AModelfortheEducationof CareerPractitionersinCanada · A Model for the Education of Career...

Canadian Journal of Career Development/Revue canadienne de developpement de carriéreVolume 9, Number 1, 2010

AbstractMost professions dictate the

educational levels needed, first to accessand then to advance within them. That isnot the case for the relatively youngfield of career development in Canada,where such requirements are absenteverywhere but in the Province ofQuébec. The following article presentsan educational framework developedthrough a Canada-wide consultativeprocess that proposed educationalbenchmarks for various scopes of careerdevelopment practice. Five corefunctions were identified and defined:career advising, career educating,career counselling, career coaching,and career consulting. Moreover,several leadership functions integral tothe field’s performance andadvancement were identified:innovation, education, supervision ofpractice, systemic change, andmanagement. Ultimately, the frameworkwill help promote quality of service,professional identity, andprofessionalism in the careerdevelopment field. Recommended nextsteps include generating a well-integrated curriculum map to promoteprogram and individual practitionerdevelopment.

Introduction

Most professions dictate theeducational levels required to accessand those necessary to advance withinthem. However, with the exception ofthe province of Québec there are noprovincial or territorial standardsdetermining the levels of educationassociated with different scopes ofpractice within the relatively youngfield of career development in Canada.Neither are there clear boundariesdemarcating which services fall within

its domain, thus inconsistency reigns.Few career practitioners identifyprimarily with the career developmentprofession (Kalbfleisch & Burwell,2007), and even fewer have careerdevelopment-specific education.Though Canada is recognized as aworld leader in career development,these issues together raise concernsabout quality of service, consumerprotection, and professionalism acrossthe field. There is growing interest, inCanada and elsewhere, to establisheducational standards (Borgen &Hiebert, 2002; Furbish, 2003;McCarthy, 2004; Niles, Engels & Lenz,2009), as was effectively delineated byNiles et al. (2009) in their recentpublication, “Training CareerPractitioners.“ For instance, theypropose therein that such measuresmight enhance each country’s ability todesign the increasingly sophisticatedworkforce analyses, policies, andinterventions necessary to service themodern work dynamic.

In October 2006, 22* careerdevelopment leaders and educators fromacross the country met in Montréal todiscuss and organize their ideas aboutthe educational background required forentry into, and advancement within, thefield (Burwell & Kalbfleisch, 2007). Adefining feature of the Montréal draftmodel was its recognition andarticulation of the various distinctfunctions inherent to this multi-sectoralfield. Once those were identified, theywere grouped according to their idealtype and level of required education –whether that be a certificate, diploma, orundergraduate/graduate degree. Theresulting model suggested that not allpractitioners needed the same type oramount of training to perform eachfunction competently.

While this preliminary model madegreat strides toward defining theeducational requirements of the field’svarious functions, all acknowledged thatit required further clarification,elaboration, and refinement from careerdevelopment professionals in order togain legitimacy and the potential foradoption. This elaborated model reflectsthe myriad of sectors in which careerdevelopment work is currently practicedeven as it accounted for the vastregional and economic differencesinfluencing how career developmentpractitioners work in Canada.With further funding from the CanadianEducation and Research Institute forCounselling, co-researchers RebeccaBurwell and Sharon Kalbfleischgathered a second group of careerdevelopment leaders, educators, andpractitioners to revise the model’sbreadth, scope, and specifics in October,2008. The resulting framework was thentaken to a larger, consultative group ofcareer development leaders early in2009. A country-wide advisory groupcomprised of Mildred Cahill, JeanetteHung, Nathalie Perreault, GeoffPeruniak, and Mark Venning oversawthis year-long (2008–2009) process.This article outlines that validationprocess and presents the resultingframework.

Methods

Stage One: October 2008 Meeting

In October 2008, 12 careerdevelopment leaders, educators, andtrainers representing colleges,universities, and non-formal learningprograms from across the country metin Toronto to further develop and refinethe Montréal model and prepare forwider dissemination. The Torontogroup’s key three goals were: to discuss

