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CERIC is pleased to be partnering with the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) for the first time to offer a 3-part webinar series – The Career Development Professional’s Guide to Effectively Serving Clients Living on the Autism Spectrum with recognized ASD consultant Sarah Taylor.

Currently 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, making it the number one neurological disorder diagnosed today. Without an understanding of neurodiversity and some tweaks in methodology, traditional coaching models fail to effectively meet the needs of individuals on the autism spectrum. As more and more people with this diagnosis enter the workforce, this skill set is crucial to the modern-day career practitioner. The series will help practitioners to empower their practice and effectively support high-functioning individuals living with Autism, Asperger’s and Verbal Learning Disorder.

• Webinar #1: What and How of Autism – and its impact on employment Wednesday, April 15, 2020 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET
• Webinar #2: Autism Employment Barriers… and how to get around them Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET
• Webinar #3: Autism Employment Success: He got the job, now what? Wednesday, April 29, 2020 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET

Taylor is a Principal Consultant at Next Level ASD Consulting. She worked at the renowned Society for Treatment of Autism (located in Calgary) for 17 years and over that time developed her skills in assessment, consultation and advocacy for people who live on the Autism Spectrum. In 2014, Taylor made the switch from working with and advocating for children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder to designing and implementing a federally funded program that provided employment supports for adults with autism and coaching support to partner employers.

The cost for the full series is $159. A discount is available for CASE members.

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

Last year, CERIC offered two series of free webinars based on its book Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice, co-edited by Nancy Arthur, Roberta Neault and Mary McMahon. Following the popularity of these learning opportunities, we are continuing to invite more contributing authors to highlight their career development theories through free webinars starting in April.

CERIC’s Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice is an international collection of 43 contemporary and emerging career development theories and models that aims to inform the practice of career development professionals around the globe. It is also intended to be used as a text for undergraduate and graduate career counselling courses.

As part of this latest free webinar series, we are offering two English webinars and two French webinars.

• Webinar #1: Making Sense of Career Transitions Through the Theory of Work Adjustment | Monday, April 20, 2020, 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm ET, presented by Jon Woodend, James Cook University, Australia (English)
• Webinar #2: An Adaptive Decision-making Approach to Career Counselling | Friday, April 24, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET, presented by Louis Cournoyer, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada (French)
• Webinar #3: Psychological Health at Work: The Importance of Taking Care of Our Work and Defending Our Occupation | Monday, April 27, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET, presented by Simon Viviers, Laval University, Canada (French)
• Webinar #4: Psychology of Working Theory: A Transformative Approach to Work and Career | Friday, May 1, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET, presented by David L. Blustein, Boston College, USA (English)

Anyone who registers will be sent the webinar recordings. These will be available one week after the webinar series ends. Captions will be added in both English and French to all recordings, making them accessible for all participants.

Learn more about this webinar series and register today.

The newest edition of the Canadian Journal of Career Development (CJCD) has just been published, with five articles that range from experiential learning among undergrads to career engagement for older workers.

The Winter 2020 issue includes:

• University Students’ Perceptions of Unplanned Events as a Factor in the Process of Career Choice, Ozlem Ulas-Kilic, Selen Demirtas-Zorbaz & Seval Kizildag
• What Inspires Career Professionals in Ontario’s Non-Profit Employment Agencies to Remain Intrinsically Motivated?, Habib Ullah & Pam Bishop
• Preparing Undergraduate Students for Tomorrow’s Workplace: Core Competency Development Through Experiential Learning Opportunities, Elizabeth Bowering, Christine Frigault, & Anthony R. Yue
• Impact of Proactive Personality on Career Adaptability and Intentions for Expatriation, Irfan Hameed, Sanam Brohi, & Atif Shahab
• Another Story to Tell: Outcomes of a Single Session Narrative Approach, Blended with Technology, Mark Franklin & Michael J. Stebleton
• Advancing Older Workers: Motivations, Adaptabilities, and Ongoing Career Engagement, Jennifer Luke & Roberta A. Neault

This release of the journal also included notice of a forthcoming Call for Submissions for a special themed issue of CJCD focused on the career and career development needs of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

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, once in digital format in the fall and then in both print and digital formats in the winter. It is free to subscribe to the digital editions and all issues of the journal dating back to 2002 are available to access online.

Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) experience unique challenges in the workplace. Career professionals can support these clients by providing effective career guidance and interventions. In the new CERIC literature search, LGBTQ and Career Development, we highlight emerging research and best practices to support LGBTQ clients to build inclusive work environments.

Topics covered in the literature search include:

• Career development for LGBTQ populations
• Barriers to career progression of LGBTQ individuals
• Best practice in career interventions for LGBTQ employees
• LGBTQ resources to build student career success
• Career interventions for transgender individuals
• Research on workplace equity policies for LGBTQ individuals

There are now 57 literature searches available, including Career Development Theory and Career Management Models, Economic Benefits of Career Guidance, Parental Involvement in Career Development, Labour Market Trends, Mental Health Issues in the Workplace, and more.

Featuring comprehensive listings of key research and articles in career development, literature searches highlight critical points of current knowledge. As a student, academic or practitioner in the field, literature searches are helpful if you are researching the latest thinking or proven best practices. They are also valuable if you are considering a submission to CERIC for project partnership funding in order to gain an overview of major work already done in your area of interest.

