2020

Fall 2020 issue of CJCD: Embedding informational interviews into post-secondary curriculum

September 16, 2020By

The latest issue of the Canadian Journal of Career Development has just been published and is available to view online. This edition of the journal provides new research in several topical areas including informational interviews as a career exploration technique, graduate students from biomedical science programs facing uncertainty in the labour market and the relationship between psychological flexibility, career indecision and professional burnout.

Articles include:

The Canadian Journal of Career Development is a partnership project between CERIC and Memorial University of Newfoundland with the support of The Counselling Foundation of Canada. It is Canada’s only peer-reviewed publication of multi-sectoral career-related academic research and best practices from this country and around the world.

CJCD is published twice a year. It is free to subscribe to the digital editions and all issues of the journal dating back to 2002 are available to access online.

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2020

Announcing keynotes for virtual Cannexus21 conference!

August 19, 2020By

CERIC is excited to reveal the keynote speakers for Cannexus21, Canada’s Career Development Conference. It was announced last month that the conference is going virtual for 2021, addressing ongoing uncertainty during the pandemic but continuing to provide an accessible and content-rich opportunity for Canada’s career development communities to convene, share and learn. Cannexus21 will take place on January 25 & 27 and February 1 & 3, 2021.

With our theme of Career Development for Public Good, the conference will reimagine career development and its impact on education, the economy and social justice. Three exciting keynote speakers will share their experiences and insights:

  • Zabeen Hirji, Executive Advisor, Future of Work, Deloitte (Monday, January 25)
  • Kris Magnusson, Professor, Simon Fraser University (Wednesday, January 27)
  • Perdita Felicien, Olympian, Author, Broadcaster (Monday, February 1)

Stay tuned for the closing keynote announcement.

In addition to the live keynotes, there will be 150+ education sessions, both live and on-demand. Special programming includes Around the World sessions featuring presenters from across the globe, a Recovery series, and practical learning related to the latest labour market information, online service delivery approaches, mental health strategies and much more. All sessions will be recorded and available for later viewing for a full year. Virtual networking opportunities with presenters, delegates and exhibitors will also be available.

Register now to receive the highly discounted Gratitude rate available until September 9. Groups of at least 5 or Members of one of more than 30 Cannexus supporting organizations can benefit from an additional 25% off – only $214 per person. And Full-time Students can register for just $50. Note that with the virtual platform, registrations cannot be shared, and individuals require their own registration.

Cannexus is presented by CERIC and supported by The Counselling Foundation of Canada and a broad network of supporting organizations.

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2020

Growing the Big Tent: CERIC’s 2019 Annual Report

July 28, 2020By

While 2019 already feels like a lifetime ago, CERIC is pleased to release its Annual Report which focuses on our role in expanding an inclusive and broad-based tent that advances career development in Canada. This role of building community and collaboration continues during the pandemic. As you’ll read, we are striving to create an even bigger and more vibrant place where research and education shapes practice and practice gives rise to greater economic well-being and social good.

In the 2019 Annual Report, Board Chair John Horn and Executive Director Riz Ibrahim discuss the value of the big-tent approach that permeates all of CERIC’s programs and convenings. Over the past year, we funded projects that catered to multi-sectoral career and employment professionals. We welcomed international colleagues into our tent as we worked with Canadian theorists to celebrate the contributions they made on informing career development practices globally. Our work acknowledged the diverse constituents that career professionals support, and the effect their work has on the mental health and well-being of those they serve. All the while, we reached broadly to connect with francophone career professionals within Quebec and across Canada, settlement counsellors and others as their voices resonated within the tent.

Some of the many highlights for CERIC:

A few measures of our impact include:

The 2019 Annual Report includes a review of key activities from the past year across CERIC’s three strategic priorities: Research & Learning, Community & Collaboration and Advocacy & Profile, as well as an overview of the year’s financial performance. Special thanks is also given to CERIC’s funder The Counselling Foundation of Canada, volunteers, staff and partners.

