This April and May we had the privilege to offer learning to  31 practitioners from 14 agencies. They helped pilot the new  Career Development Professional Centre‘s training titled Career Development in Practice:Building a New Era. This blended delivery of synchronous online sessions and in-person learning was lead by facilitators Rod Palmer, Ashley Christopher and Julia Bloomquist and took place in Corner Brook and St. John’s. 

The course included 30 hours of learning with 6 hours of virtual live sessions and 15 hours of in-person learning. The course content was thoughtfully woven together to bring to life each stage of are imagined career development process.

These six stages of the career development process complement the 6 Employability Dimensions and offer a framework of activities and knowledge to strengthen our practice and validate the work of CDPs.

The training lifting up and amplifying the positive impacts of career development; with the central value of career development being a person-centred approach. Practitioners dug into fostering genuine connection and building environments for co-learning and co-journeying. The course enabled the diversity of our professional backgrounds to strengthen our dialogue and learnings. It reminding the group that the diversity of this sector is truly our strength.

Career development is the lifelong process of managing learning, work, leisure and transitions in order to move toward a personally determined and evolving preferred future.

A snapshot of some of the exercises?

• Story telling with opportunities to share our own career stories and personal values.
• Sharing how we are bringing social justice, equity diversity and inclusion to life through anti-oppressive practice using trauma-informed approach.
• Getting to know colleagues to share tools and strategies like dependable strengths
• Building communication skills through active listening activities
• Practices the art and science of interviewing using role play scenarios
• Practicing tools and approaches that support informed decision-making that is achieved through a strong working alliance
• How to managing your own career development through professional development

Curious about which agencies participated?

• Association for New CanadiansNC
• YWCA
•  Canadian Council for Rehabilitation and Work 
• Women In Resource Development Corp.
• Employment Options
• MUN Student Life
• Empower
• Waypoints
• John Howard Society
• Murphy Centre
• Community Youth Network, Corner Brook & Bay of Islands
• YMCA of Western NL – Humber Community
• Communities Building Youth Futures
• Horizon TNL

Learn more about the Career Development Practice Building a New Era by clicking the on the link below:

Connect or introduce yourself to the facilitators
Rod Palmer – Lead Facilitator CDPC Profile page
Ashley Christopher – Corner Brook Facilitator CDPC Profile page, 
Julia Bloomquist – St. John’s Facilitator CDPC Profile Page