A critical but often unexplored area is how to do career counselling that focuses on life preoccupations and the pain people suffer in one form or another. A world-renowned authority in vocational guidance, Mark Savickas will detail that we must understand a client’s problem in growing up as well as how work provides a way of actively mastering what we passively suffer. This session will focus on the cri de coeur, how our deepest wound is also the womb of our needs and values. You will learn about career counselling as a healing art that transforms symptoms to strengths and then social contributions. Dr. Savickas will take participants through a live counselling session, calling on volunteers.
Increasingly, career counsellors must understand social media both as a tool for building their own professional brand as well as for educating clients on job search. In this session, go in-depth with social media guru and career counsellor Chris Kulbaba to learn about the core social media platforms and the latest tips and techniques to use them effectively. From Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to YouTube and Quora, you will discover how these powerful tools can be used to gather information, position yourself as a subject matter expert and build your network. All participants will receive a valuable handbook to provide a guide to the fast-moving world of social media!
Norman Amundson has co-authored a new career workbook (2011) with Dr. Spencer Niles and Dr. Roberta Neault that focuses on career exploration and planning using the metaphor of “career flow” and a hope-centered process model. In this hands-on workshop, Dr. Amundson, a pioneer in the career counselling field, will discuss and demonstrate a number of career counselling strategies that relate to this theme. He will also introduce other career metaphors that help expand the career development process. This training seminar is designed for practitioners who want to learn a series of dynamic, practical strategies for working with clients.
Increasingly, career counsellors must understand social media both as a tool for building their own professional brand as well as for educating clients on job search. In this session, go in-depth with social media guru and career counsellor Chris Kulbaba to learn about the core social media platforms and the latest tips and techniques to use them effectively. From Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to YouTube and Quora, you will discover how these powerful tools can be used to gather information, position yourself as a subject matter expert and build your network. All participants will receive a valuable handbook to provide a guide to the fast-moving world of social media!
You need to appreciate “who you are” in order to be able to appreciate how you can best contribute to your community. If part of what we do is to help clients understand what career is best for them, does it not also behoove us to help clients understand themselves. Trey Anthony says “YES”! Trey implores us to defy the narrow categorization the world imposes upon each of us and to counsel our clients to do the same. Anthony says “quit that job you hate! Quit it!” Is this sound advice? Anthony tells us that when the “call” comes for you, you must answer it. Listen as Trey describes her own “calling” and how she was forced to stop letting others define her—put her in a box and what that change has meant for her own career. She relates the story of her grandmother, who in her early eighties, decided that she wanted to do something which Trey was not so sure was appropriate for a woman her age. Grandma did it and at the end, she said to me, “Trey, I’ve done everything I wanted to do.” How many of us can or will be able to say that?
Personality efficiently supports interests to develop significant professional trajectories. Based on a single tool, the “Vocational Report” (in English and French), several studies will show how it is possible to offer training and vocational programs tightly correlated to the functional abilities of a person. The proposed approach builds solid bridges to the labour market of the new millennium.
We describe employment supports offered in two education programs at George Brown College (GBC) in Toronto serving adults with mental health and/or substance use challenges. We describe the career planning, skills development and job training initiatives of these programs and evaluate how our practices—augmented curriculum, learning support, individualized assessment, job development, job coaching, access to counselling, and an equity framework—contribute to the self-efficacy, self-determination and employment of marginalized students, and evaluate their transferability to other settings.
Between May 2010 and June 2011, 1,600 Grade 10 students in a Career Studies course, 144 secondary school counsellors and 53 Career Studies teachers completed a survey on Ontario secondary students’ career planning needs. We will summarize the findings with particular attention to differences and similarities in the perceptions of each stakeholder group. Implications for policy and practice will also be discussed.
The desire to strive for career success is increasing for Foreign Trained Professionals, Mature Workers and New Graduates. They may be experiencing anxiety due to how they experience/perceive themselves within their professional, social and cultural arenas. By exploring clients’ thought processes, it can reveal the clients’ level of readiness for reemployment. This interactive session aims to build the capacity of Career Practitioners so that they can foster clients’ healthy career identity development.
In recent years, Canadians have increasingly been self-identifying as Aboriginal. This translates into an increased need for practitioners to grow their competency in the area of cross-cultural understanding. Join one of Canada’s premier Aboriginal awareness consultants to gain insights into Aboriginal issues as they relate to career development. This session will help you with practical advice in assisting you to provide service that is culturally sensitive and productive.
The Narrative Career Counselling approach represents both an epistemology and methodology derived from the post-modern and social constructivist thinking in vocational and career psychology. It points to a significant paradigm shift from the traditional objectivist view in that it helps individuals make sense of life-career meanings from their unique phenomenological lenses. I will describe the conceptual and theoretical evolution of the narrative approach; elaborate its contemporary relevance to construe life-careers; and offer ideas to guide career development and counselling practice.
Have you given any thought lately to the way you facilitate? Do you feel like you could use some re-energizing with the help of solid ideas and techniques? Join an experienced and passionate facilitator and test drive new ice breakers, energizers and activities that create positive and immediate results. Gain practical insights into managing difficult behaviours that can sabotage your workshops. Practice techniques that establish rapport with your groups, add to your expertise and net you the kind of evaluations that set you apart.
Although companies hire on the basis of 50% skill and 50% attitude, more people are kept or released because of their interpersonal abilities. We will look at the ‘how to’ in keeping a job, moving forward and, most importantly, relating to others so a person’s future is not left to just chance. The session is an interactive, hands-on style to build awareness of the choices in our lives and how to use them in career development.
On-the-job training coupled with the desire of many industries to recruit management and develop employees from ‘the floor’ has meant that there are many opportunities for career growth that do not rely on a university degree or college diploma. However, biases as well as a genuine lack of understanding of how those career paths evolve persist in the general public and the career counselling profession. This is an opportunity to learn about recruitment and development practices of different industries.
