2023

Registration now open for Cannexus24, Canada’s Career Development Conference

July 25, 2023By

Cannexus24, Canada’s largest bilingual career development conference, is now open for registration with Super Saver rates available until Sept. 8. The Cannexus24 conference will take place from January 29-31, 2024, both virtually and in Ottawa, Canada. Whatever the format, Cannexus24 will leave you feeling empowered to enact change and to build our future together through career development. More than 2,000 professionals combined attended the last hybrid Cannexus.  

As a delegate, you can choose to “Experience Cannexus Your Way.” The virtual and in-person portions have largely separate programs but shared keynotes and main stage sessions for all delegates to interact. In both experiences, you can expect an impactful gathering where you will explore innovative approaches in career and workforce development, and connect with peers from across Canada and around the world. 

Super Saver rates for the virtual conference start at $210 with special $50 rates for students. The in-person rates start at $390. Members of more than 30 supporting organizations receive 25% off either virtual or in-person registration. The 25% discount is also available for groups of 5 or more.  All delegates get access to the virtual recordings after the conference for three months. 

This year two pre-conference workshops will be offered in Ottawa to enrich the conference experience. Strengthening Practice Through Career Theories and Models: New & Creative Approaches is based on the forthcoming sequel to the popular Career Theories and Models at Work book and will be delivered by co-authors Dr. Nancy Arthur, Dr. Roberta Borgen (Neault) and Dr. Mary McMahon. Cannexus will also present the powerful Indigenous Blanket Exercise, which explores the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. 

Bursaries are available to support career development professionals in attending the virtual portion of Cannexus. The Marilyn Van Norman Bursary will be awarded to 13 community-based career development or employment practitioners, one from each province and territory. The Young Professionals Bursary will go to 12 individuals aged 30 or younger and engaged with career development or employment work. Preference goes to individuals from equity-deserving groups. The application deadline for bursaries is September 29, 2023 

Additional information is available on: 

  • Discounted hotels near the Shaw Centre where Cannexus is hosted 
  • Reduced fares to travel to Ottawa by plane or train 
  • The conference schedule (full program to be posted by October 4) 
  • Opportunities to become a Cannexus partner or exhibitor (note last year’s in-person Exhibitor Showcase sold out) 
  • Testimonials from past attendees about the conference 

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

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Supporting the integration of refugees with low levels of education: a cross-cultural perspective on counselling  (In French with English Subtitles)

July 21, 2023By

PAST FREE WEBINAR

person    Co-Presenters

  • Marcelline Bengaly, Professor at Université Laval and researcher at the CRIEVAT
  • Patricia Dionne, Associate professor in the career counselling department at Université de Sherbrooke
  • Liette Goyer, Professor, researcher, career counsellor, psychotherapist and supervisor
  • Annie Gourde, PhD student at Université Laval and career counsellor
  • Julie Morissette, Career counsellor and socio-professional integration trainer

calendar icon   Original date and time

Price

  • FREE webinar

Language

  • This webinar series was presented in French with English subtitles available on the recording.

Accessibility

  • This webinar series offered AI-generated live captions available in multiple languages
CERIC logo

English subtitles are available on the recording of this webinar.

Overview

The number of refugees admitted to Canada and Québec is expected to increase over the next few years. Counsellors need to understand these people’s reality if they are to support them in developing a project for social and professional integration. To adapt and integrate into a new society, refugees with low levels of education need to learn new skills in almost every facet of their lives.  However, the staff responsible for providing them with support and counselling often find themselves at a loss, as the majority of studies in this field have been carried out with qualified immigrants. In response to this need, CERIC funded a project that resulted in the development of a guide to understanding the realities of refugees with low levels of education, to design guidance interventions and support them according to their realities and objectives, and to support the development of cross-cultural intervention skills among counsellors.  

Why Should You Attend

In this webinar, we will provide an overview of the challenges faced by refugees with low levels of education, in order to understand their reality and the issues with which they must contend. Next, we will take a look at a few theoretical points to help us better understand cultural differences and design counselling interventions for this population. Thirdly, cross-cultural posture, attitudes and skills will be presented to help counsellors understand how they need to adjust their interventions. Finally, a number of elements specifically related to counselling intervention will be addressed, such as free and informed consent, counselling evaluation and the working alliance. The aim of this webinar is to equip counselling and career development professionals to work with refugees, both in groups and individually, while exploring the unique intervention guide that they can integrate into their practice. 

