Whether working in a community-based setting, a post-secondary career centre, public schools, corporate career services, private practice, or direct for government, those working in career development / employment services must respond to changes in the labour market and to the shifting, and often complex needs, of the people they serve. No matter the complexity of the settings and systems in which we work, good career practice is possible and, in fact, critically important to the success of individuals, families, and communities.
The CDPC is dedicated to supporting everyone who works in the field of career development / employment services to reflect on, celebrate, and improve their career development practice through impactful, relevant, and engaging professional development opportunities. Visit the Centre’s Events Calendar for more.
Throughout 2023, the Career Development Professional Centre offered training on the fundamental principles of what it means to work within career development and employment services, regardless of work setting, job title, geographic region, or groups served. A reimagined career development process, better aligned with the realities of today’s labour market, served as an essential framework to foster a common language, and understanding of the full scope of our practice. The course was grounded on the idea that good practice is possible, and in fact necessary and ethical, regardless of work setting or situation.
The pilot of the course Career Development Practice: Building a New Era welcomed over 500 CDPs from all 13 provinces and territories. Building a New Era was cohort-based training, so each practitioner (learner) committed to the full 30-hour course, attending and actively participating in each module. This hybrid course combined online, live sessions using Zoom, independent work, and 2-days in-person.
Throughout the pilot of Career Development Practice: Building a New Era, we learned that it is less of a “course” and more of an in-depth, foundational overview to the field of career development. Ideally, completion of Building a New Era inspires participants to engage in further education within career development.
Next steps for Career Development Practice: Building a New Era include:
Develop a self-paced, virtual orientation tool will be created from existing Building a New Era content. Once completed, this tool will be freely available through the CDPC’s online social learning community.
Refine the course as designed and explore ways activities can be adapted to work multiple formats, with a cost associated.
Please join the Centre’s online social learning community to keep up-to-date on all Centre news, including future training opportunities.
Career Development Practice: Building a New Era is a 30-hour course with approximately 20 hours of live facilitated instruction (2 days in-person and three 3-hour online sessions on Zoom/Teams) and 10 hours of self-directed learning delivered over 4 weeks, followed by the completion of a final assessment.
This is cohort-based training, so each practitioner (learner) would need to commit to the full 30 hr course, attending and actively participating in each module, as outlined below:
| Module (Week) 1 | Career Development Today | 3 hours per module/week, at a specific date and time, live via Zoom/MS Teams |
| Module (Week) 2 | Career Development Practice in a Changing World | |
| Module (Week) 3 | Reimagining the Career Development Process | 2 days in-person |
| Module (Week) 4 | Reflective Career Development Practice | 2 hrs at a specific date and time, live via Zoom/MS Teams |
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Modules 1-3 are followed by independent reflective work and an introduction to the next module.
A final assessment must be submitted 2 weeks following Module 4. There is no opportunity to make-up any missed sessions. |
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Participants who successfully complete all course components will earn a digital certificate that verifies learning. The knowledge and competencies gained in this course will immediately apply to frontline practice and provide a solid foundation for pursuing further education or national certification.
The Centre team is working with provincial and territorial associations/bodies, industry councils, and stakeholders in each region to bring the training into communities across Canada. See the Centre’s Events Calendar for training dates and locations. As part of the live delivery sessions, some cohorts will be joined by a camera crew, capturing key moments, lectures, and activities that will, along with critical learner feedback, help us build a fully self-paced, independent version of this same course to be launched before the end of 2023. All learners will have the option to opt out of any filming and consent will be sought. This course will be freely available to all CDPs.
For the course pilots this spring, we cannot offer course enrollment to everyone. Therefore, the Centre and its partners have instituted an application process. We encourage those newest to the field, who may not have had access to formal training in career development, to apply. Within each cohort, we will strive for diversity across employer-type, groups being served, and years of experience.
We hope the following FAQs help answer any additional questions.
If not, please do not hesitate to reach out by email at info@cdpc-cedc.ca if you have other questions.
All cohorts for the Spring 2023 are full. Please join the Centre’s online social learning community to keep up-to-date on all Centre news, including future training opportunities.