A Model for the Education ofCareer Practitioners in Canada

Rebecca Burwell, BASc, MedBurwell Career Consulting

Sharon Kalbfleisch, BA, MSWAnn Arbor Career Consulting

Jennifer Woodside, BArtsSc, MScThe Centre for Skills Development & Training


A Model for the Education of Career Practitioners in Canada45

and solidify, and then to describe thoseaspects of the career development fieldthat would be included; to review thewide variety of formal and non-formalCanadian training programs,considering how best to reflect eachwithin the model; and to determine howbest to graphically represent theresulting concepts and relationshipsEnd State Goal – Framework vs. Model.The term ‘model’ was coined inMontreal to describe the finalconfiguration of ideas describing eachcategory of career development workand its respective educationalrequirement. However, it wasdetermined in Toronto that aneducational ‘framework’ is the moreaccurate end goal. A model is a type ofconceptual framework that serves topredict how A and B are connected,often via quantitative research methods;whereas this is a qualitative studyseeking to classify, and identify idealsin, the career development field, betterlabelled a descriptive conceptualframework (Shields, 1998).Framework Principles. The followingprinciples guided the refinededucational framework’s development:• Multiple service providers’ work

overlaps with that of the careerpractitioner (e.g., communitydevelopers, social workers), but themain focus is to provide a clearcareer pathway for careerpractitioners;

• The framework represents thefield’s ideal future, not necessarilyits present;

• It includes a balance of viewpointsfrom the field and maintainsinclusivity across its various sectorsas it evolves, recognizing the valueof all roles and functions in thefield and the important contributioneach makes. Functions may requiredifferent levels of education, but allare valued;

• Functions identified in theframework are fluid, but foreducational purposes, theycan/should be consideredseparately;

• Involving multiple levels ofintervention regarding serving

individuals, organizations, andsocial systems is encouraged; and

• Comprehensive, vetted lists of corecompetencies are alreadyestablished for the careerdevelopment field; thus, thisframework will not depict them,though it does assume that certainskills, knowledge, and attitudesunderpin the success of careerpractitioners performing corefunctions.

Stage Two: Survey Response and KeyInformant Interviews Across Canada

The authors validated the proposededucational framework, with assistancefrom the University of Waterloo’sSurvey Research Centre, amongstakeholders country-wide – employers,practitioners, leaders, educators. Fifty-one of the fifty-three individualsapproached completed a standardizedsurvey and provided follow-upinterviews. Of these, 67% had morethan 10 years’ experience in the careerdevelopment field; 29% had over 20.

These key informants were givenbackground information on how theframework was developed and theninvited to critique it and report on itsface validity. Specifically, they wereasked to respond to a standardized set ofquestions about its clarity and how wellit reflected the various forms of careerdevelopment work performed acrossCanada‘s many regions and appliedsettings. They were also asked tocomment regarding its potential impacton Canadian hiring practices, as well asthe benefits of, and challenges to, itsacceptance and adoption.

Stage Three: Final Integration andAnalysis of Key Informants’Suggestions

The authors analyzed keyinformants’ various suggestions for, andreactions to, the educational framework.These were then integrated, wherepossible, into the framework. With theadvisory group’s guidance, theyanalyzed suggestions for change,developing definitions and graphics toaddress them.

Results and DiscussionARevised Framework for theEducation of Career Practitioners

Figure 1 depicts the current educationalframework for career practitioners. Thegraphic depicts the ideal (as per itsguiding principles), recognizing thatmany practitioners currently have nocareer development-specific education.Core Functions. At the heart of theframework are five core functions:career advising, career educating,career counselling, career coaching,and career consulting, the word“career” being included before each todistinguish between core functions andeach word’s broader definitions. Corefunctions were identified as the mainactivities of career practitioners workingdirectly with clients on career oremployment matters. Each function isneither a job title nor a job description;rather, any particular field position islikely to encompass responsibilitieslinked to multiple functions (e.g., anemployment advisor in an employmentresource centre might advise andeducate). Practitioners performing anyone, or combination, of the corefunctions listed in Table 1 mightspecialize in:• addressing the distinct service

delivery needs of specificpopulations (e.g., vocationalrehabilitation of individuals withdisabilities; mentoring programs forinternationally trainedprofessionals);

• focusing on employment- and/orcareer-related content domains;and/or

• offering professional services (e.g.,job development, outplacement,psychometric assessments).The graphic’s shading indicates the

extent to which each level of educationideally prepares a career practitioner toperform each core function. Forexample, the degrees of shading acrossthe five core functions at Level 2Education indicate that a careerpractitioner holding this level of trainingwould be: well prepared to advise andeducate; less prepared to coach andconsult; and not adequately trained tocounsel. Nonetheless, a practitionerwith Level 2 Education could play a



Table 1. Core Function Definitions

Career Advising is, first andforemost, information-centred,providing information regardingtopics and technology related toinvestigating employment, careerdevelopment, education, and/ortraining options. Such material isusually supplied on request or aspart of a general customerorientation to availableemployment or career services – itis not personalized enough torequire the collection of in-depth,confidential client information.