Key learning objectives

  • Develop awareness of cross-cultural intervention in counselling refugees with low levels of education. 
  • Gradually acquire a counselling process tailored to the reality of this demographic, along with the required cross-cultural skills. 

Overview of the research project

CERIC has funded a five-year research project in Québec aimed at improving the professional integration of immigrants and refugees in difficulty despite their qualifications. Led by Université Laval professor Marcelline Bangali, in partnership with SOIT and the Centre Louis Jolliet, the study provided a better understanding of immigrants’ needs in general, and those of refugees with low levels of education. The research results, supplemented by the professional experience of the team members, led to the design of a support approach based on cross-cultural skills. This innovative approach, presented in a recently published work, aims to help people working with this demographic to better understand the specifics of their challenges, so as to implement appropriate and adapted support processes for successful social and professional integration. 

Learn more

CERIC webinars are hosted on the Zoom Events platform! Learn about it in our FAQ.

Marcelline Bengali

Marcelline Bengaly, professor at Université Laval and researcher at the CRIEVAT. She is particularly interested in the analysis of identity reconstruction processes among migrants.

Patricia Dionne

Patricia Dionne, associate professor in the career counselling department at Université de Sherbrooke. From a social justice perspective, her work focuses on group intervention in counselling for adults living in poverty, with mental health problems or for immigrants. 

Liette Goyer

Liette Goyer, professor, researcher, career counsellor, psychotherapist and supervisor. She runs the Laboratoire sur l’analyse des dispositifs d’accompagnement et de la compétence à s’orienter (ADACO) which is affiliated to the CRIEVAT at Université Laval.

Annie Gourde

Annie Gourde, PhD student at Université Laval and career counsellor since 2006. She meets with diverse clients in private practice, including immigrants, experiencing all kinds of career-related challenges. She teaches courses at Université Laval on LMI and socio-professional integration of various client bases, among other things. 

Julie Morrissette

Julie Morissette, career counsellor and socio-professional integration trainer, has been working with refugees with low levels of education for over 15 years. She is currently working on a PhD on the conceptualization of cross-cultural counselling. She also teaches career counselling at the Université de Sherbrooke.

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2023

Deadline extended: Wileman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Career Development

July 18, 2023By

The deadline to nominate a trailblazer for the Etta St. John Wileman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Career Development has now been extended to Sept. 15, 2023. Building on its proud history, it was announced earlier this year that CERIC’s flagship award is evolving to become more inclusive and accessible. The changes seek to ensure the award honours those who are making a significant impact within the wide-ranging field of career development, regardless of role or position within an organization.

You are encouraged to consider making a nomination:

  • Is there someone who has influenced you? Made the work of you and your colleagues better? Had a significant impact on clients and their community? 
  • Who do you know that has mentored, educated, advised, advocated for and been a role model to staff or students? 
  • Whose outstanding achievements have included seeking to have a more equitable impact with their work, such as challenging oppressive structures? 

For more than past two years, CERIC’s Wileman Award Selection Committee has been working to adapt the award. This started with expanding committee membership to include more diverse voices and better reflect all career development professionals as well as the people across Canada who they support. As part of these changes, the award’s focus has shifted from “lifetime achievement” to “outstanding achievement”, the definition of “leadership” has expanded, and new criteria related to justice, equity, diversity & inclusion have been added.  

Learn more about the award and why you should consider making a nomination: 

This is your chance to honour those blazing trails within career development through outstanding service, community engagement or other forms of impact and leadership. In such a multi-faceted field as career development, the intent is to reach out broadly to identify all those who should be celebrated. Nominate someone from your organization or network and ensure we are able to recognize the full spectrum of professionals making a meaningful difference in career development in Canada. 

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Unlocking Potential with the Change it Up Approach: A Holistic and Strengths-Based Approach to Career Development

July 13, 2023By

PAST FREE WEBINAR

person   Presenter

Heather MacTaggart, Founder and Executive Director of Classroom Connections and the Change It Up (CiU) skills development program

calendar icon   Original date and time of the webinar:

  • Monday, October 16, 2023

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET (Check your time zone)

Cost

  • FREE Webinar

Language

  • This webinar was presented in English

Accessibility

  • This webinar offered AI-generated live captions available in multiple languages
CERIC logo

This webinar series was generously sponsored by Classroom Connections and offered free of charge for all participants. Learn more about Classroom Connections and the Change it Up program.

