Donna Brendon | February 20, 2012
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Hiring the Right Style

It’s one thing to have the skills to do a job, but just as importantly, will the applicant you interview for your next opening have the type of work style that fits with the tasks required for the position and with the rest of your current team? As a manager, being able to assess work-style is imperative. Often it’s the key to reducing staff turnover and work-related stress levels.

Hiring with Style: Confidently Know How To Choose Successful Team Members is what Ken Keis, MBA, will address in his March 6th workshop at this year’s Career Development Conference.

First measuring the job style needs and then assessing possible employees to establish job-style compatibility will help determine who might just be the best fit for your team.  And for current employees, establishing the same type of system can provide a roadmap to match each employee’s preferred work style and work environment to help him or her more intentionally select the best roles and responsibilities to play to their strengths.  This information is foundational to fully working on purpose.

Keis is a keynote speaker who delivers workshops throughout North America and is considered one of the foremost authorities on how assessment strategies and process can both increase and multiply hiring success rates.

Category: Association News, CDC-ITP, Events, Practitioner Resources |
Donna Brendon | February 20, 2012
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Getting to the Root of Transferable Skills, and Quickly

Transferrable skills! Is there anything more important for clients and career practitioners alike? While sitting down face to face and getting to know a new client can be one of the best parts of your day, when time is of the essence, (and when isn’t it?), it would be nice to have another reliable tool to complement the face to face interview; one that provides important insights quickly.

On Day 1, of the CDC conference on March 5th, Richard L. Knowdell’s 90-minute workshop, Assessing Transferable Skills: Quickly and Inexpensively will give workshop attendees a head’s up on this process. He’ll tell you how to identify a client’s most saleable skill in less than 30 minutes, which skills to promote and how to assess the difference between “Motivated skills” and “Burnout skills” as well as which skills to leave off a resume completely.

By administering a card sort skill assessment tool, he’ll walk participants through a short interpretation session and then provide participants with a complimentary assessment tool that they can take away to use with their own clients.

Category: Association News, CDC-ITP, Events, Practitioner Resources |
Donna Brendon | February 10, 2012
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Pre-Conference News – March 5, 6

Conference presenter, Matt Oliver (March 6 Sessions: Building Community through Social Media; LinkedIn Essentials) will be live tweeting #bccda2012 at the conference. Join in the conversation and watch the live feed as it is projected at the registration desk during the conference.

Category: Events |
Donna Brendon | February 7, 2012
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CDC Early Bird Rate Extension to February 27th, 2012! Register today…

Great news. We’ve been able to arrange an extension on our early bird pricing for our annual CDC conference to be held March 5 & 6 2012. The reduced pricing will now be available until Monday February 27th, 2012 so as to accommodate many of our members who were unable to commit earlier due to the uncertainty caused by the upcoming shift to the new BC Employment Program Model. As one of our members recently remarked, “initially I thought I couldn’t afford to attend due to all the recent changes, but I realize now that I can’t afford not to attend.”

This year’s CDC conference is truly a chance to learn, to network and look after yourself and your own career, while preparing to help your clients as well.

Highlights at this year’s conference include:
Beyond Barriers to Passion and Possibility with renowned speaker Denise Bissonnette,
Using the Principles of Happenstance Theory to tangibly benefit ourselves and our clients with John Krumboltz
Job Development: Key to Employment Outcomes with local superheros John Coward & Jayne Barron
Orientation, Retention & Promotion of New Immigrant Employees by expert Judy Johnson
Using LinkedIn to Network with Matt Oliver showing us how to managing our networks and career
10 Tips for Identifying Patterns across Assessment – skills training ideal for Case Managers, led by Deirdre Pickerell
Plus many other workshops including: E-Learning for Career Development Delivery; Public Legal Information and support for clients; Project Management skills training; Job Market Perfect Storm; How to Support Individuals with Multiple Barriers; plus workshops on effectively supporting aboriginal, youth, professional immigrants and other groups. And much more…

To register now, click here
To view the workshop list and schedules, click here

Come for one day (Member Price: $150) or two days (Member Price: $275)

And don’t forget – by attending CDC2012 you will earn CCDP CEUs and will be well on your way to towards CCDP re-certification requirements.

See you there!