Advise Advising may include some or all of the following:– helping individuals learn about and/or use technology such

as online company directories, email, RSS feeds, socialnetworking sites, résumé templates, andoccupational/career information databases and directories;

– directing clients to work-related resources associated withtopics such as labour market information, interviews,résumés, networking, branding, internship/volunteeropportunities, training fund opportunities, and governmentassistance programs;

– collecting basic employment histories to documentsuitability for varied assistance and/or services – forexample, workshops and individual programs;

– promoting career development organizations: staffing jobfair/information session booths;

– creating professional, well-resourced environments tosupport individuals’ ongoing quest for employment/careersolutions; and

– orienting clients to various services offered bycareer/employment centres – workshops, etc.

Career Educating providesinformation or psycho-educationalservices tailored to clients’ uniquecareer/employment needs. Suchguidance primarily addresses therealm of work and isdevelopmental, rather thanremedial in nature. CareerEducating activities typicallyrequire in-depthinvestigation/assessment of clients’current employment – for example,perception of their currentcircumstance, readiness for change,strengths, barriers, and othercontextual variables. Activitiesfocus upon developing clients’capabilities and understandingwithin the realms of job searching,career development, and workmaintenance.

Educate Educating may include some or all of the following:– collaboratively helping clients clarify strengths, skills,

values, characteristics, and other contextual variables usingformal and informal assessments – and moving from thesetoward identifying employment/career goals;

– teaching clients about the modern work world;– helping identify, synthesize, and interpret micro- and

macro-labour markets and information regarding trendsrelevant to clients’ existing and potential employmentstatus/career directions;

– teaching principles/strategies of effective job searching,occupational research, branding and self-promotion,networking, interviewing, decision-making, workmaintenance, and career management; and

– facilitating experiential learning opportunities.

Career Counselling involves aformal relationship encompassingholistic, remedial, and therapeuticefforts to help individuals identify,understand, and adapt to work/lifedecisions, roles, and circumstancesacross the lifespan.

Counsel Counselling may include some or all of the following, oftenoffered one-on-one:

– supporting individuals coping with job stress or job loss;– guiding clients toward uncovering, specifying, and

resolving mental health issues affecting personal andprofessional functioning (Brain, 2002);

– helping develop holistic work/life development oremployment action plans; and

– providing opportunities to develop/practice personalmanagement skills such as decision-making, angermanagement, or assertiveness training.



significant ‘helping’ role, and couldresponsibly engage in active listening,empathy, and/or reframing. Theseabilities should not, however, bemistaken for the ability to providetherapeutic counselling.

Changes to the 2006 MontréalModel. Advising, guidance, andcounselling were identified as keycareer development functions (labelled‘services’ in the initial Montréal model),based on Borgen and Hiebert’s research(2002, 2006); over 90% of keyinformants supported the subsequentaddition of career coaching and careerconsulting – each constitutes animportant, distinct activity within thefield that is otherwise not adequatelyaddressed. Fifty-eight percent believedcareer guidance should be changed tocareer educating, given the stronghistorical association of the originalterm, in English-speaking Canada, withthe guidance counselling provided inhigh schools.

Leadership Functions.A list ofleadership functions that may

individually or collectively comprise asignificant portion of the daily activitiesof important players in the careerdevelopment field follows theframework’s five core functions.Innovation, education, supervision ofpractice, systemic change, andmanagement augment the reach,effectiveness, and efficacy ofemployment and career developmentefforts within society at large withoutnecessarily involving direct interactionwith the individuals/organizationsaccessing such services.