Overview

As career practitioners, whether in individual or group sessions, we interact with various clients, including those with multiple barriers or diverse needs. These clients or students may require additional strategies and techniques for empowering them and helping them succeed in their careers and educational paths. 

This FREE webinar will introduce you to the Change It Up (CiU) approach to counselling and teaching and will offer you the opportunity to explore the “how” of working in the field of career counselling, focusing on questions such as: How do we help people grow and learn? How do we create experiences with deep results? How do we build on strengths, those of ourselves and our learners/clients? 

The CiU approach, based on decades of research, incorporates the Fab 5 principles: hands-on, learner-centred, holistic, strength-based and trauma-aware. Successfully implemented in alternative education programs for over a decade in First Nations communities, it achieved extraordinary results with 86% employed or in further education. The program includes a comprehensive collection of workshop packages, making it an incredible asset for educators and facilitators who offer employment, pre-employment and/or foundational skills programming. 

Why Career Practitioners Should Attend

In this 1-hour webinar, participants will have the chance to get an overview of the 10-hour long CiU training program and understand its unique approach that has contributed to its success in both group and individual counselling settings. By the end of the session, participants will have discovered practical tools that can effectively assist them in their work with clients and gained insights into the benefits of applying the CiU approach in their practice. Participants will also leave the webinar with one of the 15 ready-to-use workshops available in the CiU program. The “Explorer Mindset—Open to Learning” workshop will be useful in helping to answer questions such as: How can I best respond to challenges and learn new things? How to shift mindsets when challenged? What circumstances lead to the most growth and learning? 

Key Learning Takeaways

  • How to support clients with a multitude of complexities that can impact their journey 
  • How to build on strengths, those of ourselves and our learners/clients 
  • How the Change it Up (CiU) approach helps use a strengths-based, trauma-aware, learner-centred, hands-on and holistic approach to counselling and teaching 
  • How to use the workshop template “Explorer Mindset—Open to Learning,” to help clients and students answer questions about their learning and growth 

CERIC webinars are hosted on the Zoom Event platform! Learn about it in our FAQ.

Heather MacTaggart is the founder and Executive Director of Classroom Connections and the highly successful Change It Up (CiU) skills development program. This professional development program now has federal funding to train educators and human development professionals across the country to incorporate this strengths-based, holistic, trauma-aware approach into their lives and work. Heather has written over 25 curriculum packages, such as the award-winning Cultivating Peace program, Literacy Connections and The Gathering Place, in use in schools and community throughout Canada and beyond. 

Heather is also the co-author with John Abbott, Underschooled But Undereducated: How the crisis in education is jeopardizing our adolescents. 

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Dismantling the Impact of Unconscious Bias on Job Searching, Mental Health and Career Services

July 7, 2023By

PAST PAID WEBINAR SERIES

person   Presenter

Lakeisha Mathews, EdD, Director of the Career and Internship Center at the University of Baltimore

calendar icon   Original dates and time of the series:

  • Tuesday, November 7, 2023
  • Tuesday, November 14, 2023
  • Tuesday, November 21, 2023

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET (Check your time zone)

Cost

  • PAID Webinar Series

Language

  • This webinar series was presented in English with French subtitles available on recordings

Accessibility

  • This webinar series offered AI-generated live captions available in multiple languages
CERIC logo

French subtitles are provided in the recordings of this webinar series.

Overview

Despite the growing number of diversity hiring plans across various sectors, jobseekers still have concerns about hiring bias. Moreover, hiring bias has proven to have a negative impact on the well-being and mental health of workers creating greater roadblocks to career success, especially for underrepresented groups. This new webinar series will explore the profound impacts that implicit bias has on job search and worker well-being. It will also provide career development practitioners with the tools and knowledge to strengthen their multicultural competency. 

Why Should You Attend

Are your clients concerned about perceptions hiring managers will have of their name, sexuality, age or race? Do your clients ask for advice on how cultural identifiers should be presented on a resume? Do you feel the need to advocate for your clients to help them obtain social mobility or advance in their careers while being their authentic selves? By attending these webinars, you will deepen your understanding of the intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion in relation to job searching and employability. In addition, you will learn to recognize unconscious bias and gain the necessary tools to advocate for your clients and help them navigate the job market successfully, ultimately promoting social mobility. 