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2020

New fall webinars to address self-care, remote services, mature workers and more

July 27, 2020By

CERIC along with its partner associations are offering a variety of both paid and free webinar series this fall to support the career development community, in particular related to how to thrive in this age of uncertainty. Register now to update your professional skills and learn new ways to support your clients and maintain your own well-being.

The fall webinar schedule features:

For paid webinar series, registered participants will receive a password-protected video recording of each session. The recordings will remain available for one month after the final webinar of the series to allow you to catch up if you miss any weeks. For free webinar series, the recordings will remain available indefinitely.

CERIC partners with associations and organizations across Canada and beyond to present webinars that offer timely, convenient and affordable professional development. Previously, CERIC has also worked with the Canadian Association for Supported Employment, New Brunswick Career Development Association, Ontario Association for Career Management, Canadian Association of Career Educators & Employers, Career Development Association of Alberta, Nova Scotia Career Development Association, Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, and the US-based National Career Development Association.

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2020

Cannexus21 is going virtual! Register by Sept 9 for Gratitude rates

July 22, 2020By

Cannexus, Canada’s bilingual Career Development Conference, is going virtual for 2021 and registration is now open! As we move through pandemic recovery, the conference will bring stakeholders together around the theme of Career Development for Public Good. From reskilling to resilience, this is the moment to reimagine the role of career development and its impact on education, the economy and social justice.

Given the unprecedented times, the virtual format allows Cannexus to address ongoing uncertainty but continue to provide an accessible, content-rich and value-packed opportunity for Canada’s career development communities to convene, share and learn. It will be a different Cannexus experience but the conference will offer the same diverse and high-quality sessions delegates have come to expect, gather the broad range of constituents Cannexus is known for, and provide the exceptional networking opportunities that attendees value, all online. The virtual conference will be on a more relaxed schedule – up to five hours of sessions each day over four days and access to recorded sessions over an extended timeframe.

What to expect at virtual Cannexus

  • Cannexus21 will take place on January 25 & 27 and February 1 & 3, 2021
  • Days will begin at 12:00 pm ET and run until the late afternoon, accommodating all Canadian time zones
  • Be inspired by world-class live keynotes and “Around the World” international presenters
  • 150+ live and on-demand concurrent sessions in both English and French
  • Gain practical knowledge and skills-building content (mental health, online technologies, current LMI) to help you adapt and more effectively serve your clients during recovery
  • Critical big-picture conversations around equity, climate and careers and the innovative thinking that is redefining career development
  • Virtual networking across Canada and beyond, including peer-to-peer matchmaking
  • Interact with other delegates and engage with speakers through live chats and Q&A
  • Online Exhibitor Showcase highlighting programs, products and services to help you in your work
  • All sessions will be recorded and available for later viewing – so you don’t miss anything and can view them at your convenience!

The pricing recognizes the financial constraints that the current situation has put on both individuals and organizations so this instalment of the conference is being made more accessible through special Gratitude rates, in addition to deep discounts for Groups, Students as well as Members of Supporting Organizations. The Gratitude rates – available until September 9 – express appreciation for the hard work and commitment of Canada’s career development professionals throughout a chaotic period. Plus, with a virtual conference there are additional cost savings; no need to worry about travel and hotel, and you can learn from the comfort of your own home or office!

Cannexus is presented by CERIC and supported by The Counselling Foundation of Canada and a broad network of supporting organizations. For more information on the virtual conference and to register, visit cannexus.ceric.ca.

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2020

Marilyn Van Norman honoured with Cannexus bursary established in her name

July 22, 2020By

The Counselling Foundation of Canada has established the new Marilyn Van Norman Bursary to support community-based career development and employment practitioners in attending the Cannexus conference each year. The bursary is given in recognition of Van Norman, the recently retired Director of Research Initiatives at CERIC and one of its founding Board members. Known as a collaborator, visionary and expeditor, she is widely respected for her more than 40 years of leadership in the career development field with particular expertise in career centre and student services management.

