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Conference Schedule:New this year! Conference Streams Each session now includes a coloured tag to help you identify the sessions most relevant to your role. These tags make it easier to plan your day and attend what matters most to you.
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Thursday – Day 1 Sessions
10:30am
When Things Get Tough: Communication Skills That Work
Whole Team Learning
Sabina Smith
In an interactive and experiential setting, this workshop explores the pattern of how we think and make decisions in conflict and explains how to leverage targeted, curiosity-based communication strategies to lower stress, reduce tensions, generate understanding and open avenues for cooperative ways forward.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Turn Conflict into Cooperation
- Reduce Tension
- Lower Stress
Thriving in Times of Uncertainty
Managers & Program Coordinators
John Harrison, David McLellan
As we continue to navigate these tumultuous times, there is increasing pressure for community-serving leaders to adapt and become effective ‘Stewards-of-Change’. Join this interactive workshop that will help you build the skills to stay focused and effective while managing change. Learn how to reconnect your team with your organization's purpose to enhance their capacity to adapt and thrive through change.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- How to manage organizational transformation and change processes effectively.
- Strategies to help others navigate through disruption, building resiliency/adaptability.
- Personal management skills to increase effectiveness and minimize distractions.
From Stuck to Success: 3 Strategies
Frontline Practitioners
Terry Deakin, Tiana Bryant
In "Stuck to Success: 3 Strategies," employment coaches and job developers will explore transformative methods to empower clients. Through personal stories, interactive activities, and group work, participants will delve into:
- Embracing 100% Responsibility
- Applying the 5% More Principle
- Initiating Purposeful Action
Using LMI to Inform Planning
Team Leads & Supervisors
David Lee, Christian Saint Cyr
This session will provide an overview of how we are using labour market information (LMI) to inform how we identify our priorities for employment service delivery (in this case at our WorkBC centres), and how our team members engage and serve our clients.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Sourcing and using external labour market information
- Analyzing your client data to inform planning
- Embedding LMI as a part of planning and delivery
Breaking or Building? A Public Employment System at Risk
Executive Directors & Organizational Leads
Donnalee Bell, Sareena Hopkins
The Canadian public employment system’s jobs-first approach often ignores the complex, intersectional needs of job seekers—leading to poor outcomes, frustration, and system strain. New research suggests a different approach. Join us in rolling up our sleeves to build a preferred future for our sector, one that builds a person-first model to develop a system that genuinely supports success.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- To explore the impact of current policies and service delivery models within the public employment system.
- To understand what the evidence tells us about what works and what doesn’t work in career/employment services.
- To explore how to transition from a broken system to a preferred future for our sector, identifying the necessary steps, assets, needs, barriers, and capacity required to make meaningful and sustainable change.
1:00pm
Empowering Career Growth Through an Entrepreneur Mindset
Whole Team Learning
Chelan Cotter
Entrepreneurship opens doors for those facing barriers to traditional jobs. This session discusses practical tools, mindset shifts, and key resources to help underrepresented entrepreneurs turn ideas into opportunities—whether as a full-time venture or a career boost
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Understanding the Role of entrepreneurship in Career Development
- Supporting Clients Through the Self-Employment Exploration Process
- Navigating Challenges and Resources for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs
Working in Construction – Program Solutions
Managers & Program Coordinators
Joy Magnell, Faith Dempster
The BC Construction Association offers various programs and services to assist your clients to find meaningful and lucrative work in the construction industry. In construction, the ongoing skilled labour shortage means there are opportunities. Our program team will provide an overview of the programs, eligibility, and supports to help your job seekers.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand what program supports are available based on client’s career goals in construction.
- Gain labour market information on careers in construction
- Get an overview of the types of careers possible in construction
Client-Centered Skill Building for Employment Readiness
Frontline Practitioners
Zakaria el Sabeh, Blythe Roller
This session explores client-centered skill-building techniques to enhance employment readiness. Attendees will learn trauma-informed strategies to support individuals facing barriers to employment. Through interactive discussions and practical exercises, participants will gain tools to foster confidence, resilience, and career success for clients navigating workforce challenges.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify key employment readiness skills.
- Apply trauma-informed strategies to support clients.
- Implement client-centered approaches for skill-building.
Supporting Self-Care for Employment Professionals
Team Leads & Supervisors
Lori Forgeron, Laura Heagy
This session explores strategies to prevent burnout among employment professionals while maintaining effectiveness. Topics include the benefits of a four-day work week, team-building, mindfulness practices, boundary-setting, workload management, and stress reduction techniques. Attendees will gain practical tools to enhance well-being, improve job satisfaction, and sustain long-term success, tying into broader advancements in workforce development.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify strategies to prevent burnout and enhance well-being.
- Develop practical self-care techniques to improve resilience and productivity.
