Cannexus National Career Development Conference turns 10

From January 25-27, 2016 CERIC will host the Cannexus 10^th anniversary conference in Ottawa. Canada’s largest bilingual National Career Development Conference, Cannexus explores innovative approaches in career counselling and career development. Cannexus16 is expected to welcome 800 professionals from education, community, government and private sectors.

In addition to 130+ education sessions, this year Cannexus will feature four notable Canadian keynote speakers: Ratna Omidvar, Executive Director, Global Diversity Exchange; Spencer Niles,  Dean & Professor, School of Education, The College of William & Mary; The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair, Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) ; and Wab Kinew, Writer, Journalist and Honourary TRC Witness.

Delegates can save if they register by the November 2 Early Bird deadline. For more information on Cannexus and to register, visit cannexus.ca.

Webfolio: an online career development tool for students is now Canada-wide

A web-based career exploration tool developed by the career centre (Service de Placement) at Quebec City-based Laval University is now available for free across Canada and can be accessed by students in both French and English.

Webfolio provides a career-related reflection platform and allows students to choose strategies to prepare them for their career of choice, while simultaneously building an online portfolio. Students participate in a series of activities across three steps: (1) my skills and interests (2) understanding the job market, and (3) my plan in action. When they finish, they may submit their final Webfolio to career counsellors or employers, as a complement to their resume and cover letter.

Laval University first introduced Webfolio in 2009 as a resource for its students. Due to its success, Webfolio, with a grant from The Counselling Foundation of Canada, was adapted and distributed to secondary schools and CEGEPs across Quebec. The online tool has been available province-wide since September 2014, with participation from 200 organizations and 9,000 individual users.

Webfolio is currently looking for sponsors to help sustain its use from coast to coast in both languages.

Learn more about Webfolio at webfolionational.ca.

“Demilitarizing” career transition and job search

A set of bilingual resources, Military to Civilian Employment: A Career Practitioner’s Guide, is being developed for Canadian career service professionals to use in working with veterans transitioning to civilian careers and further educational opportunities.

Topics covered in the guides will include:

• Understanding military culture and systems
• Career development needs of ex-military personnel: transition and adaptation
• Effective interventions for helping veterans move to civilian employment
• Military training and education and determining civilian equivalencies
• Helping ex-military personnel translate military skills/jobs into civilian workplace language
• Trends in occupations for which transitioning armed forces personnel have immediately transferable skills and training
• Employment and implications for military families

Authored by career development expert Yvonne Rodney, the guides will be available in print or ebook or for download as a free pdf, and are scheduled to launch at the Cannexus conference in Ottawa in January 2016. The project is being headed by CERIC, in partnership with Canada Company and its Military Employment Transition (MET) program, and includes consultation and collaboration with the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans Affairs Canada, Military Family Services, military-friendly employers and front-line career professionals, as well as the support of several key Knowledge Champions.

If you are interested in learning more about this project, check the project page at ceric.ca/military where you can sign up for updates.

Is it time to retire “retirement”?

A new study funded by CERIC will examine how Canadians in their 50s, 60s and 70s are seeking out second and third careers as “retirement” is redefined. The project, led by York University’s Suzanne L. Cook, will also look at how career professionals can best assist older adults in their career development.

The Redirection: Work and Later Life Career Development Project will examine this new emergent phase of later life, which Dr Cook has coined “redirection,” referring to the process of finding new pursuits during the second half of life. Redirection, which aims to move beyond traditional notions of retirement, occurs as older adults live longer and increasingly seek the rewards of work and staying engaged.

Investigating the diversity of paid work that older adults undertake and their later life career “redirection” experiences will be a focus of the study. The project will also assess how career practitioners are currently working with older adults and identify best practices.

For more information about the study, see ceric.ca/olderworkers

Be part of CERIC’s 2015 Survey of Career Service Professionals!

The landscape in career services continues to evolve as funding service models change, new technology emerges, and shifting economic conditions persist. CERIC’s 2015 Survey of Career Service Professionals will provide an accurate picture of today’s career services community in Canada.

All career service professionals are invited to complete the survey, which explores research and education issues in the field, as well as career competency and mobility. The survey is open until November 20.

For taking the time to complete the survey, you will be entered in a draw for a full registration (a $550 value!) to the Cannexus16 conference in January. Survey results will be presented at Cannexus.

Survey findings will also be compared to the results of CERIC’s 2011 survey, completed by over 1,000 practitioners throughout the country, to see how the environment has altered and career service professionals have adapted.

Access the survey at ceric.ca/survey2015 or the French version at ceric.ca/sondage2015.

Canada Career Week 2015

The Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) is inviting all career professionals to celebrate November 2-6, 2015 as Canada Career Week. The theme for this year is “Decent Work, Healthy Lives.” Career practitioners are asked to promote “the link between decent work and our health – as individuals, communities and as a nation.”

It is an occasion to reach out to your community by organizing a special activity, an open house, publishing an op-ed in your local newspaper, reaching out to your public officials or to other organizations.

What will you do to celebrate Career Week? Share your projects and ideas on facebook.com/CCWSCC or on Twitter (#CanadaCareerWeek).