Category: Association News, Events | Tags: , ,
Donna Brendon | January 6, 2012
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Professional Development – Register for CDC – March 5, 6 in Vancouver

An expected 500 delegates will gather for Career Development Conference at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver on March 5 and 6, 2012. John Krumboltz, author of Luck is No Accident and career theorist: Happenstance Theory, is keynote speaker on March 5th. Denise Bissonnette, noted expert in job development is keynote speaker on March 6th. Her topic is Beyond Barriers to Passion and Possibility. Rounding out the program is two full days of presentations by top practitioners – an exceptional professional development opportunity. Included this year, a program of speakers targeted to the Internationally Trained Professionals Conference. More information on the program and a link to registration at: http://bccda.org/cdc-conference-program.cfm.

 

Category: Association News, Events | Tags:
Donna Brendon | January 6, 2012
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New Model, New Roles, New Reality – CBC Interview & Webinar Links

December 28, 2011 - In an early morning interview with CBC Radio’s Stephen Quinn, Allison Bond, Ministry of Social Development ADM, was enthusiastic about the expansion of services for immigrants and people with disabilities with the new model in smaller markets. Gregg Taylor, President of BCCDA, stressed that practitioners are ready to work within the Employment Program of BC and the industry was consulted about the changes. He did mention worries about how the ‘one-stop shop’ concept will work providing services for specialized populations.

BCCDA has been active prepping the sector for the changes with a half day workshop and a free webinar. The slides from the webinar are available in the member only section of the BCCDA web site. You can listen to the webinar – Roles in the New Employment Model December 16, 2011 Webinar (Audio)

Category: Sector News | Tags:
Donna Brendon | December 22, 2011
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Sneak Preview of 2012 CDC/ITP Conference

Chad Leaman, e-learning Manager for Neil Squire Society, gave a fascinating presentation on web tools to facilitate e-learning at the December netTuesday meeting. Chad calls e-learning – “liberated learning” and “a bridge to clients” via the web. Throughout the presentation he polled the audience, through their phones, tablets, and iphones using www.polleverywhere.com. Chad, along with colleague Ana Palu, is one of the speakers scheduled for CDC, March 5, 6, 2012. Have you registered yet? Early bird pricing ends January 31, 2012

Category: Association News, Events | Tags: , ,
Donna Brendon | December 7, 2011
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Register now for Dec 12 & Dec 16 BCCDA Webinars

TRAINING DAY – Webinar – Building Trust in the Hiring Process

DATE & TIME: December 12, 2011 10:30 am – Noon
COST: $37.50 (Members) $45.00 (Non-members)
CONTACT: info@bccda.org or (604) 684-3638
REGISTER: Click to Register

This webinar will walk you through a clear and transparent hiring process that builds trust while helping you feel at ease with what steps to take, what to say to staff and what things to consider as you make your hiring decisions.  Join us at 10:30 am on Monday, December 12th for this informative, action oriented and idea-inspiring webinar.

PRESENTER: Denise Lloyd, MA, CHRP is owner of Engaged HR, a human resources management consulting firm (www.EngagedHR.com), and recently launched the Career Development Connections initiative (www.CareerDevelopmentConnections.com).

TRAINING DAY – Webinar – The New Reality: Roles in the New Employment Model

DATE & TIME: December 16, 2011 Noon-1:00 pm
COST: FREE (Members) $20 (Non-members)
CONTACT: info@bccda.org or (604) 684-3638
REGISTER: Click to Register

Join us for this lunch-hour presentation that will recap the basics of the new BCEP service delivery structure and the key roles that will be staffed in the new Employment Service Centres. This webinar is no charge to members as a pilot/test of the BCCDA integrating webinar training into our services for practitioner members.

PRESENTER: Gregg Taylor, CCDP, CHRP, As President of the BCCDA and having managed funded programs himself for many years, Gregg has been actively engaged in the BC Employment Program Business Transformation process and assessing it’s impact.

Category: Association News, Events |
Gregg, BCCDA President | October 21, 2011
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CERIC & CANNEXUS: Serving and Supporting the Career Development Sector

The career development field in Canada is receiving greater focus than ever. For the past decade, the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) has been at the forefront of career development in this country.

