New Brunswick Certified Career Development Practitioner (CCDP)
Are you a Career Professional based in New Brunswick? In this article prepared by the New Brunswick Career Development Action Group, learn all about the advances that your province is making in establishing the Certified Career Development Practitioner (CCDP).
Across Canada, provinces are establishing formal processes with respect to certification for Career Development Practitioners (CDPs). The New Brunswick Career Development Action Group (NBCDAG) is in the process of implementing the Certified Career Development Practitioner (CCDP) certification.
The New Brunswick Career Development Action Group (NBCDAG) is an incorporated body consisting of an elected, volunteer Executive and Board of Directors that represents a membership of individuals with an interest in the areas of career development and life/work transitions. It fosters partnerships with diverse national, provincial and local organizations committed to those same goals. NBCDAG’s mandate is to share information and to lead, coordinate, and facilitate activities aimed at furthering a career development culture in New Brunswick that integrates career, occupational, labour market and learning information.
A number of provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario) are in the process of developing or have already formally launched a certification process. At this point in time, many professionals working in the career development field in New Brunswick have no formal recognition of their skills and knowledge through certification. There is no formal educational program offered through post-secondary institutions in New Brunswick for training specifically in the duties of CDPs. This leaves us vulnerable as a field – our professional identity is weakened and the public, policy-makers and funders remains unclear about who we are and what we have to offer.
NBCDAG is seen as the most appropriate organization to manage the certification in a way that reflects the priorities and needs of its membership and the career development community. There are many CDPs with years of experience who should be recognized for their competence regardless of their formal educational background. The goal is to be inclusive of existing CDPs, making sure that New Brunswick’s certification formally recognizes applicable training and experience.
A Certification Committee, led by NBCDAG, but made up of diverse stakeholders, and, in consultation with the broader CDP field, has agreed upon Certification criteria and an application process. The following documents can be found on the NBCDAG website
- Certification Criteria for Career Development Practitioners
- Benefits of Certification
- Instructions for Completing the Application
- Guide to Compulsory Courses
- Guidelines and Checklist for Application
- Application for Certification
- Code of Ethics
- Renewal Criteria
Certification is voluntary. There is no need to be certified in order to practice as a CDP. It is intended as a benefit to those who are interested in a more formal recognition of their skills and knowledge, the enhancement of their professional identity, thereby raising the professional profile of the career development field.
The Canadian Council for Career Development (CCCD), of which NBCDAG is a member, is working towards reciprocity between provinces. This would mean that the New Brunswick CCDP certification would be accepted in other provinces with professional Career Development Practitioner certification. This will contribute to increased professional cohesion and CDP mobility nationally.
Tina Sirois-LeBlanc completed her Bachelor of Education and her Maîtrise en Orientation (Masters in Guidance Counselling) at the Université de Moncton. Since 2001, she’s been working as a counsellor and counselling consultant in different work environments such as the University of New Brunswick, the NB Department of Post Secondary Education Training and Labour (PETL), and finally as an independent counsellor and consultant, which she has been doing for the last four years.
Jon Fairweather completed his Masters of Education at the University of New Brunswick. He is an Employment Counselling Consultant for the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour (PETL), the Anglophone Co-Chair of NBCDAG, on the Steering Committee of the Canadian Council for Career Development (CCCD), and Co-Chair of the NBCDAG Certification Committee.