By the end of this series, participants will have not only reflected upon and enhanced their multicultural competencies but also developed essential skills to identify unconscious bias during hiring processes. Participants will leave the series equipped to effectively advocate for their clients and provide better support throughout their career journeys. 

Webinar #1: The Impact of Unconscious Bias on the Job Search

Tuesday, November 7, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET
  • Gain a deeper understanding of implicit bias that occurs in the job search process 
  • Recognize the role employer relations has in addressing bias in the hiring process 
  • Identify effective strategies for helping clients overcome bias and maximize their chances of success in the job search 
  • Discuss current trends and policies seeking to eliminate bias out of hiring processes

Webinar #2: The Impact of Unconscious Bias on Mental Health

Tuesday, November 14, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET
  • Understand and recognize the impact of implicit bias on individuals’ well-being 
  • Identify the mental health signs that implicit bias has on underrepresented groups 
  • Discuss how negative work experiences can lead to burnout 
  • Learn practical strategies to help clients effectively cope with emotional stress 

Webinar #3: Becoming a Multiculturally Competent Career Practitioner: The Call to Social Justice

Tuesday, November 21, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET
  • Enhance multicultural competence in your career development practice 
  • Increase self-awareness by identifying and reflecting on personal biases 
  • Develop a plan for enhancing multicultural competence in your practice 
  • Examine and implement ways to display cultural appreciation within career services 

CERIC PAID webinars are hosted on the Zoom Events platform! Learn about it in our FAQ.

Lakeisha Mathews

Lakeisha Mathews, EdD, is Director of the Career and Internship Center at the University of Baltimore and owner of Right Resumes & Career Coaching. Dr. Mathews holds several industry certifications including Certified Career Coach and Executive Career Coach among other designations. She holds an EdD in Higher Education Leadership & Innovation from Wilmington University, an MS in Human Resource Development from Towson University and a BA in Communication from the University of Maryland College Park. 

Dr. Mathews is the Past-President of the National Career Development Association in the US (NCDA) and has travelled to Canada, Italy, Egypt and Taiwan to inspire career professionals around the world. 

She wrote a chapter in the book Find Your Fit, published by the Association of Talent Development and has written the foreword to several career development publications and contributed articles to the NCDA, CERIC, Association of Training and Development and the Career Development Network Journal. 

CERIC is committed to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion as fundamental aspects of career development practice. As such, CERIC is working with diverse communities to develop learning opportunities supporting Inclusive Career Development.

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Screenshot of the CERIC 2022 Annual Report webpage. There is a concept image of an individual walking from a dark room shaded by 2 large walls, towards a bright outdoor landscape.2023

CERIC 2022 Annual Report documents transition for organization, sector in catalyzing change

June 22, 2023By

The latest CERIC Annual Report describes 2022 as a year that was unlike anything that preceded it or that we may see again in the future. With a theme of “Embracing Transition, Catalyzing Change,” this Annual Report chronicles a series of transitions for CERIC as an organization as well as for the broader career development communities we serve. It highlights CERIC’s activities, impacts and reflections as we worked to promote career development for public good and to build career development knowledge and mindsets. 

In their Leadership Message, Board Chair Dr. Candy Ho and outgoing Executive Director Riz Ibrahim discuss the experience of needing to pivot in the face of ongoing challenges with COVID to offer our flagship Cannexus conference as an all-virtual gathering for the second time. But with more than 1,700 delegates in attendance, it was evident that the learning 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.  

The year was a busy one, filled with new and continuing research and learning projects: 

This past year was also one to build on existing partnerships and forge new relationships: 

Meanwhile, during 2022, CERIC continued to invest in its core programming. The Canadian Journal of Career Development celebrated 20 years of publishing as the country’s only peer-reviewed academic journal in the field. Our CareerWise and OrientAction sites continued to empower career practitioners with insights and resources. CERIC’s Graduate Student Engagement Program was paused for relaunch in 2023 and is being retooled to best support the next generation of career development researchers in Canada. 

In early 2022, CERIC 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. This was envisioned as just the start of many changes to come in the years ahead. 