This is a study that explores whether retirees’ volunteer experiences represent an extension of their career in the paid workforce, and how this integration of life roles impacts their career self-concept, as interpreted through Donald Super’s life-span, life-space theory of career development. It looked at retirees, 55 to 75 years of age, who were contributing three or more hours per week to their volunteer activities. The findings indicate these adults experience a new stage that I call ‘Redirection’. This is contributing to healthy aging during retirement and this will be further described.
Determining a client’s readiness for apprenticeship and further post-secondary training is becoming increasingly important for employment counsellors. Come learn about two new online tools which identify client levels in Document Use, Reading Text and Numeracy, according to the IALS 500 point scale. These tools also direct individuals to free online resources which they can use to upgrade their skills. The use of this resource is free to counsellors and employers across Canada.
A Career Legacy Circle (CLC) is a reflection-oriented space bringing together people in the later stage of their active working life. The process aims to develop two new bodies of knowledge: knowing to stay and knowing to leave, which implies, among other things, wrapping up commitments and transmitting one’s professional legacy. This workshop will present results of the CLC Professional practice in regards to knowledge transfer, personal wellbeing and inter-generational relationship workforce challenges.
The Stages of Change (SOC) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) have been used extensively and successfully in health psychology. An innovative three-year research project has recently concluded, showing the practical application of SOC and MI to be an effective counselling style that is client-centered and directive for eliciting behavioural change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence towards employment. The SOC/MI model is the future trend for motivating job seekers and fills a gap in the practices not covered by other techniques. This model has been proven to work for: Youth, Persons with Disabilities, Newcomers and other marginalized groups.
It’s a process to help uncover values, interests, purpose and plans for career/life planning. Using a ‘collage’ of standard career counselling practices, you will participate in a process that can be used with individuals or in groups to assist in clarifying values, interests, purpose/plans and create your own personal portable artefact for reminder and reference for future directions.
How many people visit your organization’s website and engage with your social media channels? Where do they come from? How much time do they spend searching for information? What do they look at? And, most importantly, how does your programming and how do your services match what your clients are searching for? We will explore web development theory, examine case studies from career services units across Canada, and conclude with a discussion of best practices that will help you turn the analysis of your online media into results for your organization.
Canada’s Sector Councils are industry’s voice on Human Resources and Skills Development Issues. Sector Councils are industry-led partnership organizations that address skills development issues and implement labour market solutions in key sectors of the economy. Sector Councils bring together representatives from business, labour, education, governments and other professional groups to comprehensively address solutions across Canada. The Alliance of Sector Councils (TASC) is the network of over 35 sector councils and sector-like organizations that facilitates the sharing of best practices in skills development, advances expertise of all councils, and builds strategic partnerships with other labour market stakeholders.
What a pity and waste for clients and stakeholders alike! There is nothing better than a well-chosen and well-structured group to merge both the capacity (intrinsic) and the challenges (extrinsic) of a person, whether they are at the counselling, integration or career management level. I will show why the group capacity—found in small, medium and big groups—is the way to go when knowledge, know-how and soft skills are at the heart of the matter.
We will provide practical information on how Career Practitioners can assist mid-life career changers—whether by choice or consequence to navigate through the career-changing process. Information will also be provided on Canadian labour market trends and processes. This presentation was the keynote address at the Newfoundland and Labrador Career Practitioners conference 2010.
We know a trusting relationship is crucial when you are counselling or facilitating others. But how do we develop this type of relationship? We will focus on how to quickly establish rapport and build trust. You will learn how to identify the natural predispositions of others and quickly adapt your approach in order to enhance communications with them. You will leave this workshop with tools and techniques that you can apply right away.
OneClient evaluates, measures and celebrates the performance and operations of service delivery agencies, providing assurance to all service providers, clients, funders, employers and the public, that clients are treated with the same high standards of respect and quality of service regardless of which agency they enter. Learn how the OneClient model can ensure consistent, benchmarked quality of service across your community.
I offer an interactive workshop to hone your own workshop facilitation skills. Topics include: Roles and Rules; Presentation Styles; Ice Breakers; Lectures versus Laughter; Learning Styles; Difficult Customers; and Tips. This is a very hands-on workshop, where participants will be taking part in the Party Exercise and developing some of their own material.
Are you struggling to help clients fully engage with their work? Stressed or bored in your own job? A new Career Engagement model draws from a variety of theoretical foundations, in business, education and Psychology, to take the mystery out of career success and job satisfaction. Join the co-developer of the model to learn how aligning challenge to individual/organizational capacity can keep careers on track for such diverse populations as youth, mid-career workers, peoples with disabilities, under-employed professionals and immigrants.
Making career decisions is a struggle, especially for First Nation and Inuit students who have more factors to consider than most. Jobmatics, a diamond mine and the Government of NWT are partnering to increase northern students’ capacity to make decisions they will pick and stick with. We will describe the exciting results to date of equipping First Nation and Inuit students with the tools and skills needed to make decisions that take them to work/learning that fits.
The College Sector Committee for Adult Upgrading has developed an innovative and effective intake and assessment module called Learn to Learn (L2L) which determines if individuals have the necessary personal, academic and computer skills to succeed in an online learning environment. Come for a demonstration of L2L and see how it has improved success and retention rates for distance learners.
Because of homophobia, transphobia and heterosexism, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) people can face difficulties at work. The dynamics at play when LGBT people choose careers, search for a job and decide whether or not to be “out” in the workplace can be further complicated for our LGBT clients if they are also a member of a minority ethnic or religious community. We will examine how being “queer” can be an advantage for LGBT people because of the additional skills they bring to the workplace and will suggest ways in which career educators, like yourselves, can create an environment that will be welcoming to the LGBT population.