“Marilyn has had an incredible impact on the career development community throughout her lifetime. When she joined CERIC, she had a title, but most of us considered her as our ‘Elder in Residence;’ and I’m using that in the way that Indigenous peoples would think of Elders – someone who has gained a high degree of recognition because of their knowledge and expertise within their community and who passes this wisdom on to the next generation,” said Bruce Lawson, President and CEO of The Counselling Foundation of Canada. The Foundation is CERIC’s funder and is the Founding Sponsor of Cannexus.

For the past 12 years at CERIC, Van Norman has led several innovative initiatives:

She also authored two popular books for CERIC, From My Perspective: A Guide to Career/Employment Centre Management and From My Perspective: A Guide to University and College Career Centre Management.

Beyond these remarkable achievements, she has been considered a treasured colleague, sharing her extensive knowledge and acting as a career coach and mentor to staff.

Previously, she held key roles at the University of Toronto as the Director of the Career Centre and later Director of Student Services. Her earlier book, Making It Work: Career Management for the New Workplace, was a Canadian bestseller.

Van Norman has been active on numerous Canadian committees and Boards relating to career development including: a Past President of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE); member of the ContactPoint Board; member of the founding Board of CERIC and Chair of the National Consultation on Career Development (NATCON) for 15 years.

Recognized with multiple awards, she was the first recipient of CERIC’s Etta St John Wileman Award for Lifetime Achievement in Career Development in Canada. She has also received the Award of Merit, Outstanding Contribution, Life Membership, CACEE; Contribution to Career Counselling, Ontario College Counsellors; and The Joan Foley Award for Significant Contributions to Enhancing Student Life, University of Toronto.

Now retired, Van Norman is enjoying spending time with her family and at her cottage and is looking forward to travel south again when possible.

For the 2021 virtual Cannexus conference, there will be 13 bursaries available with one awarded within each province and territory. Applications must be from charitable or non-profit Canadian community-based organizations. Bursaries will be for a single full conference registration. The application deadline is September 30, 2020.

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2020

CERIC to publish edition of popular Retain and Gain Playbook to support career management in the public sector

June 23, 2020By

Developing a skilled, inclusive, agile and equipped workforce is a necessity for public sector employers across Canada. To help meet this need, CERIC is developing a Playbook for managers at federal, provincial and municipal levels focused on career management. It is targeted to front-line managers looking to implement better career management approaches with their teams and will address employee engagement and retention, manager competencies, career progression and recruitment challenges in the context of the changing world of work.

Titled Retain and Gain: Career Management for the Public Sector, the Playbook is being authored by Lisa Taylor, President of Challenge Factory, one of Canada’s leading workplace and future of work experts. It will be research-focused and informed by the realities and experiences of the public sector. It builds on the success of CERIC’s two earlier publications with Taylor, Retain and Gain: Career Management for Small Business Playbook, supported by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and Retain and Gain: Career Management for Non-Profits and Charities Playbook, supported by Imagine Canada and others.

The new Playbook is expected to include:

  • Key career development issues, research, statistics – relevant to Canada’s public sector, and 40+ practical, low-cost tips, activities and actions to engage and retain staff
  • Recognition of distinct workforce and workplace conditions in the public service, special sections, templates and links to unique resources
  • Specific focus will be given to equity and inclusion, highlighting how career development approaches can address the impact of systemic barriers and discrimination

The Playbooks will be produced in both English and French and presented in the innovative graphic-oriented “travel guide” format used in previous versions. They will be available for free download in keeping with CERIC’s charitable mandate and accessibility focus, but also for sale in print and ebook formats.  It is expected the Playbooks will be released in Spring 2021.

CERIC is once again seeking Knowledge Champions to work with us to shape and support the dissemination of these valuable resources. Knowledge Champions play a key role in helping to amplify the importance of career management to the public sector workforce and provide concrete tools that lead to better employee as well as organizational performance. To get involved, please contact Sharon Ferriss, CERIC’s Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, at sharon@ceric.ca.