Leadership Functions Defined.Innovation is the creative design of, orimprovement upon, programs, curricula,products, standards, or organizationalstructures/activities.Education is training careerpractitioners to impart and developknowledge or skills; career developmentinstructors, facilitators, teachers, andprofessors work in both formal post-secondary and non-formal settings.Supervision of Practice is the oversight

of career practitioners’ professionalperformance. Such activities are“interpersonal exchanges“ consisting ofboth structured and informal activitiesto monitor practice; conduct jointproblem-solving; provide clear,constructive feedback; link theory withpractice; and facilitate/guide reflection,growth, and professional development(Kilminster & Jolly, 2000). Whateverthe training level in any given field, anorganization’s professional practices areonly as good as its oversight.Systemic Change transformsapproaches, behaviours, programs, orpolicies related to employment, training,or career development at the macroand/or micro level, including sharingresearch, consulting government leadersregarding unintended consequences of aprogram’s eligibility criteria, orstrategically planning ways to facilitateaccess to career planning services forunder-served populations.Management conducts/overseesadministrative activities related to

Table 1. Core Function Definitions contʼd.Career Coaching involvescontracting with clients to work co-actively, on an ongoing or extendedbasis, toward achieving specific,measurable results in their worklives. This developmental, ratherthan remedial, practice is future-oriented, focusing onaccomplishments and action ratherthan seeking insights into rootcauses (Brain, 2002).

Coach Coaching may include some or all of the following, oftendelivered one-on-one via phone, email, and (to a lesser extent)in-person communications:– helping set clear goals related to work performance

improvement, career development, or job searching;– collaboratively creating concrete action plans for how best

to move toward identified goals in a manner suited to theclient’s situation; and

– asking questions to prompt problem-solving and helpclients identify and decide upon solutions.

It should be noted that many aspects of these coachingactivities are also often present in career educating and careercounselling activities. However, since coaching is more andmore commonly practiced as a stand-alone pursuit, it is coveredseparately here.

Career Consulting involves thedesign, delivery, and evaluation ofa wide possibility of careerdevelopment initiatives withinorganizations, including thoserelated to job placement,career/talent development, ordownsizing /restructuring plans.

Consult Examples of consulting activities include:– conducting needs analyses and identifying best practices

for units/systems within organizations;– developing and/or evaluating tailored material

(workshops/courses/programs) to build/enhance career andemployment organizations’ professional capacity, skill-base, or offerings; and

– developing and/or evaluating specifically tailoredcurriculum to build career awareness in diversepopulations – for example, grade 8 students in an Inuitcommunity.



hiring, coordinating, and mentoringstaff; budgeting; strategic planning;marketing; contract negotiation; and theflow and handling of information,resources, and operations.

Core Competencies andCurriculum. The developers of thisframework subscribe to pre-existingcomprehensive standards regarding anumber of skills, areas of knowledge,and attitudes comprising this field’s corecompetencies (e.g., diversity, advocacy,ethics, research and evaluation, needsassessment) that are key to careerpractitioners’ successful execution ofcore functions. They are not depicted inthis graphic because how corecompetencies and core functions aresynthesized to develop curriculum is thepurview of academic institutions.Though beyond the scope of the currentproject, the authors believe thatarticulating the appropriate curriculumfor each function is the next logical stepin this educational framework‘sdevelopment.

Framework Benefits

The Toronto group and keyinformants identified specific benefitsthat an educational framework offers themulti-sectoral, career development field.

Increased Consumer Education andConfidence. The public would learnwhere to look for employment relatedassistance and what to expect from it,thus highlighting its importance andraising consumer awareness.

Enhanced Professional Identity. Aneducational framework could go fartoward declaring to the public, relatedprofessions, and career developmentprogram funders that the field is aserious one requiring investment.Ninety-two per cent of key informantsagree that the framework could enhancethe field’s professional identity.

Promotion of Professionalism.Aneducational framework outlines theprofessional boundaries associated witheach education/training level, therebysupporting professional excellence andthe delivery of high quality services;90% of key informants indicate it couldboth “assist practitioners to be cognizantof the boundaries of their level oftraining,“ and facilitate their own careerplanning. From a hiring perspective,

24% suggest the framework would helpemployers write job descriptions andspecify educational requirements.Should the framework also encouragedeveloping more training options, 84%indicate that introducing anundergraduate degree in careerdevelopment would benefit the field;80% suggest a Master’s degree woulddo the same.

Framework Chalenges

Creating an educational frameworkand having it accepted and adopted bythe field entails many varied challenges.

Language Barriers. The frameworkmust first overcome the lack of acommon, unified language amongstcareer practitioners and leaders. It mustuse terms with longstanding, commonusages in French and English that maycomplicate efforts to standardizeeducational preparation. No such effortwill satisfy every person or situation.

