how these dynamics are playing out on the ground today—and what they signal for the future of the profession.

By connecting survey data with current economic, social and labour market realities—including affordability concerns, demand for upskilling/reskilling and growing expectations for inclusive and responsive services—this session aims to offer an up-to-date, multidimensional view of the field’s position and possibilities.

Join this fast-paced, one-hour panel to convert fresh survey data into actionable insight. You’ll gain an evidence-based view of Canada’s career development landscape – this time, with an even more relevant lens from a regional and sectoral comparison.

Drawing from the CERIC’s Survey of Career Development Professionals released earlier this year, this session explores key dynamics shaping the field: heavy workloads, burnout, shifts in client mental health and the impacts of limited funding and professional development budgets. You’ll discover how leaders in the field are responding to the rising use of AI, balancing innovation with accessibility and ethics.

Our cross-sector panel of leaders will unpack regional and sector-specific variations, offering concrete advice and examples of how they are responding to the data to boost sustainability, equity and service impact. Leave equipped with current metrics, comparative insights and ideas to inform your practice, support your team, and position career development as a vital force in economic and social well-being.

• Gain insight into the most pressing challenges facing Canada’s career development professionals today, including resource constraints, changing service models and client mental health concerns
• Understand regional and sector-specific variations in how CDPs are responding to shifting labour market conditions and evolving client expectations
• Explore the growing role of AI and digital tools in service delivery and how professionals are navigating the balance between innovation and ethics, access and readiness
• Examine workforce and funding pressures impacting practitioner sustainability and organizational resilience, including practitioner burnout and retention
• Identify forward-looking strategies being adopted across the country to enhance impact, support practitioners and position career development as a vital contributor to economic and social well-being

RECORDING: (in English with French subtitles available)

Candy Ho is an international award-winning career development educator and scholar. She is a faculty member in Educational Studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Dr. Candy Ho is also Past Chair of CERIC, a national charitable organization advancing career development in Canada. In addition, she teaches in Douglas College’s Career Development Practitioner Program.

Akosua Alagaratnam is the Executive Director of First Work. A seasoned public-affairs leader, she has focused on policy affecting marginalized communities and youth. As senior adviser to Ontario’s Ministers of Children and Youth Services and Finance, she steered Youth Justice and Youth Opportunity files and shaped legislation spanning labour, social services, corrections and Indigenous relations.

Trevor Buttrum is the Executive Director of Canadian Association of Career Educators & Employers (CACEE). He is an award-winning leader with 20+ years of expertise in campus recruitment, career education and building inclusive talent pipelines. Trevor became Executive Director of CACEE in 2022, empowering members to excel in their critical work with post-secondary talent.

Joanna Goode is the Executive Director at the Canadian Association for Supported Employment, a national membership association committed to increasing the strength and diversity of the Canadian workforce through the inclusion of people who experience disability.

Dinuka Gunaratne directs Career Development & Experiential Learning at Northeastern University. Since 2007 he has served six Canadian universities in student services, fundraising, alumni relations and career development. An immigrant from Sri Lanka, he champions international students and system-level EDI and anti-racism and facilitates Anti-Racism Response Training.

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