A record near 1,300 delegates from across the country and around the world gathered in Ottawa from Jan. 27-29, 2020 for the Cannexus National Career Development Conference to learn about and discuss the issues shaping work and well-being in Canada, including community social enterprise, youth empowerment, mental health, future skills and reconciliation.

Conference highlights included:

• Three phenomenal keynote speakers: Social entrepreneur Zita Cobb shared her inspiring work to revive Fogo Island, NL with lessons for preserving small communities throughout rural Canada; UK researcher Tristram Hooley made a powerful case for why politicians should care about career development and set out the evidence for its social and economic impact; and Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, discussed improving the well-being of the 65,000 Inuit in Canada during a time of reconciliation.
• Delegates received complimentary copies of Strengthening Mental Health Through Effective Career Development: A Practitioner’s Guide – written by Dave Redekopp and Michael Huston of Life-Role Development Group Ltd (and available for free download). Two other new CERIC publications were also launched: Career Work in Action based on the Guiding Principles of Career Development and the 2020 edition of Computing Careers & Disciplines: A Quick Guide for Prospective Students and Career Advisors.
• Cannexus delegates got a look at the first results of the 2019 CERIC Survey of Career Service Professionals – a national survey that was completed by more than 1,350 career professionals across Canada last year. It includes a demographic snapshot, learning priorities and public perceptions of the career development field. A new section of the survey focusing on the regrets, anxieties and myths that career professionals are hearing about from students and clients generated considerable media interest.

This year’s Cannexus featured more than 150 education sessions, with some of the most-attended covering career development and mental health; enhancing economic activity through public, private & not-for profit collaboration; students’ perspectives on careers; identifying experiential learning outcomes; labour market trends in an age of disruption; preparing for the future of work; soft skills for employment retention; trauma-informed career practice; design thinking for career development; and the power of LinkedIn and social reciprocity.

Other programming included a Workforce Development Spotlight that examined newcomer integration, transforming workforce systems and students in a global workforce. The always-popular Spark! TED-style talks returned, a new World Cafe crowdsourced ideas around youth empowerment and the powerful KAIROS Blanket Exercise built understanding of Canada’s shared history among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

The latest programs, products and services were also showcased by 45 exhibitors in a sold-out exhibit hall in addition to special Zones focused on raising awareness of organizations doing work in Mental Health, Social Enterprise and Reconciliation.

In a post-conference survey, a total of 95.9% of respondents rated Cannexus as good to excellent. The majority of delegates indicated that they plan to either use what they learned at work right away or incorporate it over time, with 95.6% stating they plan to share what they learned with their colleagues to impact change broadly. Comments included:

“Cannexus20 was very interesting, motivating and inspirational. The presenters are amazing and knowledgeable. All of the aspects of this conference are beneficial and educational. I strongly recommend it to everyone who is either in career development or career counselling.”
– Michèle Elliott, Indigenous Navigator, Indigenous Services Canada

“Cannexus offers a national conversation on what’s current – and what’s coming – for career development. It’s a dialogue you won’t find anywhere else. Thank you for building a conference that is an important part of professional growth for our team.”
– Kim Kiloh, Director, Centre for Student Involvement & Careers, University of British Columbia

“Cannexus20 was a great event packed with informative presentations and it allowed for meaningful connections with colleagues in the career development field. It was an energetic and engaging event. Looking forward to Cannexus21.”
– Karen Mulrooney, Program Co-ordinator, Job Connect NL

To learn more about Cannexus20:

• Access the speaker presentations and handouts
• View a video of the highlights
• See photos from this year’s conference

Cannexus20 was presented by CERIC and supported by The Counselling Foundation of Canada with a broad network of 37 supporting organizations and sponsors.

The dates for the next Cannexus are Jan. 25-27, 2021 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa. The Call for Presenters will open this spring.

This Winter 2020 issue of Careering magazine offers a crash course in many of the ethical dilemmas career professionals face today – what they are, the questions they raise and how to navigate them. Articles highlight the ethical codes available to career professionals, explore the implications of technology and look at ethics related to specific client populations, including newcomers, K-12 students and LGBTQ2+ jobseekers.

Articles in this issue:

• How to engage in ethical advocacy work in career development, by Andrew Bassingthwaighte
• Ethical considerations of internet usage: A career guidance perspective, by Tom Staunton
• Ethics in practice: A dynamic process in an era of career development professionalization, by Cassie Taylor and Roberta Neault

…and much more, including:

• 10 Questions for the Fogo Island Inn’s Zita Cobb 
• Career Briefs
• Career development and mental health: How can I practise ethically?
• Client Side: Wading through grief and rediscovering my career passion
• Infographic CERIC 2019 Survey of Career Service Professionals
• Principles in Action:  Environmental supports key to students’ self-directed career success
• Understanding ethical risk for co-op practitioners

And these online exclusives:

• Beyond binarism: Countering gender identity discrimination in the workplace
• Can overworked school counsellors ethically meet student needs?
• Career successes and challenges of immigrant professionals in Canada
• Case Study: Job-shadowing program helps LGBTQ2+ students navigate workplace concerns
• Developing an ethical practice-checker to guide daily decisions
• How technology can support career professionals in addressing social justice issues
• Modern ethical dilemmas for career professionals
• Never been more needed: A new competency framework for career professionals
• Why career practitioners should also be critical adult educators

Careering magazine 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 next issue of Careering will be on the theme of “Rural Workforce Development” and will be a collaboration with the US-based National Career Development Association. Send your article pitches to Editor Lindsay Purchase, lindsay@ceric.ca, by Feb. 14.