Economic/Political/RegionalFactors. Vast differences influence howcareer education and services aredelivered across Canada. Forty-onepercent of key informants identify thepolitical and funding landscape of themulti-sectoral career development fieldas inhospitable to the framework’swidespread acceptance/adoption;administrators, employers, and fundersmay not necessarily appreciate the levelof professionalism required to performhigh quality career development work.Some ponder whether there aresufficient pay-scale increases availableto monetarily reward the framework’srecommended educational investments.

Some key informants noted theframework’s impact on hiring practices,and thus the field, depends on whether itis supported by legislation and/orregulation; provincial mandates forprofessional certification/designation(as opposed to optional endorsements)are often precursors to substantialchange. Informants identified threefactors impacting the likelihood offuture provincial mandates. First, careerdevelopment employees work withindifferent (perceived or actual)professional contexts, thus manydifferent employer and occupationalgroups would be affected. Secondly,each province is at a different stage of

interest and preparedness for movingtoward standardization. For instance,Québec’s longstanding professionaldesignation for Career Counsellors isunique. Meanwhile, other provinces andterritories may envision a different paceand/or different target outcomes.Finally, local economic realities willinevitably modify the framework’simpact somewhat (e.g., skills shortagesinfluence hiring practices ineconomically challenged areas/times).Rural communities, particularly, mayhave limited to non-existent access towell-trained career developmentprofessionals.

Practitioners and leaders fromacross Canada contributed uniqueviewpoints to develop a frameworkmarrying the various frames ofreference listed above, but there willsurely be ongoing differences in how itis applied across settings. It has beensuggested that the framework couldbolster funding requests to fill anytraining voids identified, but thatregional, political, and economicdifferences are unavoidable and, in fact,appropriate.

Prevalence of Non-formal Training.The Toronto working group discussedthe enormous number of non-formaltraining programs offered in this field atgreat length with respect to how, if atall, they fit into the framework.People enter the field with variededucational backgrounds, frequentlyobtaining career-specific traininginformally via programs that are neithergraded nor academically credentialed.Anecdotal evidence suggests that non-formal programs play a major role incurrent career development training:some target practitioners new to thefield; others offer courses similar toprofessional enhancement; still othersserve specific communities, such as theAboriginal Human Resource Council’sGuiding Circles program.

Given its prevalence, 67% of keyinformants propose non-formal trainingbe acknowledged somehow within theeducational framework, possibly byusing equivalency mechanisms to linkformal with non-formal training. PriorLearning Assessment Recognition(PLAR), for example, is “a process anda series of tools that assist adults inreflecting upon, articulating, and



demonstrating learning for the purposeof having it measured, compared tosome standard, and in some wayacknowledged by a credentialing body”(Sargent, 1999, p. 28). Establishingformal agreements between training andeducation institutions to recognizespecific non-formal training programsusing formal school credits offersanother possible educational link. Only20% support placing non-formaltraining programs directly into theframework without requiring suchequivalency processes or linkages.Meanwhile, more informants (29%)emphatically support rooting thestandards in formal education andclassifying non-formal training asprofessional development or continuingeducation unless linked to a formalprogram via PLAR.

The content and quality of non-formal training programs differ so muchthat formally ‘attaching’ them to theframework in the early stages would beprohibitive. Ultimately, it seems prudentto begin by classifying non-formaltraining as a basis for continuingeducation, rather than as a formalmethod of entering the field. Non-formal integration can be initiated onceformal routes have been established.

Framework Relevance. Becausethis young helping profession was builtlargely on non-formal foundations, itsperceived relevance to best practicespresents another potential barrier toacceptance. For years, no Canadianeducational programs offered formaltraining outside Québec, thusgovernments and employers developedon-the-job training systems andprograms. These adaptable, innovativeorganizations created solutions that, byall accounts, continue to bringinternational acclaim to Canada’s careerdevelopment field, but almost all keyinformants confirmed the need for aneducational framework (though 12%recognized the inherent challenge ofcommunicating how it would facilitateperformance excellence to practitioners,employers, and the public).