CANNEXUS2012 – Early Bird deadline is October 31, 2011 & BCCDA Members Receive an additional 10% discount!

One of their flagship events is the annual CANNUXUS Conference, with CANNEXUS2012 Coming up in January 2012. The Early Bird deadline is October 31st, 2011, so check out the website and register online today. BCCDA is a Suuporting Organization for CANNEXUS and our members benefit from an additional 10% off the current registration rate. Each year BC Career Practitioners and sector leaders attend this exciting event and always return with new leads, contacts, learning and inspiration!

Here are a few highlights for CANNEXUS2012:

  • Back for its 6th year, Cannexus is Canada’s bilingual National Conference on Career Development, promoting the exchange of information and exploring innovative approaches in career counselling and career development.
  • Cannexus will run January 23-25, 2012 in Ottawa. The largest conference of its kind, Cannexus brings together 700 professionals across the career services field, including community-based agencies, private coaches and educators.
  • Another outstanding program has been put together, including a “who’s who” of speakers in the field.
  • Keynote speakersare:
    • Mark Savickas, PhD Professor (U.S., South Africa)
      The Career Counsellor’s Career
    • Trey Anthony, Playright, actor, comedian
      The Call Comes for You
    • Michael Adams, President, Environics Group of Companies
      Canada’s Demographic Destiny
  • There are 100 concurrent sessions planned with something for everyone. Just a few of the many sessions include:
    • Down the Rabbit Hole: Helping Mid-Life Career Changers
    • Supporting People with Mental Health Challenges
    • The ART of Questioning: Be at Your Best as a Counsellor
    • Employment Readiness: Addressing Critical Soft Skills
    • Designing Interactive Online Career Development
    • Values in Action: Helping Students Make Choices Congruent with their Character
    • The Care and Feeding of Career Development Professionals
  • The program also features three optional pre-conference workshops:
    • Mark Savickas, PhD – A Career Counselling Session
    • Dr. Norman Amundson – Career Flow in Action
    • Chris Kulbaba – The Social Media Toolkit and Career Counsellors
  • Plus, you can take advantage of an Exhibitor Showcase and extensive networking opportunities.
  • Cannexus is presented by CERIC, the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling with a broad network of Supporting Organizations, including BCCDA.
  • Register by Oct. 31 for the Early Bird rate. BCCDA members receive an additional 10% off!
  • For more information on Cannexus, visit www.cannexus.ca.

5 More Things to Know About CERIC:

  1. CERIC is a charitable organization that advances education and research in career counselling and career development. We serve both the career sector and the general good. Our vision is to increase the economic and social wealth of Canadians through improved quality, effectiveness and accessibility of career development programs. CERIC’s activities are funded in large part by The Counselling Foundation of Canada, a family foundation that has actively supported career projects for 50 years.
  2. CERIC is a big tent. As we know, professionals in career development represent a wide diversity of educational backgrounds, experiences and disciplines. Inclusive of a broad universe of stakeholders, CERIC is for anyone working in career services across any sector, including practitioners, program managers, educators, researchers and product developers. We also champion the next generation with our Graduate Student Engagement Program. CERIC is led by a pan-Canadian volunteer Board of Directors and guided by a series of committees. Many career development associations participate with CERIC as partners and supporting organizations.
  3. CERIC offers a professional development hub through its three main strategic programs. ContactPoint (OrientAction in French) is a multi-sector online community for professionals in career development providing interactive dialogue, networking, resources and learning. The Canadian Journal of Career Development is a peer-reviewed publication of career-related academic research and best practices. Cannexus is Canada’s largest bilingual National Career Development Conference promoting innovative approaches for career counselling, attracting more than 700 delegates each year.
  4. CERIC funds its own projects, such as our recent Environics Survey on Public Perceptions about Career Development and the Workplace, and partners externally to build the body of knowledge in the career development field. Some projects currently underway include: the Career Practitioner Role in Supporting People with Mental Health Challenges, Green Skills: Entry-Level Employment in Renewable Energy and an Assessment Guide for Career and Guidance Counselling. CERIC also publishes books such as the popular Good Work! Get a Great Job or Be Your Own Boss.
  5. CERIC wants to collaborate with you! If you have ideas to address gaps and develop transferable solutions within career services, please let us know. In addition to submitting a project proposal, we are interested in having you share your expertise via one of our publications, events or committees. We also encourage you to circulate our project findings to anyone who can use them, and to make your colleagues aware of the extensive information and tools (many free) that CERIC has available.