We will share findings from two research projects. Firstly, we will share research findings that help us to better understand the individual characteristics of international students who have successfully navigated the transition from university-to-work. Using participant narratives, we will examine stories related to goals, a sense of well-being, personal satisfaction, perseverance, talent and wisdom. We will discuss how these positive qualities and markers of success can be integrated into career counselling with international students. Secondly, we will provide examples of how relationships are embedded in all stages of career planning and decision-making from our research with international students who are pursuing permanent immigration to Canada. Participants will be introduced to relational-cultural theory as a way of understanding client career issues. Key considerations, for exploring the context of clients’ relationships when implementing career counselling interventions, will be emphasized.
It’s not always about work! This is an experiential presentation by a coach specializing in Leadership and Career Development. An advocate of contributing to the community, devoting a considerable amount of time to community initiatives within Canada as well as his passion for saving the tiger from extinction, he provides insight and knowledge around ‘thinking outside of the box’ and achieving fulfillment through giving back. The presentation is supported with intriguing photos of his experience.
The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) is an innovative interview procedure which evaluates the qualities and characteristics of applicants to professional programs such as: medicine, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. Looking more like speed dating than a traditional interview, candidates move from station to station experiencing different scenarios and interviewers each time. This interactive presentation is designed to describe the MMI protocol and demonstrate the strategies used in a workshop to help applicants build skills, reduce anxiety, increase confidence and transform their communication styles.
Career changes are scary. Having worked with many demographics from youth-at-risk to corporate executives, I’ve seen first-hand that those fears never change: failure, looking stupid, not being liked. This presentation explains the fears which can be present in career change, how to understand them better and how to overcome them; whether it’s for a new career, a recent promotion or going back to school.
The Supporting the Canadian Advancement of Literacy and Essential Skills (SCALES) project’s Literacy and Essential Skills (LES) experts met with 27 organizations and interviewed approximately 120 practitioners to ask what LES tools were needed to support them in their work. The CONNECT SCALES project team will present the tools developed to fill gaps identified by practitioners and demonstrate the various uses of LES in the Career Development process.
What is the most important electronic tool you have to work with these days? Is it your computer? No. It’s your brain. Your brain is the key to your performance and your happiness. It is your best source of strength and, sometimes, your greatest enemy. Join this interactive workshop where we will share the latest techniques in resilience training and positive psychology that can dramatically improve your ability to bounce back from any tough situation and increase your happiness.
The recent economic downturn has reinforced post-secondary students’ desire to find a career path that will lead to financial stability and certainty. However, the presenters suggest that if students make choices that are congruent with their inner character strengths and values, they will have more career satisfaction and success. This interactive workshop will encourage discussion about and illustrate the presenters’ use of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) alongside other traditional career inventories to enhance post-secondary career counselling.
Strategies in constructing and implementing such a Centre at universities and colleges are outlined. Strategic processes ranging from A to Z are identified, discussed, and include: rationales, paradigm shifts, goals, core values, overcoming institutional barriers, differentiated program practices, diagnostic career assessment inventories, intentional staff/student roles and responsibilities, and measured outcomes. One major program effect is increased confidence in what career practitioners do through a comprehensive Career Centre.
Career development professionals often have stories to tell that are of interest to the news media. The results of the media interviews are sometimes disappointing. In this interactive workshop you learn how to improve four key emotional intelligence capabilities that can have an impact on performance: empathy, stress tolerance, impulse control and optimism.
Effective career development has the potential to influence so many aspects of people’s lives. We will explore the various contributions which a deeper understanding of self may make to enrich a person’s life. We will engage participants in self-reflection, dialogue and activities that may be used with other people accessing career services.
This presentation will explore a new pan-university project at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The project engages faculty members across all disciplines and fields of study. The project seeks to isolate graduating student competencies that exist within their curriculum, and then engage students by creating learning opportunities in order to develop those competencies. The use of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is explored as one of those ways to seek out competencies. WIL includes, but is not limited to, co-op, internship and service learning, i.e. anything where a workplace situation is used to enhance learning. The challenges and opportunities which have been encountered and the potential outcomes for this project will also be explored.
What if you spent your life at a job you disliked? What if you never figured out what you wanted to do? What if you did know, but circumstances prevented you from achieving your career goals? Regret connects individuals to their past, anchors them in the present, and focuses them on possibilities for the future. This presentation details the researcher’s use of a phenomenological method to discern common themes in the lives of retirees who have experienced career regret. Possible implications for career counselling will be explored.
Connecting with students and giving them the appropriate tools can be quite the challenge for all of us. Committed to meet the challenge of integrating pre- and post-graduate students, the Laval University Placement Bureau launched an initiative called “Client Experience”, and we would like to share implemented strategies and opinions on this subject. The Placement Bureau cooperated with the Library in order to offer a training program whose research focuses on career development. It allowed us to create a rewarding relationship for both departments. How can we provide the student community with all the services required to help integrate them into the labour force?
While career decision-making, skills enhancement and job search are often our focus in facilitating work-life transitions, the “soft skills” involved in self-efficacy, social supports and work history are also critically important to success. Data from over 15,000 Ontario Works clients will be used to demonstrate the importance of these factors and highlight which interventions are making a difference. Practical exercises will provide participants with an opportunity to strategize “best practice” approaches for individuals, as well as particular client demographic groups.
What does a successful career in music look like? What paths are possible beyond a performance career? And what transferable skills can trained musicians draw upon? Using examples and insights gained from my work with musicians, I will discuss the range of possibilities in the professional music world, strategies and approaches to work effectively with clients who have a background or interest in music, and resources that can help in the process.
You’ve identified a need that must be met. You’ve got a project idea that addresses the need and you’re ready to move forward but not sure where to go. Could it be the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC)? We will explore CERIC’s current funding priorities for Project Partnerships, our application and review processes, and supports available to applicants. With sample materials as well as successful applicants on hand, explore FAQs and learnings that can simplify submitting a Project Partnership Application to CERIC.
Mattering is integral to hope. People who don’t feel they matter are like invisible people—invisible to themselves and to others. Many people including Aboriginals feel invisible. If they see little in their lives that makes any difference in their world, what’s the point of even trying? How can we assist these invisible people to become visible again (to us, to themselves and then to their world)? We can start by looking from different perspectives than those which made them feel invisible in the first place. Although this session is from an Aboriginal perspective, these approaches are meant for use with diverse client populations.
