It’s been a busy and energizing week attending Cannexus in Ottawa. I was delighted to see so many ASPECT members there and really appreciated the opportunity to connect and get to know many of you better. There were a few highlights I wanted to share.

Public Launch of the Standards Council for Canadian Career Development

Cannexus marked the public launch of the Standards Council for Canadian Career Development, a national body stewarding Canada’s career development standards. I sit on the Council and represent the interests of ASPECT members and the broader community-based employment services sector.

Formerly the National Credentialing Advisory Committee for the new national certification program, the Council’s work now focuses on strengthening professional standards that support Career Development Professionals across the country. The Council brings together leaders from across Canada to champion excellence, strengthen professional identity, and help the sector respond to evolving labour market and societal needs. I’m pleased that ASPECT and our members have a voice at this national table.

Panel on a National Employment Framework

I also co-presented a panel with my Canadian Coalition of Community-Based Employability Training (CCCBET) colleagues on our ideas for a National Employment Framework. What is especially exciting is learning that organizations such as Challenge Factory, CERIC, and the Canadian Career Development Foundation have been developing complementary ideas in parallel.

Together, we are working toward a more coordinated national framework spanning the full career development continuum, from K–12 career education to postsecondary education, skills training, and workforce attachment. Our approach emphasizes the often underutilized community-based expertise that exists across the country and the importance of bottom-up solutions that reflect local labour markets, small and medium-sized employers, and the realities of jobseekers.

While we support broader federal initiatives such as Prime Minister Carney’s One Canada approach, we believe community-based economic drivers and frontline service delivery,  the work you do every day, must be a core part of any national solution.

Federal Roundtable on Workforce and Skills Policy

Along with CCCBET colleagues and CERIC partners, I participated in a roundtable discussion with federal officials to share our proposed framework and offer our support in informing current and future programs.

We were pleased to meet with Lori Brooks, Director General of the Workforce and Skills Development Policy Directorate, and her team, representing the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, Skills for Success Program, Student Work Placement Program, Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, Supports for Student Learning Program, Canada Service Corps, Economic Policy Directorate, and the Workforce Development and Youth Programs Operations Branch.

Many thanks to Jen Nichol (ASPECT), Akosua Alagaratnam (First Work Ontario), Valérie Roy (AXTRA Quebec), Kevin McNichol (PCDC Alberta), and our CERIC colleagues Kay Castelle, Sharon Ferriss, Keka DasGupta, and Candy Ho for their leadership and contributions. The discussion was very well received, with strong interest in follow-up and requests for additional information and collaboration.

I want to thank all of you who are doing outstanding work across BC and beyond. I will continue to bring what I can back to ASPECT members and to our colleagues in provincial government. There is real national momentum right now, and I look forward to sharing more as this work continues.

Janet Morris-Reade, CEO
ASPET BC