Get Ready for the New CDP Competency Framework and National Certification

The new CDP Competency Framework and National Certification Program is well underway.

The “CDP Competence Project” is led by the Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) in partnership with the Canadian Council for Career Development (3CD) and working closely with career development stakeholders across Canada. Emerit Consulting has also been an invaluable partner in providing subject matter expertise for this project. This 35-month project, Supporting Canadians to Navigate Learning and Work, could not have happened without funding and support from the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiative Program.

There are two main objectives for the CDP Competence Project:

• To update and expand the Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners (S&Gs) so that we can create a new CDP Competency Framework that reflects our evolving practice and is inclusive of all who work in our field.
• To develop a model for a pan-Canadian competency-based certification program that recognizes Career Development Professionals and allows for mobility to practice across the nation.

In January, I co-presented a Cannexus 2020 session entitled “Building Our Competency Framework and Certification Program Together” with powerhouse CDP Competence Project Team Leader Kathy McDonald from CCDF and Paula Wischoff Yerama, our 3CD Executive lead, who is also the 3CD National Certification Working Group Chair. We shared our progress on the development of a National CDP Competency Framework and CCDP Certification Program to an engaged and receptive audience.

Over the next few months and years, Career Professionals of Canada will evolve and develop robust training courses, certification programs, and professional development programs that support career professionals across Canada by applying the new CDP Competency Framework. As CPC members, you can support this initiative as well:

• Our individual members can use the framework along with tools and resources on CPC’s Career Competence site to develop and deploy personal learning and development plans.
• Our group members can use the new framework to implement organizational recruitment, training, and retention plans.

As an active member organization of 3CD, Career Professionals of Canada will continue to have representation on this project. Although this is my last year on the 3CD Executive and the Project Team, I plan to continue to support 3CD as a Board Member. CPC Board Advisor Maureen McCann will maintain a role on the National Stakeholder Committee (NSC) while CPC Board Advisor Jayne Barron and I will participate actively as members of the 3CD Certification Working Group.

Kudos to all the leaders and stakeholders in our profession who have collaborated to bring us to this point. On behalf of all the members of CPC, thank you for your generous contributions of time, knowledge, and effort. These are exciting times for our entire career development community!

How are you going to apply the new CDP Competency Framework in your practice?

Your number one fan,

Sharon

Founder and executive director of Career Professionals of Canada, multiple award winner, and top-selling author, Sharon Graham displays exceptional foresight and leadership in the Canadian career development sector. A firm believer in advancing the field, she is committed to setting the standard for excellence in the career development profession. Through CPC, Sharon delivers cutting-edge innovations and strategies to support and promote career practitioners working in the government, academic, not-for-profit, and private sectors.