Do you know what W.I.I.F.M. stands for and why it is critical to understand your audience? Can you name the five elements to consider when developing your content? Do you know how to bump your style up from dry to dynamic? Would you like to become an A.C.E. presenter? This interactive workshop answers the above questions and allows each person to practice speaking, which is an important element in mastering these skills. Change your headset from “Please don’t make me talk” to “Bring it on!”
Private Career Colleges are the most misunderstood player in the post-secondary field. You can’t get through your day without it somehow being facilitated by a PCC graduate. Come learn how these often subject specific schools help train and re-train individuals for the workforce. With almost 100,000 graduates a year the PCC sector will offer a viable solution for your clients. From Massage Therapy to Welding, from Truck Driving to Personal Support Worker, PCC offer these course and more.
Noted as high-performing, entrepreneurial, craving excitement, most likely to ignite radical change in the workplace and having an unorthodox approach to career management that does not parallel traditional paths, it’s Gen Y. Engage in a collaborative exploration of the career development needs of Gen Y and the role we can collectively play to enhance Gen Y’s preparedness for the many roles they will assume. We begin by assessing participants’ specific interests in relation to this topic and will proceed with an overview of research findings, followed by small group activities and discussions regarding the implications of this research.
Retirements cost employers skills and tacit knowledge. Skilled immigrants can fill skills shortages but may not as easily fill management gaps. Strong on technical skills, they often lack Canadian soft skills. Talent management practices around employee engagement, performance appraisal and identification of high potentials are important. I will lead participants through an activity to raise awareness of the situation faced by managers, and provide guidelines for retention and advancement of immigrant employees.
Participants will be invited to reflect on the effects of violence for women students, how it influences educational engagement and achievement, and the challenges it presents for learners, educators and counsellors. A community-based alternative education model will be presented and discussion invited about lessons learned in its development, implementation and evaluation. Resources to support similar work in other communities, including resources for educators, are being developed with funding by The Counselling Foundation of Canada; work to date will be presented and participation in further development invited.
A tour of the Ontario Skills Passport (OSP) website and a discussion on how educators and service providers are using the OSP to help their learners and job seekers assess, build and communicate their Essential Skills and work habits, and then transfer them to work, independent living and further education or training. Get an overview of the videos, interactive resources and practical tools on the OSP and the confidence and motivation to use them with your learners and job seekers.
Can employment counsellors successfully identify the recently unemployed who would most benefit from psychotherapy? Should access to psychotherapy be a key fixture in the Client Service Toolbox of employment counsellors? This two-year multi-agency study included over 700 participants who were unemployed at time of intake. Self-reports of emotional wellbeing (depressive symptoms, optimism and self-efficacy) were obtained at intake and repeated six to 12 months later, and changes in well-being and employment status were examined with respect to participation in psychotherapy.
The narrative turn in the social sciences has provided a new lens with which to view careers. Rather than just ask “What work can you do?” we may also ask “What may work do for you?” The first question deals with job fit while the second addresses meaning and mattering in life. We will examine how your work as a career counsellor makes you more complete and whole. Of course, we will also consider what narrative career construction can do for your clients, yet what the work of counselling does for counsellors may be equally important. Each counsellor has unique experiences that they bring to the working alliance with clients, including their own preoccupations. We will discuss how turning preoccupations into occupations is the essence of career counselling with clients and how this transformation provides meaning to the work of counselling.
To do this we will examine how early recollections offer a window on a life in progress and role models provide solutions to problems
in growing up, shape our careers and design our lives.
e-Career services and Centre staffing: (1) Learn how McMaster University has harnessed the creative power of its e-learning platform to inform, engage and reach students and alumni, and provide accessible, global career services including statistics and evaluations for the first two groups to experience the multi-module e-course. (2) The University of Waterloo recently made its two-year staff career advising pilot a permanent feature of university work life. Find out about the struggle to make services available, unusual challenges to getting staff on board, surprise allies and the data from year one of services.
The Numbered Treaties, 1871–1911, signed between the Crown and western First Nations promised education services to enable Indigenous people to “prosper” and be prepared for a “new life” equal to other Canadians (Morris, 1880/1991). Canada has funded individuals to pursue tertiary education within the context of the treaties, however, in the latter part of the 20th century both limited funding and the number of students funded has been capped. This presentation provides the background for post-secondary education as a treaty right and highlights the number of First Nations students who have pursued post-secondary education and "future” opportunities.
Beliefs play a significant role in most of the work we do with clients as career practitioners. We will examine beliefs and belief structures historically and from an interdisciplinary viewpoint although the main analysis will be psychological. In particular, there will be a focus on the hidden nature of self-beliefs and the role of transformative experiences in exposing such beliefs. You will be invited to join in a modest analysis of your own structure of beliefs.
This interactive workshop is designed to demonstrate an innovative coaching model that helps people tap into three core elements that are fundamental to creating long-term career plans. Exercises will be demonstrated on how to identify strengths, values and passions and include those elements into an integrated, whole life career planning process.
Evaluation has become a critical activity for university career service offices. Learn about a new online resource, Career Centre Evaluation: A Practitioners’ Guide. This guide is designed to help university career Centres think through and develop effective evaluation strategies. Recognizing that every Centre has its own evaluation interests and priorities, this session, through case studies, sample tools and templates, will provide an overview of the Guide and how it can be adapted to inform the evaluation plans of your particular Centre.
Young mothers represent a significant population within Canadian society, yet their career development needs are seldom considered. This is doubly problematic when one considers that the career development outcomes of the mother will likely be a significant determinant of her child’s/children’s path. We will present an overview of the “M” project, designed to meet the career development needs of these women (ages 14–21) in the City of Winnipeg. We will cover such areas as program structure, budgets, partnerships, outcomes and challenges.
