An Intersectional Approach to Supporting Career Development

6-WEEK CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

An Intersectional Approach
to Supporting Career
Development

Gain deep insights into the employment
challenges of BIPOC-D jobseekers

Register now

Moving Towards Equity and Empowerment

Intersectionality impacts every client’s career journey. Yet, traditional career development often overlooks how race, disability and systemic barriers intersect.

This course provides the practical tools career professionals need to offer truly equitable, strengths-based career support. Go beyond theory—gain actionable strategies to dismantle systemic barriers and empower every client to thrive. Career practitioners trained in intersectional career development are in demand—stand out as a leader in inclusive employment strategies.

Overview

The strength of the Canadian workforce lies in its diversity. Each jobseeker holds unique social identities, experiences and strengths. Recognizing and understanding this diversity is important for career and employment professionals, particularly when considering those within the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour communities who experience disability (BIPOC-D). Highlighted in CASE’s Diversity Works research report, racialized Canadians facing disabilities often find themselves in precarious work environments, despite possessing the skills and education necessary for meaningful employment. With 14.3% of Canadians aged 15 years and older living with a disability belonging to visible minority groups (Statistics Canada, 2020), career and employment professionals should adopt an intersectional approach to effectively assist them in their employment journey.

Why Career and Employment Professionals Should Enrol

In this 6-week certificate program, you’ll gain deep insights into the employment challenges of BIPOC-D jobseekers—and the practical skills to support them through equitable career strategies. This awareness will allow you to individualize your support and assist clients to advance in their chosen careers. At the end of the program, participants will be better equipped to deliver equitable and effective services and to form meaningful partnerships with BIPOC-D jobseekers and employers.

The program content, discussions, practical assignments and live webinars explore key concepts like anti-racism and anti-ableism to grow your awareness and commitment to allyship and advocacy. You will learn research-based strategies to practice an intersectional and trauma-informed approach to career support. Upon completion, learners will receive a micro-credential that verifies their participation in the program and outlines the targeted knowledge, skills and/or competencies addressed.

Who Will Benefit from This Program?
Career Development Practitioners

Enhance your ability to support clients with intersectional identities.

Gain actionable strategies for inclusive, strengths-based career guidance.

Create equitable hiring and workplace inclusion practices.

Build an inclusive career growth framework within your organization.

If you work with jobseekers who are Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour and/or experience disabilities, this course will provide the insights and tools you need to create meaningful career opportunities.

Key Highlights

This program encourages participants to critically reflect on their own privilege and biases to understand how they shape the services they provide to racialized, Indigenous and Black individuals with disabilities. Through this process, they will deepen their awareness of diverse social identities, their intersections in career development and learn actionable strategies to challenge systemic oppression in their daily practice.

By the end of the course, you will:
  • Identify & Address Workplace Barriers: Understand how race, disability and other identities intersect to create challenges in employment.
  • Advocate for Equity in Hiring & Career Support: Confidently engage employers and policymakers in inclusive hiring and workplace practices.
  • Apply Strengths-Based Career Development: Empower clients by recognizing their unique skills, experiences and aspirations.
  • Navigate Difficult Conversations: Learn strategies to discuss racism, ableism and bias in professional settings.

Program Delivery

This 6-week facilitated online program offers a blend of both asynchronous (independent) and synchronous (scheduled) learning activities. The asynchronous learning activities include reviewing learning modules, posting in discussion forums and completing weekly assignments. Synchronous activities include participating in weekly webinars and open–hour discussions. 

The weekly live webinars, held on Tuesdays from 12 – 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time, present additional content. The class size is kept small to facilitate engagement and networking among learners. Both the webinar and the discussion forums offer opportunities for collaboration and feedback from your instructor and cohort (learning group).

The program requires a total of 30 hours to complete, with a recommended 5 hours per week—including one hour allocated to the weekly live webinar.

The program is currently facilitated in English only.

For more details on the course and its requirements, check out the FAQ section down the page.

"We all possess unique skill sets and challenges based on our position of power and privilege dynamics, which are very real in everyday situations. When we understand the roles that trauma and racism play in clients’ lived experiences and abilities and how that differs from our own, we’re closer to reaching equity and true inclusion and belonging."

Carissa Gravelle, CASE’s Facilitator for IASCD

Read Carissa’s article “An Intersectional Approach to Supporting Career Development: Changing Perspective through Safe Exploration“

Register now

Training Sessions in 2026

  • March 16 – April 26 SOLD OUT
  • September 21 – November 1
  • November 9 – December 20

  

This Intersectional Approach to Supporting Career Development certificate program has been developed by the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) in partnership with CERIC.

For more information on prerequisites, cancellation policy, accommodations, technical requirements and FAQs, consult the CASE website.

What Participants Are Saying

“This online certificate program grew my confidence and solidified my learning in supporting the career development of individuals with intersectional identities. The opportunity for the participants to get to know one another through the weekly discussion richly enhanced the learning. Learning from others’ own professional and personal experiences, as well as diverse professional contexts, I felt that my knowledge was extended beyond my current context in higher education. I feel much more confident in navigating complex situations with clients in an equitable and thoughtful manner that will empower them to have meaningful career journeys.”
Jenny Lee NortheyGraduate Coordinator, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University
“This program empowered me with the tools and insights needed to advocate for equity and inclusivity in career development, enabling me to better support clients from various backgrounds.”
Ruchika GargDiversity & Engagement Consultant, Calgary Alternative Employment Services, AB
“This course should be a mandatory component of every career development practitioner’s foundational training across Canada.”
Kathleen BruttoCareer Development Practitioner, Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre (Bbnc), ON
“This course is a must for career development professionals. I took the course this past summer and walked away with a new perspective. Highly recommend!”
Richard CockremNational Hub Co-ordinator, MentorAbility Canada, MB
“This training is vital for anyone working with diverse populations in career development or related fields. It offers fresh insight for those who may be unfamiliar with supporting BIPOC-D individuals while also validating the approaches of those who already have some understanding and want to ensure they are on the right track in serving individuals in need. Overall, the course was insightful, educational and encouraging both learning and unlearning and reinforced that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as we commit to addressing and correcting them.”
Michelle MullingsCareer Education Co-ordinator, Toronto Metropolitan University, ON
Absolutely wonderful program. Was so happy with the instruction and chance to provide feedback and thoughts in a safe and inclusive environment.
David SmallmanEmployment Counsellor, Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island

Invest in your career with this training, gaining in-demand skills that increase your value to employers, organizations and clients while empowering you to drive meaningful change.

Consult our Upcoming webinars page

Consult our Past webinars page