Relevance can be discussed at boththe systemic and individual levels. Tworecent publications expertly address thesystems angle. Niles et al. (2009) notethat the changing nature of workincreasingly requires us to make

significant investments in careerpractitioners’ education and continuouslearning, on topics as diverse astechnological innovation, globalmarkets, contingent work, and culturalmores. They advocate moving towardtraining program accreditation standardsto help establish a sophisticated baselinelevel of understanding amongst careerpractitioners, thereby allowing eachcountry to optimize its labour marketpotential. Those authors also indicatethat career practitioners themselves arebest positioned to design and improveupon both effective career interventionsand policies to enhance their reach butthat career practitioners must first bewell-educated in policy developmentand advocacy processes appropriate fortheir specific communities and cultures(Niles et al., 2009; Arthur, Collins &Marshall, 2009). Currently there is littlefocus on such macro issues in Canadiancareer development curriculum (Arthuret al., 2009), thus one of the educationalframework’s significant contributions tobest practices is moving the field towardpromoting social justice and systemicchange.

At the individual level, we alsoexpect practitioners and their clients tobenefit from a standardized educationalapproach, as career development-specific education helps practitionersunderstand past and emergingcontextual forces in order to makesound, day-to-day inferences about theirclients. Social Psychology literatureregarding attribution theory accuratelyassesses the extent to which behavioursare attributable to an individual’spersonality versus situational factors(Gilbert & Malone, 1995). It seemsreasonable to expect that practitioners’sophisticated understanding and fullawareness of the various social andenvironmental factors influencing theirclients and practitioners’ capacity toanticipate, recognize, and analysepossible effects can only be enhancedthrough formal education. Further, onekey informant noted that taking evenone Career Practitioner course improvedemployees’ counselling skills andknowledge base, as expected, but theinformant also noted “greaterconfidence – as if they have more faithin their own professional competencies”(J. Kutcher, personal communication,

July 30, 2009). The educationalframework thus enhances best practicesin both group and individual settings.

Bridging Levels of FormalTraining. The arena of formal careerdevelopment training and educationlacks consistency and interrelatedness,with no agreement on the content orlength of certificates, diplomas, anddegrees, and no logical progressionfrom one training level to the next.Certification programmes, particularly,range from four courses to over ten, andpracticum requirements varyimmensely.

Training inconsistencies were seento limit the framework’s acceptance andadoption, as was the fact that theframework requires some within-program changes – some credentialsmay not offer sufficient employmentgrowth options. For example, post-graduate certificate programs maysimply be too limited to be valuable inthe career development marketplace ifthere is low demand for career advisingskills in isolation.

Some key informants believeCanadian educational programs mustincrease numerically and alignthemselves with the framework beforewidespread hiring changes can beexpected, expressing hope for a cross-program forum to explore these matters.

Managing Change. Finally, the factthat large numbers of employedpractitioners do not meet theframework’s ideal educational standardsto perform these core functions is amajor challenge to acceptance. A PLARor grandfathering mechanism must bepart of a future-oriented framework toavoid disenfranchising or threateningcurrent practitioners. In this evolvingand transformational field, individualswho lack the proposed ideal educationbut who can offer other, equallyvaluable educational and experientialbackgrounds must not be excluded.Communicating the framework willneed to account for this factor.

Conclusions and Next StepsThe Toronto and key informant

groups were expanded to include theformal and non-formal training sectorsto ensure field-wide representation. Thesubsequent refinement and enhancement



of the original 2006 Montréaleducational model resulted in a broader,more inclusive framework. Itincorporated two new functions –coaching and consulting – to bridge thegap between the diversity of roles careerpractitioners perform, as well asleadership activities emphasizing theimportance of clinical supervision andcapacity building that are central to theefficacy and direction of the field:innovation, education, supervision ofpractice, systemic change, andmanagement. The revised educationalframework reflects the importance ofmoving toward macro topics related toencouraging systemic understandingand change (Niles et al, 2009; Arthur etal., 2009; Burwell & Kalbfleisch, 2007),an area that had previously beenneglected, as most career developmenteducation programs focus primarily onindividual change.

The enhanced framework examinesand builds bridges between existinglevels of education and training incareer development. It also incorporatesthe contexts within which careerdevelopment work is done – withindividuals, within organizations, and/orin efforts to affect systems.

The expected benefits of theframework include:• promoting professionalism and best

practices in the field;• educating consumers and funders;

and• helping career practitioners design

and develop their own career paths.These features together foster

professionalism and render this fieldmore attractive to the younger aspiringprofessionals needed to take the place ofthe many seasoned practitioners slatedto retire over the next ten years.

