As we present this Annual Report of activities, impacts and reflections, we do so with a recognition that CERIC’s 18th year of operations was nothing like those that preceded it, and with a sense that it will be nothing like the years ahead. 2022 was in many ways a prelude to transitions for CERIC and perhaps also for the many stakeholder communities we endeavour to serve.

 
The coming of each new year also brings a new Cannexus conference in January. CERIC and the career development community in Canada look forward to this annual gathering, which helps set the tone and stage for the year ahead for many within the skills, career and workforce development ecosystem. With COVID not yet out of our rear-view mirrors, we had to make a late fall 2021 pivot to implementing an all-virtual conference in 2022. As eager as we were to meet our community face to face, we were mindful that health concerns and travel restrictions were still dominant forces to contend with. We had not yet transitioned out of the pandemic. With an abundance of caution, we convened our second virtual conference.

 
With over 1,700 delegates in attendance in 2022, it was evident that the knowledge offerings at Cannexus and broader access of a virtual event held strong appeal. These were notable factors as we worked to plan the first hybrid Cannexus for 2023. Holding two back-to-back virtual conferences helped us understand the kind of learning and convening that was well suited to online delivery. It also provided space for us to try to curate different content, including an interactive, in-person consultation for 2023. The evolution from virtual to hybrid was also a prelude to a transition in the future of Cannexus, which 2023 would help us define.

 
The year was a busy one from a projects point of view. We launched several new research projects and saw the culmination of projects that had run through the pandemic. We continued to conduct important research including a National Business Survey (NBS) and a special Content and Learning survey. Both initiatives would shape our exploration of different kinds of stakeholder engagement as we gauged how learning preferences had changed in the past few years, how our stakeholders wanted to consume content, and how they wanted to share and connect as a community. Webinar activity was reduced to give staff the ability to embrace other forms of learning and connecting, namely virtual community roundtables anchored in the findings of the NBS. Two years of digital-only consumption of content also afforded us the opportunity to start to rethink the future of Careering magazine.

 
This was also a year to build on existing partnerships and forge new relationships that would hopefully materialize into fruitful partnerships in the future. We engaged with the Future Skills Centre to develop a new stream of programming for Cannexus23. We worked with the Asia Pacific Career Development Association to develop a scholarship program that would provide access to Cannexus programming to individuals from non-high-income countries. We started to explore joint learning offerings with various organizations, and co-led the first North American social media campaign for Global Career Month with NCDA and CCDF with the theme: “Career Development Changes Everything.”

 
In early 2022, we started to engage in organizational work around equity-centred leadership. This work would immediately start to redefine our Board and Committee composition, increase the focus on equity and access to our learning offerings, and give us an opportunity to explore how the Etta St. John Wileman Award could become a more inclusive, accessible recognition of outstanding achievement in career development in Canada. We knew this would be a long journey; living our EDI values through our work over 2022 was envisioned as just the start of many changes to come in the years ahead.

 
The year also saw both stability and change on the staffing front. Two staff returned from maternity leave and a new position was created to support the development and delivery of a hybrid Cannexus. CERIC Executive Director Riz Ibrahim announced last fall that he would be moving on to the role of President and CEO of CERIC’s funder, The Counselling Foundation of Canada, in spring 2023. After a national search, we ended the year with a new incoming Executive Director, Kay Castelle. Castelle would join CERIC at the end of February 2023, ushering in a new era for the organization.

 
As we ended the year, we did so with a deep recognition that the ever-present commitment and humbling resilience of our staff provided the strength that allowed the work to be done, opened up the possibilities of transition and change as well as gave the promise of deeper impact in the years ahead. They remained inspired and engaged for the benefit of career development professionals across Canada. A special thanks also to the CERIC Board and Advisory Committee volunteers who continued to provide their support, guidance and commitment. And lastly, a special thanks to Bruce Lawson and The Counselling Foundation of Canada for their ongoing and unwavering support and commitment to the work of CERIC.  

Riz Ibrahim, Executive Director   

Candy Ho, Board Chair