New technologies are changing career practice. This session will examine pedagogical approaches for designing and delivering interactive online career services that bridge time and space for Practitioners and Clients—including a live demonstration. The presenter is a member of the Transformational Technology Working Group (ICCDPP), and will share highlights from a collaborative international paper presented at the International Symposium (2011) that documents considerations for integrating technology into career practice.
People who meet with us often feel afraid and worried about their future work opportunities. Their negative emotions take up their energy and they are unable to think positively about the future. Clients’ language consists of don’t wants. Techniques are demonstrated to provide career development practitioners and counsellors with practical tools to guide their clients from the negative to the positive. Guide your clients to feel more hopeful, energized, enthusiastic, encouraged and empowered.
Referring to both Holland’s and Jung’s typologies, the GROP inventory proposes a picture of the interests, the personal traits and the values of your client in just a few minutes. We will use exercises and case studies to demonstrate how we can use GROP in different guidance or career development processes, e.g. to identify the client’s preferences and characteristics as well as criteria to use with different occupations’ directories.
The green economy represents a dramatic shift in the labour market, one which can provide youth with important and exciting career paths. In its first year of operation, the Green Skills Network, First Work’s network of youth employment centres and green economy partners, has trained more than 100 youth in green industry roles, including conservation retrofitting and solar PV installation. The Network has also reached out to more than 1,100 youth through green job fairs and online resources, educating them and exciting them about the possibilities of green careers. This session will take a look at the Network’s efforts, and where the green economy can take youth in the future.
The use of social media websites as well as personal blogs has become ubiquitous and employees use many forms of social media regularly both personally and professionally. Because of the widespread use of social media, employers must take active steps to protect themselves from the potential risks inherent in social media use. We will take you through recent Canadian case law, as well as highly publicized examples related to the use of social media in the workplace, and offer up strategies to regulate employee conduct when using social media and to minimize the impact it may have on the business and the workplace.
The Redirection through Education Program (RTE), the Augmented Education Programs (AE, and the Assistant Cook and Construction Craftworker Programs at George Brown College (GBC) are full-time supported education/supported employment programs for adults dealing with mental health and/or addiction challenges who are interested in accessing training and education as a pathway to work. We share lessons learned from these psychosocial rehabilitation programs, considered best practices in enabling people with mental health-related disabilities to succeed in reaching employment goals. Practices in these programs are transferable to other post-secondary educational programs and employment settings.
The National Career Development Association (NCDA) commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a National Survey of Working America. The poll assessed the perceptions of today’s workforce on the effectiveness of career counsellors and the hardships implicit in selecting, changing or getting a job in the current economic climate. The feedback is very clear: career practitioners are a vital resource for the livelihood of the American workforce and are under-utilized relative to their potential need and value.
Effective questioning is the essence of significant client self-analysis. It serves numerous purposes such as motivating clients intrinsically, assessing knowledge and skills, or revisiting a client’s decision. A body of evidence demonstrates that appropriate questions contribute to optimize a client’s perspective regarding a decision process. Related to symbolic communication, I will present an innovative method regarding the ART of questioning, using three levels of communication. This session is designed to challenge your own way of asking questions in order to co-create a meaningful dialogue with a client.
The career development field is very broad and requires many different abilities to be effective in today’s challenging environment. How do you maintain your leverage? How do you stay up to date? How do you fit in your learning when there is so little time? This interactive session will address these questions and more. You will experience a participatory process for learning best practices followed by a presentation on current best practices for professional development.
The diagnosis interview is still widely used but during this interactive session including a situation scenario, we will use a new DVD which makes the occupational integration diagnosis-evolution kit more accessible and understandable. This kit has been created using the dimensions and interactions of the Lucky Clover Model. The whole methodology gives an illustrative representation of the employability status of a person and this feature better motivates both clients with a low level of education and visual learners.
Do you treat your life — and the other people in it ― as precious? Examine today’s increasing stress levels and health challenges that often keep us from giving to ourselves and others as well as inhibiting us from engaging life at the 100% level. Assess and improve your wellness levels in five specific areas: personal distress, interpersonal, work, health, and time-related stress; then create a plan for positive change to increase your well-being and your all-round performance. Ken will share his personal story on how he lost over 30 pounds and went from winded crossing the room, to winning a 5 km race in his age category. This is a highly interactive session so be ready to participate.
Just some of the things you will learn:
As the Walrus said to the Carpenter, “The time has come to talk of many things.” The speed at which the nature of work is changing and shifting traditional visions of the prospect of work at all stages of life. The age game is changing.
So how much longer do we want to propagate the “older worker” mantra we’ve been listening to for decades? How much is reality and how much is myth? The future is fast upon us and people in later life are searching and competing for work with far more challenging societal elements at play, beyond being potentially filtered out or in as an “older worker”.
Come join Mark Venning at this Cannexus Connections lunch conversation and weigh in with some assertive thoughts on how we might re-frame the prospect of work in later life while unhinging our ideas from prior frameworks.
Here’s some Walrus questions for discussion:
Teaching students about the competencies employers expect them to possess in order to successfully compete and thrive in the workplace post-graduation is a necessary component of effective career education. This session will highlight findings on what employers had to say about the core competencies needed to prepare students for jobs that do not yet exist and invite discussion from career practitioners on how best to help students to develop and communicate these competencies during an interview.
Discussion points:
Career counselling does not lie only in the link between person and work. Many socio-economic issues get involved as an environment, as a cause for intervention and as topics of intervention. What are they and how do we deal with them in our practice? Is our profession an observer, a victim or an actor? Meet with colleagues from all around the country and exchange points of view through informal table discussions punctuated by questions and rounds led by your host.
For example:
Aboriginal business owners and Aboriginal community-owned companies are constantly in search for talent. According to the Aboriginal Entrepreneurs Survey by the CCAB, Aboriginal small businesses make a concerted effort to hire Aboriginal people, and community-owned businesses have job creation as an essential part of their mandate. As Canada’s faces an imminent labour shortage, what can Aboriginal companies do to attract and retain Aboriginal talent?