Perceived challenges to theframework’s adoption include:• lack of a unified language for the

core work done by careerpractitioners;

• the prevalence of non-formallytrained practitioners outsideQuébec;

• the possibility that variousstakeholders will resist change;

• the potential necessity to promote

widely how education builds uponbest practices;

• vast differences between formaltraining programs that do notconnect with each other for careerladdering purposes; and

• the existence of regional, political,and economic variables that mayconfound the framework’sapplication in different Canadiansettings.Given these potential benefits and

challenges, the framework’s impact andadoption will benefit greatly from astrategic education and marketingcampaign expressing the framework’spotential benefits to all stakeholders.The methods selected for itscommunication will clearly beimportant in order for it to become asignificant tool for the field.

Mapping the connection betweenthe core functions proposed and the corecompetencies identified by Canadianand international bodies will one daygenerate a well-integrated curriculummap that promotes training programs,individual practitioner developmentand, ultimately, creative and effectivecareer interventions. Initiating a cross-post-secondary-program discussionforum would be a logical next step.

We thank the educators and trainersparticipating in the Toronto meeting fortheir enthusiastic support of, andsignificant contribution to, the creationof the enhanced and expandedframework. Thanks also to CERIC forits continued commitment to thisresearch and ongoing financial support.Finally, we would like to recognize thesignificant efforts of the advisorycommittee members in making thisproject possible.

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Appendix A - Toronto WorkingGroup MembersNancy Arthur, University of CalgaryMarie-Denyse Boivin (Facilitator),Université LavalTrina Bucko, Aboriginal HumanResource CouncilRebecca Burwell, Co-researcherMildred Cahill, Memorial UniversityJeanette Hung, Dalhousie University **Sharon Kalbfleisch, Co-researcherNathalie Perreault, OrientActionGeoff Peruniak, Athabasca UniversityDave Redekopp (Facilitator), Life-RoleDevelopment GroupRob Straby, Conestoga CollegeMark Venning, ACP International andChange Rangers **Jennifer Woodside (Notetaker), TheCentre for Skills Development &Training

* Montréal Think Tank MembersNancy ArthurRobert BaudouinMarie-Denyse BoivinBruno BourassaRebecca BurwellMildred Cahill **Deborah DayEdwidge DesjardinsCarmen ForrestMarcelle GingrasBryan HiebertSharon KalbfleischKon LiKris Magnusson

Greg MorrowNathalie Perreault **Geoff Peruniak **Deirdre PickerellNatalee PopadiukBlythe ShepardRob StrabyBeverley Walters

INITIATIVES / LES PROJETS

The Canadian Education and Research

Institute for Counselling, (CERIC) is a

charitable organization that advances

education and research in career

counselling and career development.

Our vision is to increase the

economic and social wealth and

productivity of Canadians through

improved quality, effectiveness and

accessibility of counselling programs,

especially in the areas of career

counselling and career education.

Le CERIC est un organisme

caritatif voué à la progression de

l’éducation et la recherche en matière

d’orientation professionnelle et

de développement de carrière.

Augmenter la richesse socio-

économique et la productivité des

Canadiens grâce à l’amélioration

des programmes de counselling en

termes de qualité, d’ef�cacité et

d’accessibilité, particulièrement dans

les domaines de l’orientation et du

développement professionnels.

To order any of these publications or to learn more about CERIC, visit:

Pour commander n’importe quel de ces produits ou pur obtenir des information sur le CERIC, veuillex visiter notre site Internet:

www.ceric.ca18 Spadina Road, Suite 200, Toronto, ON M5R 2S7 | 416.929.2510

Your contact point for career resources, learning

and networking

Le rendez-vous des conseillers branchés

www.cannexus.ca

National Career Development Conference

Conférence nationale en développement de carrière

January 25–27, 2010 janvier

contactpoint.ca/cjcd

The Decade After High School: A Parent’s Guide

Cathy Campbell, Michael Ungar and Peggy Dutton

From My Perspective… A Guide to University and College

Career Centre Management

Marilyn Van Norman

Good WORK! Get a Great Job or be your Own Boss: Facilitators

Guide companion workbook

Nancy Schaefer

A Difference of Ability: Recruiting, Hiring and Employing

People with DisabilitiesUne différence de potentiel:

recruter, embaucher et employer des personnes handicapées

From My Perspective… A Guide to Career/Employment

Centre Management

Marilyn Van Norman

The Decade After High School:A Professional’s Guide

Cathy Campbell, Michael Ungarand Peggy Dutton

Good WORK! Get a Great Job or be your Own Boss:

a young person’s guide

Nancy Schaefer

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ac.ce site Internet:uillex visiter notrre site Internet:

pur obtenir des information sur nder n’importe quel de ces

Good WORK! Get a Great Job or be your Own Boss: A Young

Person’s Guideis a partnership between CERIC and Youth Employment Services Toronto (YES), a non-pro�t organization that has helped over 60,000 youth to successfully enter the workforceor start a business.