Final class lists will be confirmed approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of the course.
We welcome applications from anyone delivering career/employment services, regardless of your setting. Space is limited, so in regions where the number of applications exceed the number of spaces, the Centre’s team and provincial/regional partners will review each application, prioritizing spots for those with less than 5 years experience, those who have not yet completed any formal training in career development, and those who are not yet certified. We will also consider factors that may be unique to your region, with the goal of ensuring regional representation, a variety of work settings, and diversity of learners.
The course is 30 hours, with approximately 18 hours of live, facilitated instruction (2 days in-person and three 2-hour online sessions on Zoom/Teams) and 12 hours of self-directed learning delivered over 4 weeks.
The course is delivered in a hybrid format (i.e., mixed modality). There are 2-days (12 hours) of in-person training in a specific location, supported by three 2-hour sessions (6 hours) using Zoom or MS Teams and 12 hours of independent work (online).
This course targets key knowledge and competence from the new Career Development Professional Competency Framework. Provincial certification requirements vary, so it will be important to check directly with your certification administrator. Click here for more information on provincial certification: ccdp-pcdc.ca/en/certification. Currently, the proposed national certification process will be based on a competency recognition of prior learning (RPL) model, so this training will be excellent preparation for success.
We are also confident that successful completion of this course will help build the knowledge and competence relevant to other industry certifications. Each CDP is encouraged to do that research separately, based on other certifications of interest.
The training being offered Spring 2023 is a pilot as we fully develop the content/curriculum to launch a freely available, fully self-paced, independent version of this same course to be launched Fall 2023.
The course is 30 hours, with approximately 18 hours of live, facilitated instruction and 12 hours of self-directed learning delivered over 4 weeks. This is broken down as follows:
Please refer to the Sector Events Calendar for specific dates and times for training scheduled in your region.
A freely available, fully self-paced, independent version of this same course is expected to be launched September 2023.
Courses instructors will be existing sector leaders, researchers, and educators. Each cohort will have two instructors.
The goal of this course is that participants attend and actively participate in every session. As such, we ask that you do not apply for the training if any of the days/times conflict with existing medical/other appointments, vacation days, etc. Of course, emergencies do happen so, in these instances, learners are asked to immediately contact their instructors to discuss opportunities to make up missed work.
Will the Zoom/MS Teams sessions be recorded?
A select number of the Zoom sessions will be recorded to help us build the fully self-paced, independent version of the course.
Will training be available in English and French?
Yes. We will be offering a fully French session in Montréal, Québec and Moncton, New Brunswick.
As an agency director, I’d like to offer this training to my full team. Is that possible?
It may be possible at some point, but we have limited options for additional training during this pilot period. Please contact info@cdpc-cedc.ca to discuss this further.
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Help us cultivate a community we all enjoy by reviewing and following the Code of Conduct.
Thank you for being a part of the online CDPC social learning community. 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.
We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. We aim to create and facilitate a community 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.
We won’t all agree all the time, but when we disagree don’t let those disagreements turn into personal attacks. A community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened will not be a productive one. Instead, when having discussions in the online community, create productive conversations around the content being presented, not the person behind the content. Any post that is 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 post has been concluded. The user may be given a written warning or removed from the CPDC community platform depending on the findings of the investigation.
A good rule of thumb is to never post 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 community, which is building excellence and innovation in career and workforce development for all individuals.
This community will be focused on building excellence and discussing innovation in the career and workforce development field. The goal of this community is to communicate goals, challenges, constructive feedback, and questions in relation to career and workforce development. The community 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 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 community platform depending on the findings of the investigation.
Make reasonable efforts to ensure that posts and materials are allocated to the appropriate group or topic. This will prevent cluttering the community 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.
CDPC-CEDC will not release your information to any third-party agencies.
There are four group admins who are available to you. Below are their names and their spoken language.
Heather Powell | Anglophone
Gabrielle St-Cyr | Francophone/Anglophone
Florence Desrochers | Francophone/Anglophone
Muriel Andoblé-Yao | Francophone
Thank you and welcome to the CDPC Community!