Discussion points:
ContactPoint (English) and OrientAction (French) are multi-sector online communities for professionals in the career development field dedicated to providing interactive dialogue, networking, resources and learning to advance the profession. The sites are scheduled to undergo a redesign during 2012 in order to keep pace with evolving technologies and the changing needs of the career service community. And we want your input!
Join us for this interactive session where we will provide an overview of the terrific resources currently available, including our popular job board, events listings and social media. Then be part of a discussion about taking ContactPoint and OrientAction to the next level.
“… Innovation comes not from individuals but from groups of talented people sparring off each other.
Foreigners with different ideas, perspectives and experiences add something extra’’.
– Philippe Legrain
This can be summed up as diversity=difference=innovation
A by-product of the globalization phenomenon continues to be workforces on the move throughout the world. Characterizing this mobile talent are “differences” that can create unique opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage. How can this be achieved?
Through fostering multicultural leadership behaviour for successful organizational integration.
Experience how the application of a Cultural Intelligence (CQ) framework can improve outcomes such as mutual understanding, improved career satisfaction and increased business performance. Using an interactive four-step process and real-life examples from global career professionals, the facilitators will enrich your CQ understanding – and strengthen your ability to help clients.
The landscape in career services is evolving as funding service models change, new technology emerges, and shifting economic conditions persist. These conditions prompted CERIC to launch a research project as a means of gaining an accurate picture of the career services community in 2011. An online survey was undertaken in October and November to identify the interests and challenges as well as professional development and information needs of career service professionals. The questionnaire delved into a wide range of research and education issues related to career competencies. Over 1,150 responses were collected, representing a broad cross-section of the field.
This presentation will offer an overview of demographic information about the career service community (educational background, years of experience, salary, perceptions about career options) as well as professional development and research trends. Information about how career service professionals are coping with new technology will also be presented along with how practitioners feel about their own professional mobility.
Career Cruising is designed to be accessible to a variety of clients, whether they are involved in career planning or are already looking for work. We will review some of the unknown features and best practices that may help you in working with your clients. In addition, we encourage you to bring and share some of the ways in which you have used the program.
Many professionals in career development/counselling understand the importance of the recruitment and retention of employees from various designated groups. This is only one part of the argument, effective implementation is the key. Being Batman is designed to engage conversation regarding diversity in employment from a different approach, one that takes into consideration qualification, skill set, employee expectations, management expectations and difference. Move beyond your obligations to legislation and create a shift in mindset to hiring the best team, one filled with diversity leading to successful outcome.
The Canadian Career Development Sector is “coming of age”. Increasingly, we are establishing strong regional professional associations, networking/working groups, competency-based training and professional development programs and provincial certification initiatives. These certification programs have at their foundation the Canadian Standards & Guidelines, which provide a robust framework for consistency and quality of practice. Come learn about the current state of certification across Canada, emerging directions and resources/supports available to you as a professional.
Virtually all stakeholders are interested in demonstrating the value of career services, however, evaluation is frequently inadequately funded, seldom done and often treated as an after-thought. In our chapter on evaluating career services, which is part of the new Canadian career development textbook, we outline an innovative process for integrating evaluation into the everyday practice of career services. In this session,
we describe our approach and provide examples of new tools for providing evidence of the value of
career services.
I will share five secrets on how to use Twitter: create a powerful profile; how to gain followers in days; whet your appetite with Twitter applications; use hashtags to start a global conversation; and search strategically to land job leads and penetrate the hidden job market.
You’re consistently good at what you do, but are you consistent? Wouldn’t it be great to feel confident and excited about a framework that balances structure with flexibility and professional judgement? Hear first-hand experience about a narrative method that a growing group of professionals use to corral clients’ stories that tumble out. Learn five steps to transform your work into a method-of-practice, making it easier to attract clients, train and evaluate. Clients will find relief in that there’s a ‘method in your madness.’
This study explored (a) how parents perceive their roles in the children’s career development (b) how parents’ educational and career histories influence their perceptions of their roles (c) strategies parents utilize in terms of fostering their children’s career development needs. The results suggest that the best way to shift the intergenerational transmission of limited educational/career outcomes is to increase the career development exploration capacities of parents.
“Mattering” is an individual’s belief that they make a difference, that they matter to those around them. Clients experiencing isolation through poverty and other barriers frequently feel marginalized and question their belief that they count. We explore “mattering” as critical to building client relationships and facilitating progress through the career development process. We’ll offer some practical tips and tools to help you show your clients that they matter as they navigate the uncertainty of change and transition.
We will take a legal look at the financial aspects of your life including: (a) Your employment – considerations on hiring/protecting your working career; problem bosses and trouble at work; how to get the best deal on a termination (b) Your marriage – your financial rights and obligations on marriage and divorce (c) Your children –protecting your nest egg from your kids and their spouses; bomb-proofing the family business.
The PSDP, winner of the 2011 Atlantic Association of College and University Student Services (AACUSS) Award for Excellence in Student Services, was developed to help prepare international students for employment in Canada. Including themes of communication, culture and career preparation, the program instills a level of Canadian job search knowledge and preparation. The PSDP has compulsory volunteer and networking opportunities allowing students to get outside of their comfort zone, meet people in their community and improve their communication skills.
Employment is a cornerstone of equality and social inclusion. Stigma and discrimination towards people with mental health challenges limits their economic and civic opportunities and quality of life. When effectively resourced, career counsellors are powerful agents in supporting people to enter, retain or return to competitive employment. Our research project will identify systemic enablers, barriers and the individual knowledge and skills career counsellors need to effectively support clients with mental health problems. This transformational project has Canada-wide application through knowledge transfer.