Author Nancy Schaefer, President of YES, worked with many former graduates of YES services to assem-ble the wealth ofvaluable information and advice found in this book. The guidegives readers a �rst hand appreciation of what youth face in �nding work as well as being a valuable resource for those in thecareer, counselling and employment �elds.

Nancy has been a tireless advocate for youth employment and entrepreneurship for more than 16 years and appears frequently in the media to remind thepublic of the important role young people play in our workplaces, our communities,and the economy.

Charitable Registration#86093 7911 RR0001

Designed to support facilitators in advisingyoung people, this guide presents strategiesand exercises for having them…

match their interests and skills to the best possible job choice

develop a personal data sheet

become skilled at completing job applications

complete a winning résumé

write an appealing cover letter tailored to each employment position

handle interview questions

maintain positive working relations on the job

For young entrepreneurs more interested instarting their own business, facilitators canassist them to:

assess their self-employment readiness

determine their location on the business development continuum

create a thorough business plan

learn about business �nancials by developing budgets

conduct market research and develop a marketing plan

incorporate advice from �ourishing entrepreneurs to create andmaintain a successful business

know how to access more help

The guide contains useful templates, ready-to-use quizzes and checklists, and suggestions forcreating practical exercises to bene�t both thejob seeker and the budding entrepreneur.

Available online via the Contact Point MarketPlace:

* Special Cannexus price, valid until February 26, 2010.Please use promo code CX10 when ordering.

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Purchase both the Good WORK! book andaccompanying Facilitator’s Guide for $30.00!*

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“Not only has Nancy Schaefercreated an impressivecompendium of essentialwork search/entrepreneurialinformation and processes,but but she has done so usingrefreshingly plain and directlanguage that young people,or anyone for that matter, can connect with easily. For youth struggling to �nd theirplace in an ever-changing and increasingly complex labourmarket Good WORK! Simplymakes sense.”— Paula Pothier, Applied Career Transitions (ACT) Project Coordinator, University of Victoria

CANNEXUS SPECIAL!$1500*

Now Availablein French!

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Écrit grâce à la contribution de spécialistes de l’emploi

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vous, Un travail pour moi! vous propose de nombreuses

astuces, des conseils et des erreurs à éviter, des listes

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en main de quoi prouver qu’être jeune est un atout.

Nancy Schaefer est la présidente de Services d’emploi des

jeunes (Youth Employment Services – YES), organisme sans

but lucratif qui a aidé plus de 60 000 jeunes à trouver leur

premier emploi ou à démarrer leur enterprise. Nancy travaille

sans relâche depuis plus de 16 ans à promouvoir l’emploi

des jeunes et la création d’enterprises par des jeunes. Elle

s’exprime régulièrement dans les médias a�n de rappeler

au public l’imortance du rôle que jouent les jeunes dans

nos milieux de travail et nos collectivités, ainsi que dans

l’économie. Nancy enseigne à titre bénévole le yoga et la

méditation à des détenus dans des organismes correctionnels.

No d’enregistrement d’organisme debienfaisance 86093 7911 RR0001

* Prix Spécial Cannexus commandé passéd’ici le 26 fevrier, 2010. Promo code : CX10

Vous craignez de ne pas trouver d’emploi en raison de votre jeunesse? Un travail pour moi! vous donnetous les outils dont vous avez besoin pour trouver un emploi, et vous montre comment :

rédiger un excellent CV

réussir vos entrevues

écrire des lettres deprésentation ef�caces

trouve l’emploi qui vous intéresse

Si vous songez à démarrer une entreprise, vous trouvez dans ce livre des conseils pour :

rédiger un plan d’affaires solide

gérer votre temps et vos �nances

faire connaître votre entreprise

réaliser votre rêve dediriger une entreprise

Disponible en ligne auContactPoint MarketPlace:

Published by:

SPÉCIAL CANNEXUS!

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