20.1 – Promote Benefits of Career Development in Educational Settings
Purpose & Context
Educators (e.g. K-12 teachers, career course facilitators, school administrators) play a vital role as career development professionals (CDPs) within the educational system. In their existing work delivering curriculum, supporting academic achievement, promoting mental health/wellness, and fostering student engagement, educators already integrate career development competencies (e.g. adaptability, critical thinking, problem solving) in their practice. As CDPs, educators link work, life, and learning to strengthening student success in the classroom and beyond.
Effective Performance
Competent career development professionals must be able to:
- P1. Situate career and career development within the context of the classroom and educational system
- P2. Foster a holistic, lifelong, and critical approach to career development, for example:
- Integrate work, life, and learning
- Appreciate the complexity of careers and the world of work
- Address common career development myths held by others, e.g. educators, families, students
- P3. Connect career development with student outcomes, for example:
- Academic achievement
- Student engagement
- Mental health/wellness
- Life satisfaction/happiness
- Meaning/purpose in life
- Community contribution/involvement
- Relationships
- Coping skills
- P4. Integrate relevant career concepts with educational frameworks, for example:
- CASEL’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
- CMEC’s Pan-Canadian Global Competencies
- UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
- P5. Articulate the transferability of career-related skills, e.g. adaptability
- P6. Infuse age- and grade-appropriate career development interventions into mental health/wellness lessons, activities,
and discussions, and also mental health/wellness interventions into career development components, for example:- Developing understanding of career-related demands and how those demands may act as stressors
- Reducing stress and developing career-related coping skills
- Providing information on mental health resources, making referrals where appropriate
- P7. Link career development with mental health/wellness campaigns and community events
Knowledge & Understanding
Competent career development professionals must know and understand:
- K1. Interpersonal and interviewing skills and strategies
- K2. Career development theories and frameworks
Contextual Variables
Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:
Mental health/wellness can still be a difficult subject amongst many individuals and communities and therefore CDPs may experience barriers in effective implementation
Glossary & Key References
Terms
Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.
Educators: Represent a diverse group of professionals involved in the education system at all levels, grades, and ages. Educators comprise K-12 and post-secondary classroom teachers/instructors, early-childhood educators, career-related course facilitators, school administrators, and curriculum/program developers. Although the scope of their role as CDPs will vary depending on their specific context, all educators play an important role in the career development of students.
Information Sources and Resources for Consideration
Social and Emotional Learning https://casel.org/what-is-sel/
Global Competencies https://www.cmec.ca/682/Global_Competencies.html
Sustainable Developmental Goals https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Context Rating Scales
Criticality
Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?
Frequency
Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?
Level of Difficulty
Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?
Time Required to Gain Proficiency
Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?
A career development professional requires a minimum of one year of experience as an educator and varied experiences in applying a career lens in their education practice.
Autonomy
Practitioners typically perform this competency without supervision, and alone and/or as part of a team.
Automation
It is unlikely that this competency will automate.