Apart from conventional job search strategies, this workshop focuses on an entrepreneurial and creative approach in career search, especially during an economic downturn. Learn how to support your clients shift from the surviving mode to an “i-create” mentality, leverage their strengths and expertise and take advantage of unconventional resources often overlooked to create career opportunities for themselves to thrive in their career. You will also learn various proven strategies including using social media as well as some best practices.
In our clients, unemployment often unconsciously creates feelings of ambivalence, sabotaging job-search efforts. Diagnostic Employabilité gives the means to identify and analyse the nature of these feelings as well as their effect. For instance: difficult experiences in a previous job, weaknesses linked to break-ups on several levels, negative self-image in the workplace, environments barren of the professional objective… etc. Diagnostic Employabilité gains from 10 years of research as well as 10 years of experience; the new Internet version is the result of 300,000 administrations of the test.
The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is the leading measure of burnout, defining it as a psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced accomplishment. Burnout develops over time, most often as a result of chronic work-related stress. Burnout is preventable and reversible. If you provide career counselling services, manage employees or feel at risk yourself, this workshop will help you understand the conditions that cause burnout, recognize symptoms early, and learn strategies for mitigating stress overload and preventing burnout.
Rahskwahseron:nis – Social work practitioners working with Indigenous families and communities need a comprehensive, grounded understanding of Indigenous peoples and their contexts: histories, cultures and the political, economic, social and health issues they face. Universities are making space for social work students to gain experience and insight into Indigenous contexts from the community’s perspective and foster self-reflection to integrate knowledge and experiences into practice. We will present community engagement processes and connections using social work education.
Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT) in conjunction with National Technology Week® and GoTECHgirl® will present a session on the types of technology careers forecasted for 2020. Ten years ago, social media was a non-factor. Careers in Applied Science and Engineering Technology are forever changing and this session will provide insight into jobs of the future.
Adora DeBook came to life to spearhead Sudbury’s commitment to foster a city-wide understanding of Essential Skills and contribute to the underlying foundation of the Healthy Community movement. Adora can be found on Facebook, Twitter or her own website www.haveyouseenher.ca.
Sharing the results from two studies (1) Results of a quantitative and qualitative study initiated to better understand why fewer young women than young men are inclined to opt for employment in the construction industry. We also want to highlight some intervention tools aimed at enticing more young women to non-traditional careers such as those in the construction industry. (2) Semi-structured interviews and standardized questionnaires were administrated to 57 young adults who were completing a vocational or a technical education program in Quebec City and prepared to work. Results highlight the existence of five types of work values and stress the fact that work globally plays an important role in young adults’ lives.
This is an in-depth overview of the CAREERS department model to portray the holistic guidance and support that’s adopted by Dubai Women’s College, and its successful impact on the future Emirati women of the UAE. The role of the Career Counselling unit and the process through which it complements the functions of the rest of the department will be highlighted. & School dropout is one of the problems facing the educational system in Nigeria. Mentoring and tutoring have been identified as basic cores of school dropout prevention (Smink & Schargel, 2007). Student Tutoring and Mentoring (STUMEC), which is an innovative approach designed for helping students stay and learn in school, is presented in this session.
Much is being said about coaching these days, but what is the difference between coaching and supervising? What is the same? What are the benefits to using each approach? Are there times when one approach works better than another? Do you need to have both skill sets in your toolkit to be successful? Come join this interactive workshop as we explore what these two concepts mean in everyday work life and to your success.
In this fast-paced session, I will outline the similarities and differences between counselling and coaching skills; demonstrate effective coaching skills and techniques; describe specific client situations where coaching skills can be effectively used; and facilitate participant practice of coaching techniques.
They have acquired a reputation for being challenging to work with as clients and as employees. We will explore the myths and realities of Generation Y, and the changing nature of career theories and development due to globalization. We will cover the attitudes and skill sets Gen Y should cultivate to successfully develop their careers in the globalized world. We will end with an interactive discussion on how to introduce some of these skills to clients.
Social Assistance, Employment Insurance and résumé gaps often plague our clients, eating away at their hope for securing work. A common complaint is when clients enrol in an agency’s Career Exploration program, with no job at the end… only to have another agency try to recruit them for more employment workshops! Learn to give your unmotivated clients hope through both fun, interactive low-tech (e.g. humour, music, Vision Boards) presentation techniques and high-tech ones (e.g. Digital Dashboards, e-Vision Boards, e-portfolios).
We will focus on the partnership of support between Ryerson’s Tri-Mentoring Program and Regent Park’s Pathways to Education Program (P2E). We will highlight what we have learned, and what we have developed. We will present an emerging model on transitional mentoring from high school to post-secondary education then on to a career. We have discovered that the mentoring departments of both organizations can have lasting impact on the students.
You admire people who can think on their feet. You like a fresh and fun approach to help your clients gain confidence in themselves and their voice. Join us for a highly interactive and inspiring way to get your mind and body working in sync. We offer a series of exercises that build in complexity so you need not be an actor to fully participate. You will get the benefit of full debriefs on how to use the exercises and complete handouts so you can return to your groups and promote skills such as networking, interviewing and team-building. First time or back for more fun and cool lessons from Improv, we guarantee there is something for everybody.
Leverage more value from what your clients are best at, telling their stories! This is not a career assessment test but a story building process. Practical techniques for using life stories to foster career decision-making will be discussed and demonstrated. Provide your clients with more clarity, build their confidence, give them realistic hope, motivate them to say, “I can do this!”
LPM, a non-profit organization that is committed to a fully literate Manitoba, recently hosted a successful Aboriginal Literacy Symposium. The two Aboriginal Literacy Roundtable sessions, held in 2010, provided the framework and consensus of a province-wide Aboriginal Literacy Symposium. It is predicted that by 2020, 25% of Manitoba’s population will be Aboriginal. We will provide the background and outcomes of the Aboriginal Literacy Symposium, held in fall of 2011.