A major transition for CERIC saw Executive Director Riz Ibrahim announcing 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. 

In addition to these highlights of transition and change, the CERIC 2022 Annual Report includes the organization’s financial statements and an acknowledgement all those who have contributed to the promise of even deeper impacts in the years ahead. A special thanks went to CERIC staff for their resilience, to Board and Advisory Committee volunteers for their guidance and to The Counselling Foundation of Canada for its ongoing commitment to the work of CERIC.   

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2023

CERIC awards Career Development 2040 project to Creative Futures

May 8, 2023By

Toronto-based consultancy Creative Futures Studio will lead a new research project for CERIC that examines how the changing nature of work will impact the concept of careers and the role and identity of career developers. Their unique approach will focus on applying strategic foresight and participatory research to identify future-focused recommendations for the career development ecosystem in Canada. The research will look forward to 2040 to anticipate: What might be the role of career developers? Will “careers” as they are currently conceptualized exist or how might they evolve given current macro-level changes impacting jobs and the way we work?  

Canada has a rich ecosystem of career development professionals helping people to understand their career options, get the right skills and training, find work and grow in their roles. Many also help people address life issues that prevent them from reaching their career goals. A deep analysis into the broader shifts related to the future of work will help diverse career developers as well as policymakers to be prepared for the future. Prior to COVID-19, a host of broad social, technological, economic, environmental, political and values-based changes were disrupting Canada’s labour market. The pandemic accelerated many of these changes, while introducing new disruptions further complicating the landscape for career development.  

With that backdrop, CERIC’s aim is for this future-focused research to examine: 

  1. What are the macro factors redefining the changing workplace and career paths? 
  2. What is the future role and identity of career developers? 
  3. What career-oriented services and supports will people need in the future, and how will current services need to adapt to meet these needs? 

For Phase 1 of the project, Creative Futures will use a strategic foresight method called horizon scanning to identify a range of changes impacting the future of career development. The research will also involve interviews with career developers across Canada as well as with users of career services. This resulting trends analysis will be used in Phase 2 to develop four possible future scenarios that explore different versions of work in 2040. These scenarios will form the basis of a participatory workshop with career developers to explore how their profession might evolve and how current services must change to support their clients’ future needs. Phase 3 will see the release of these research findings by April 2024. 

Creative Futures helps public, non-profit and socially minded leaders plan and prepare for their future. Using applied futures research, they work with organizations to navigate complexity and embrace uncertainty, arming them with the tools to think beyond present-day issues and imagine, prepare for, and navigate multiple potential futures. Creative Futures brings extensive experience researching the future of work, including have led the Brookfield Institute’s multi-year Employment in 2030 initiatives.  

The awarding of the project comes in response to a Request for Proposals that CERIC issued last fall.  The purpose is to identify factors that define and conversely limit identity making of career developers, as well as the roles they see themselves playing through this identity and through the interplay of macro socio-economic external factors. CERIC is interested in understanding how these factors are going to drive the evolution of role and identity within the career development field, in addition to the skillsets and competencies that will be needed to navigate these changes.

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Graphic for the Free information Session for the Etta St. John WIleman Award2023

Free info session on Apr. 24 to outline changes to Wileman Award 

April 12, 2023By

As CERIC announced earlier this year, the career development community’s flagship award is evolving to become more inclusive and accessible. A free information session on Monday, April 24 will discuss changes to the Etta St John Wileman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Career Development, how to nominate a colleague and provide time to answer any questions.

Join two members of the Wileman Award Selection Committee to find out everything you need to know to nominate a deserving candidate by the June 30 deadline. Cathy Keates (Queen’s University) and Yvonne Rodney (Inner Change Consulting/JVS Toronto) will share:

  • Why the Wileman award is transforming to ensure we are recognizing the full spectrum of professionals making a meaningful difference in career development in Canada AND the committee consultation that led to the changes
  • How the award’s focus has shifted from “lifetime” to “outstanding achievement”; how the definition of leadership has expanded; and how new criteria related to justice, equity, diversity & inclusion have been added
  • What you and your organization can do to nominate an individual among your colleagues and networks who has made a significant impact to enhancing the field of career development, regardless of role or position

Plus, there will be ample time for questions to ask anything you’d like to know about the changes to the award or about the nomination process.

