The ABC Association will be hosting a consultation on Draft 1 of the National Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners. The Standards and Guidelines will form the basis for defining the profession of Career Development Practitioner. It is important that everyone be involved in providing input to the first draft of these Standards and Guidelines. The session focussed primarily on the processes used and what we have learned about ways to increase ownership by the career development community. It turns out that while the content may not translate directly across countries, the processes are quite generalizable from one country to another.
Many countries have a context for career development that is similar to the Canadian scene.
Some countries are trying to deal with this context by regulating the industry, and are encountering enormous resistance. The Canadian approach was seen as a marked contrast because it began with the professional associations, incorporated widespread consultation with front line practitioners, and is being molded by ongoing field input. Australia, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, and Finland especially viewed our collaborative, bottom-up approach as an innovative and refreshing contrast. The work done in Canada is seen as a valuable base on which to build. This is just one example of the leadership that Canada is providing.