Self-employment is a growing trend in Canada. Do you know enough about it to support clients considering it as a career option … or to start a business yourself? “Look Before You Leap” was a project partnership between CERIC and Life Strategies Ltd., developing a suite of resources to support career practitioners and their clients. Join this workshop to learn more about self-employment survival. Access free resources (blog, website) and learn about the two week e-course and book.
We will present the results of three field experiments: The first study, Career Motion, explored the question “Does LMI delivered via an electronic channel work? (Improving Career Decision Making of Young Workers)”; the second study, conducted at employment centres in two different provinces, focused on the role LMI has in career decision-making and job search, and posed the question, “To what extent is independent self-help a sufficient process in order for clients to use LMI effectively?”; the third study will address “What makes a good labour market information website?”
In Ontario, the Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) program has been developed by the College Sector Committee for Adult Upgrading for distance delivery in both English and French. This Grade 12 equivalency program provides the necessary academic preparation required for individuals to qualify for admission to post-secondary and apprenticeship programming. Come to the workshop and learn why it works for students in remote communities across Canada and for individuals who can’t access onsite programs because of work schedules, personal commitments and transportation challenges.
Since 2009, all the jobs advertised outside of the Canada Public Service Commission are opened to all Canadians. Learn how you can help your clients go through all the steps of the process. From the application to the letter of offer, discover how 80% of the jobs can be found informally and how to access them.
Four megatrends are converging to create a “perfect storm” in the work world. Large numbers of Canadians, young and old, will be among the storm’s victims. Learn how a whole community strategy will prepare citizens of all ages, indeed entire communities, to weather the storm and prosper in what will, ironically, be the best time in history to be a career seeker, or a career practitioner. We will be discussing both Career Cruising and the National Life/Work Centre’s whole community strategies.
Career Cruising offers a whole-community approach to career and workforce development. Come see the new ccEngage bundle of industry leading career and learning resources. All educators, students, parents, businesses and community agencies can now access the same harmonized set of resources to assure career success for more youth and adults, and increased economic prosperity for the community. Attendance at this session will qualify participants for a limited time Cannexus discount on all Career Cruising applications.
A severe labour shortage is looming in Canada’s oil and gas industry. As industry employers face the prospect of hiring thousands of new workers over the next decade, a career in oil and gas is a career with a promising future. Career practitioners will leave this workshop with an understanding of Canada’s oil and gas industry, available industry career options, and knowledge of valuable resources to help their clients effectively job search in the industry.
Cloud technology enables organizations of all sizes to evolve their internal process and become far more efficient and effective when it comes to key operational activities such as internal communications, program management and relationship management. Cloud technology can also be used in human resources to manage job application collection, internal review and help you choose who to interview. Join us for an enlightening session where we will share our experience hiring new candidates using a few easy-to-use cloud technology solutions.
Learn more about the exciting projects in which ONESTEP is involved that support the community-based training and employment sector. We will also speak about the professional development opportunities offered through ONESTEP and our partnership with Conestoga College for courses leading to a post-diploma certificate in Career Development.
Learn about Royal Roads University’s innovative approach: team-based, active and collaborative online experience, combined with inspiring face-to-face learning on campus learning. See how much we value your life achievements, as well as your academic and professional experience. Discover how Royal Roads University programs allow you to further your education—while you continue to work.
Developed by the York University Career Centre to provide a fun and interactive method of self-assessment for students and alumni wishing to engage in career exploration, the purpose of the game is for players to gain insights into their desires, interests, abilities and personality as they relate to career decision making. These insights are recorded by players on Career Profiles that each player develops during the Who Am I?-game to assist them in better understanding who they are and what they want in the world of work. The game can also be used by training and development departments for public and private sector organizations.
WIGUP.TV is a wonderful bilingual platform that allows schools and classrooms from across the country to share the creativity of their 9- to 14-year-old students. WIGUP.TV connects school subjects with inspiring online content and interactive whiteboard (IWB) applications—a unique way to awaken a passion and a vision within each child. 21st century skills, character development, media and collaborative fluencies are among the key characteristics of this instructional state-of-the-art tool. The presentation will be in English with answers available in French as well.
Time again, delegates have responded to our surveys and have asked for a panel on future challenges and opportunities in career counselling and career development. Rob Shea, Past-president of CERIC, will moderate just such a panel with representation by pan-Canadian experts in the field of career counselling/development.
Michael Adams is a noted commentator on social values and social change in North America. The founding President of the Environics group of research and communications consulting companies, Michael has written five books published by Penguin Canada, including the bestselling Fire and Ice: The United States, Canada, and the Myth of Converging Values, which won the Donner Prize for the best book on Canadian public policy in 2003.
In his most recent book, Stayin’ Alive: How Canadian Baby Boomers Will Work, Play, and Find Meaning In the Second Half of Their Adult Lives (Penguin, November 2010), Michael reflects on the changes Baby Boomers have brought about in Canadian society—and the changes that are yet to come. In chapters on family, health, technology, politics, retirement, meaning and death, Adams shows that the over nine million Canadians born between 1946 and 1965 are anything but uniform. Environics social values data reveal four distinct values tribes that will negotiate the years to come in their own ways. Understanding the diversity of this large and influential generation is a must for marketers, human resources managers, policy makers and engaged citizens.
In 2006, Michael founded the Environics Institute for Survey Research, a non-profit entity whose mission is to sponsor relevant and original public opinion, attitude and social values research related to issues of public policy and social change. The Environics Institute seeks to survey those not usually heard from, using questions not usually asked. To date, the Institute’s projects have included the first ever major survey of Canadian Muslims as well as an ambitious Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study (UAPS) that sought to illuminate the experiences, values, identities and aspirations of Inuit, Métis and First Nations people living in Canada’s cities.
A popular public speaker, Michael Adams offers topical, entertaining talks elaborating the data presented in his books. In addition to his groundbreaking work in social values analysis, he has conducted traditional polling in Canada for over three decades. Michael’s speaking repertoire includes a long-range look at the evolution of Canadian public opinion on a range of issues from public policy to national identity and diversity.
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