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CERIC pulse survey2020

CERIC Recovery Pulse Survey spotlights resilience and innovation in Canada’s career services

June 18, 2020By

Despite vast and ongoing challenges presented by the current global pandemic, Canada’s career and employment services are showing remarkable resilience and innovation as they reimagine their work. By leveraging technology, 89% are reporting they are delivering programs and services remotely, introducing novel approaches to meet student, client and employer needs. These findings come from the new CERIC Recovery Pulse Survey, which gathered input on the impact of COVID-19 on career services across the country as we move into a recovery period. A total of 1,146 career development professionals responded to the survey between June 4 and 12.

Using videoconferencing in addition to phone, email and chat to support clients has now become standard. Some of the other ways that career and employment services are enhancing their offerings include: creating videos and podcasts to deliver remote job search guidance, developing programming for Instagram and YouTube, offering virtual career fairs, hosting Twitter chats, preparing clients for digital interviews, working with employers to secure opportunities for students to do virtual placements and even buying tablets for clients to offset access issues. There is recognition that remote service delivery can be difficult for some vulnerable populations, but career professionals highlighted that it can also increase access, improve digital literacy and strengthen adaptability.

CERIC pulse survey

Click the image to see the full infographic

Comments about the transformation of career services include:

  • “It has forced us to review what we offer and how we offer it and to make it more streamlined and relevant.”
  • “An opportunity for clients to really take the time to research and determine a career change or career path.”
  • “Partnering with other service providers to offer remote advice, webinars and online information that they previously needed to do in-house.”
  • “In an attempt to understand the ‘new normal,’ I have been challenged to be more creative, more empathetic and broad-thinking in my approach to everything.”
  • “Offering more services remotely in future – expand our geographic territory, more accessible to those with transportation or mobility or childcare challenges.”
  • “Tapping into clients’ resilience to face challenges and foster flexibility in their job search.”

However, current realities are presenting very real challenges to the viability of many organizations with nearly a quarter (23.7%) reporting they have had to reduce or close programs and services; 1 in 5 have had to lay off staff or reduce staff hours. Meanwhile, 17.2% of respondents report increased demand for their services from students and clients, and 1 in 5 organizations have been able to develop new partnerships and initiatives. The future remains uncertain: more than half of respondents (54.1%) expect to be open six months from now with limited impact on their operations, while 21.9% anticipate they will be able to grow their services.

Overall, career development professionals reported that among their students and clients, 83.9% see this time period as a stressor and only 16.1% as an opportunity. They indicate that clients with mental health challenges are among the groups most negatively affected, followed by unemployed and low-income individuals. Among respondents, 44.1% say their clients are only somewhat or poorly equipped to handle the mental health impact of the situation.

With the goal of this survey to gather vital intelligence around the changing state of the career development field in Canada during the recovery, there are plans to repeat the Pulse Survey again at the end of the summer and during the fall to track changes over time. Results will continue to show shifts in how career services are being reimagined and tell the story of the public good that career and employment professionals offer in this period of massive workforce upheaval.

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2020

Spring-Summer Issue of Careering focuses on rural workforce development

June 10, 2020By

As part of the third collaborative edition between CERIC and the National Career Development Association (NCDA), the Spring-Summer 2020 issue of Careering magazine highlights “Rural Workforce Development.”

You will find articles from both sides of the border exploring creative solutions to labour shortages, the challenges of unequal broadband access, how to ensure the viability of the agriculture industry, trends in rural workforce development and much more. Several articles also analyze the impacts of COVID-19.

Articles in this issue:

…and much more, including:

Careering is Canada’s Magazine for Career Development Professionals and is the official publication of CERIC. It is published three times a year both in print and as an emagazine, including select content in French. Subscribe to receive your free copy. You can also access past issues for free online.

The Fall 2020 issue of Careering will be on the theme of “Career Superpowers.” Please send a brief description of your idea to Editor Lindsay Purchase, lindsay@ceric.ca, no later than June 30. Article deadlines will be set for this summer in conjunction with writers.

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