This is your chance to learn how you can honour those blazing trails within career development through outstanding service, community engagement or other forms of impact and leadership.

Register now for the info session. Be sure to sign up even if you can’t attend live and you’ll receive a copy of the recording.

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2023

Cannexus24 Call for Presenters now open; deadline is June 2

April 5, 2023By

CERIC has issued its Call for Presenters to be part of the next hybrid Cannexus, the largest bilingual Career Development Conference in Canada. The call is open to anyone who wants to help the career development community to reflect, celebrate and dig into new trends. Speakers can present in-person in Ottawa, Canada, or virtually at the conference to be held Jan. 29-31, 2024. Cannexus welcomes presentations in either English or French. 

Presenting at Cannexus provides an unmatched opportunity to exchange information and explore unique and effective approaches in the areas of career counselling and career and workforce development. The last conference brought together more than 2,000 people across Canada and the world. Presenters inspire others thanks to their knowledge and gain experience as well as a new level of networking. 

Cannexus speakers are researchers and practitioners from universities, schools, community agencies, governments, private practices and corporations. We strongly encourage proposals from individuals from equity-deserving groups, including Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities. Speakers and attendees are professionals in career and workforce development and related fields who are forward-thinkers with fresh and impactful ideas and projects to convey. 

More than 30 themes have been identified to help presenters develop their submissions. Areas of interest range from Effective Coaching Techniques to Advocacy and Social Justice, and from Job Search Strategies to the Future of Work and Workplaces. There is also interest in sessions on Management and HR Issues geared to directors of career and employment centres. Additionally, international presenters are also welcome to present global perspectives on career development research and practice. 

The submission deadline is Friday, June 2, 2023. Please review the terms and guidelines of presenting prior to submitting a proposal. Learn more about Cannexus in this recap of Cannexus23 along with reviews from past delegates. 

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

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2023

Updated for 2023! Toolkit showcases 10 ways that employers can partner with career professionals to address talent needs

March 23, 2023By

CERIC has updated its popular toolkit that highlights 10 ways career development professionals (CDPs) can partner with employers to meet their recruitment, retention and training needs. The 2023 edition includes additional insights from more CDPs across the country who work with employers every day within their communities. At a time when job vacancies in Canada remain at an all-time high despite an ongoing threat of recession, the toolkit offers fresh and practical approaches to attract and maintain talent in what continues to be a tight labour market.

The toolkit is a compilation that now reflects input from almost 200 CDPs with advice for helping to mobilize local labour markets. This resource is the result of Virtual Community Roundtables with career development professionals held throughout the second half of 2022. Organized by CERIC, the roundtables were hosted in partnership with four provincial career development associations, Career Development Association of Alberta, Ordre des conseillers et conseillères d’orientation du Québec (OCCOQ), ASPECT BC and the Ontario Association of Career Management.

Download the free toolkit and a one-page infographic summary:

During these roundtables, CDPs discussed with their peers the results of CERIC’s Environics National Business Survey of 500 Canadian employers released last year. Discussions focused on five themes: Challenges for Canadian Businesses, Recruitment, Skills Gap, Soft Skills and Professional / Career Development. The recurring message was that today new approaches as well as flexibility are required to find and grow talent given shifting jobseeker and employee expectations.

The toolkit that emerged from these roundtables is intended to be a concise resource that conveys the most impactful approaches for CDPs to work with employers. Some of the 10 ways to partner range from #4 Find Untapped Talent Through Non-Traditional Hiring to #9 Focus on Employee Retention, Engagement and Wellness. CDPs can use this document to identify new or enhanced ways to support employers or can share it directly with employers.

The goal is to provide ideas and a tool to raise employer awareness of the value of career development and the role and services of career development professionals. The National Business Survey showed that while 53% of employers are aware of CDPs, only 12% have worked with one in the past.

Recognizing that the role and services vary by type of CDP, organization and sector (e.g., post-secondary institution vs. community agency vs. private practice), this document aims to be as inclusive and flexible as possible. Anyone is welcome to use or modify the content as part of their communications materials.

Building on this work, CERIC partners will be presenting at a virtual HRPA micro-conference on April 13. This presentation to human resources professionals will feature the toolkit and will further the important conversation on employer engagement and the contribution of CDPs to workforce and workplace strategies.

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