CERIC supports the growth of education and research material that develops the capacity of those in the career development field to better help Canadians. You can learn more about the work of CERIC at www.ceric.ca or by contacting Riz Ibrahim, CERIC’s Vice-President and General Manager at riz@ceric.ca.

 

Category: Practitioner Resources, Sector News |
Gregg, BCCDA President | October 20, 2011
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Successful Proponents Announced for new Employment Program of BC

Well it’s the moment we have all been waiting for…

…at least for everyone in our sector connected to government funded employment programs. The BC Government has announced the results of the RFP process for the new Employment Program of BC to be implemented in April 2012.

The government has issued a general announcement/press release, the list of successful proponents, a Q&A/FAQ and a Fact Sheet. Click below to view the two key documents:

Information Bulletin (General Announcement)  Successful_Proponent_Information_Bulletin – general announcement

Successful Proponents Announcement (the ‘list’)                                       successful_proponents list_Oct_20 2012

And you can link here to the government website and all of the government documents

As you review the list of successful proponents keep in mind that these are the names of the lead proponents. who have typically partnered with a number of other agencies to provide the full range of services required. So there will be many other agencies who were ‘successful’, in that they will be part of the operations of the new Employment Service Centres, or will operate as satellite offices or specialty service sites.

Sadly, as with any RFP competitive process, there are winners and losers. Some agencies by choice or by circumstances chose not to participate in the RFP/partnering process; and now there will be others who will face an uncertain future as they were part of unsuccessful RFP bids/proposals.

With the results of the RFP now known, and as agencies face the challenges of either closing legacy programs and/or opening new ESCs within the new Employment Program of BC model, I hope, believe and trust that we will work to support each other as individuals and as organizations, with the utmost collegiality and collaboration. We have a long history in our sector of maintaining a healthy balance of competitiveness and community collaboration. And for this new program model to work, and for the successful proponents to succeed in delivering the best programming possible, it will take the combined input, knowledge and effort of all involved – from practitioners/program staff, to agency management, to partnering groups, to government.

The BCCDA is working to support it’s members through the process of change and challenges that lie ahead. For individual members, we have and will hold workshops and webinars to support you in dealing with change and uncertainty, working in the new model, and considering your career options within or outside of funded programs. For agencies and managers, we have already offered training in ‘Resilient Leadership’ and ‘Knowing Where to Start’ (in managing business transformation issues/tasks) and will be posting links to these resources and offering further events over the coming months. As well we are excited about CDC2012 in March 2012 with our Keynote Speaker John Krumboltz who will be sure to encourage us in taking advantage of the unexpected opportunities that arise from change. So please let us know what issues you are facing and what information or training needs you have identified so we can better assess how to help over the coming months.

Interesting Facts and Data from the Government’s Announcement:

  • The Province will invest $341.2 million in employment services for 2011-12.
  • The ministry received 149 proposals from 63 different proponents.
  • Of those 63 proponents, 47, or 75%, were successful in getting at least one of the 72 contracts (the successful proponent for the remaining contract, Sechelt, will be identified after October 28).
  • A key factor in winning a contract through this process was partnership. Successful contract bids involved teams of service provider organizations, who together are able to offer the full suite of services for the employment program. Through these partnerships, more than 300 different service providers will deliver the new program.
  • On average, 37 per cent of funding from the individual contracts will flow through to the service provider partners, and the proponents have, on average, 8 such partners per contract.
  • Based on the successful proposals, the Employment Program of B.C. will have:
    o 85 storefront offices, offering one-stop services;
    o 114 satellite offices in smaller towns and for specialized populations
  • Contracts will be sent out to successful proponents electronically. It is anticipated that all contracts will be delivered by November 4, 2011 and signed and executed in December 2011
  • The ministry will send all Proponents an invitation to debrief once the procurement process is complete (after contracts are signed). It is anticipated invitations will go out in December 2011 with debriefs occurring in January and February 2012.
Category: Association News, Sector News |
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