Revolutionizing Career Development Professionals Canada Wide

Project History

Where it Began…

Recognizing that the world of work is experiencing rapid and complex changes, fueled by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, technological advances, and climate change, the Future Skills Centre (FSC) developed the Responsive Career Pathways (RCP) initiative to maximize how career and employment services help Canadians navigate, adapt, and thrive in ever-changing labour markets.

As part of this RCP initiative, the FSC and Blueprint ADE engaged with an array of national and international experts, publishing several research papers that generated ideas for strengthening career and employment services, highlighting factors such as the consequences of fragmented systems and ineffective policies, the need for improved evidence and enhanced labour market information, and the removal of barriers to accessing services.

One consistent theme across these papers was the need for stronger support for the vibrant, talented professionals working on the frontlines delivering career and employment services.

To address this need, in Spring 2022 FSC asked the Canadian Career Development Foundation and MixtMode Consulting to explore the feasibility of establishing a national Career Development Professional Centre that would focus on 6 main objectives:

Providing a home for the Competency Framework, National Profile, Code of Ethics, and associated resources and a hub to promote their integration and application;
Supporting career professionals in accessing training, at no to low cost, on career development in our emergent labour market, highlighting an updated career development process, affirming a common language, and outlining the full scope of career development practice - especially among those working in the public employment service;
Creating and nurturing a social learning community, where professionals can exchange and grow with respect to their practice, application of learning, and further development needs;
Establishing a central "one-stop shop" to find out about the full range of existing training available, as well as professional supports/associations and national/international developments that matter to our profession;
Building a strong evidence base to inform policy and practice; and
Being a unified voice to advocate for our sector, communicating our contribution to the socio-economic health of individuals, communities, and our nation.

What the Field Wants

The feasibility study was conducted from February to May 2022 and included:

30 individual interviews with career development trainers/educators, directors/leaders of associations, industry councils, other prominent bodies, and international colleagues
47 engagement sessions, live and virtual, with 448 people participating from coast to coast to coast
An online survey which had over 560 responses

Canadian career professionals did not hold back! The feasibility study surfaced an incredible amount of information on what works well in the field, what does not, and how a Career Development Professional Centre can help. Overall, there was a high level of support for the establishment of the Centre and, specifically, for the six objectives.

The Centre is an essential mechanism to strengthen the professional identity of our field, a vital support to quality service delivery across the country, and a way to raise the bar to ensure the best service is offered to every Canadian, no matter where they live, or where they go to access career services.

With funding provided by the Government of Canada, under the Future Skills Centre program, secured, the Centre initiative launched in September 2022.

Our Purpose

Thank you for being a part of the Career Development Professional Centre. To ensure that all members have the best possible experience, we have a few ground rules that we ask everyone to adhere to. This code of conduct applies equally to every person in the community and is intended to foster an online space that is inclusive, safe, and welcoming to all.

Centre Rules

Be welcoming

We strive to be a place that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. We aim to be a place that promotes excellence and innovation in career and workforce development. Please extend respect to all members; we all come from different backgrounds and levels of knowledge and there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Be respectful

We won’t all agree all the time, but when we disagree don’t let those disagreements turn into personal attacks. A place where people feel uncomfortable or threatened will not be a productive one. When having discussions in the online community, commenting on a library article, or participating in other Centre activities, strive for productive conversations around the content being presented, not the person behind the content. Any comments determined to be “hate speech” towards any individual or group will be deleted, and the user account may be locked until an investigation regarding the comment has been concluded. The user may be given a written warning or removed from the CPDC platform depending on the findings of the investigation.

Hate Speech could include and is not limited to:

Violent threats or language directed against another person

Discriminatory jokes, language, or materials

Defamatory or abusive language or materials

Profane or illegal materials

Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior

A good rule of thumb is to never say anything that you wouldn’t be comfortable with the world seeing or that you wouldn’t want anyone knowing came from you. We ask that you keep in mind the focus of this place, which is building excellence and innovation in career and workforce development for all individuals.

Be considerate of the purpose of the Centre

The Centre focuses on building excellence and discussing innovation in the career and workforce development field. The goal of the social learning community is to communicate goals, challenges, constructive feedback, and questions in relation to career and workforce development. The Centre should be a place for continued learning and development as well as a place to discuss the future of our field (solicitation without written consent by the Project or Advisory team, is strictly prohibited). Any post or comment that is determined to be soliciting any individual or group will be deleted, and the user account may be locked until an investigation regarding the post has been concluded. The user may be given a written warning or removed from the CPDC platform depending on the findings of the investigation.

Post your discussions or documents in the most appropriate group or topic

Especially within the social learning community, make reasonable efforts to ensure that posts and materials are allocated to the appropriate group or topic. This will prevent cluttering the feed and make it easier for everyone to find the information that they are seeking. Individuals who do this repeatedly will be contacted by one of the group admins and asked to follow these guidelines.