- Explore team-building techniques to foster workplace resilience.
Building a Community Building
Executive Directors & Organizational Leads
Emily Gora, Alison Girard, Zoe Dowdall
The Skills Centre recently completed a deep green and accessibility renovation of their two storey office building in Trail. This presentation will share the renovation process, accessibility and energy reduction goals for the building, investment in the community (both financial and skill building), benefits to the Skills Centre clients, staff, other nonprofit organizations and the community, and lessons learned.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Attendees understand benefits of community hub buildings.
- How nonprofits can build green skills and reduce GHGs.
- How technology and infrastructure benefits job seekers and communities.
2:30pm
FUSION: Accessible Skills Development for All
Whole Team Learning
Dr. Lorraine Godden
Aligned to the Skills for Success framework, the FUSION program offers well-constructed, current, accessible, and free modules that develop 13 unique transferable skills. In this interactive session, you will review and interact with the modules, and learn tangible ways to enhance skills development for all clients including those in equity deserving groups. Importantly, you will gain free access to FUSION.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Know the range of skills areas included in FUSION
- Explore ways to develop/teach/assess FUSION
- Know how to access FUSION
Employer Support: Pathway to Jobseeker Success
Managers & Program Coordinators
Johanna Currie
Join us as we look at employers through a new lens and discover the key to successful employer connections. Leverage your existing skills learn building on how to identify value adds that have a long term impact on employers. Explore how adding value and building relationships through employer support leads to fulfilling and meaningful work for all job seekers.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize the similarities between job seekers and employers
- Identify best practices and tools to add value to employers
- Relate adding value through employer support to the creation of meaniful work
Beyond Labels: Informally Assessing Skills
Frontline Practitioners
Celena Sandaker, Clinton Bialas
This workshop will focus on improving your understanding and assessment of your client's barriers to employment by using informal, non-traditional, less structured tools to help individuals explore and identify their career interests, skills, and values. Learn through hands on activities and real world examples how to better assess skills in clients that experience cognitive, mental health and physical challenges.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- How to better understand and work with people with cognitive, physical and mental health challenges.
- Improve/enhance analytical skills
- Identify activities that can be used with your own clients
Inclusive Facilitation
Team Leads & Supervisors
Fatima Al-Samak
How can we facilitate strategic planning sessions with board members and non-profit staff in ways that are inclusive of diverse perspectives and experiences? How do we shift toward non-hierchachal, generative conversations and decision-making. Join us to explore mindsets, tools and practices.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand mindsets and approaches that center equity and inclusion in strategic planning conversations.
- Count on tools and practices to engage diverse stakeholders in non-hierarchical, generative dialogue and decision-making.
- Begin to shift facilitation habits that may unintentionally exclude or silence participant voices.
Virtual Hub for Career Development Leaders
Executive Directors & Organizational Leads
Dr. Deirdre Pickerell
A 2024 study exploring the experiences of leaders in career/employment services surfaced a vast array of information. From there, the research team worked on a virtual hub to help managers/leaders navigate their complex work environments, developing a competency framework and self-assessment tool and linking to associated resources. Join the project lead for a first look at this new sector resource.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- First look at an in-development virtual hub for sector leaders
- Introduction of a competency framework, and associated self-assessment tool
- Opportunity to provide feedback on the suite of resources being developed
Friday – Day 2 Sessions
8:30am Sessions
Exploring CanWork BC: Supporting Youth Employment
Whole Team Learning
Dr. Claire Forrest
Participants are invited to experience the CanWork BC employment program for youth with disabilities. Elements include an online platform for youth and corresponding workshops to deliver in person. Engage with like-minded practitioners and implement strategies for supporting youth with disabilities on their career journey.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Summarize the main challenges of youth with disabilities facing employment
- Apply strategies from CanWork BC to tailor your youth programming
- Evaluate current program success based on the guiding principles
The Art of Safe Space: Building Trust and Inclusion in Any Setting
Managers & Program Coordinators
Angeline Day
Angeline specializes in Cultivating Safe Spaces training for organizations, educational institutions, teams and groups including, students, staff, and youth groups. This training provides a framework of tools, conditions, protocols, and teachings necessary to cultivate a safe space for yourself and others. Apply teachings both professionally and personally, in order to cultivate a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Educates people on how to control yourself, thoughts and reactions
- Increases awareness and better understanding of our traumas and triggers
- Increases empathy and compassion for others
Crafting Your Career Pathway
Frontline Practitioners
Shannon Baikie
This session will demonstrate through presentation and hands on activities the benefits of incorporating arts-based therapy with career development models of delivery. It will highlight the success of the Crafting your Career Pathway program delivered by North Island Employment Foundations Society to newcomers and those who have experienced abuse and/or violence and how combining these modalities positively impact participants.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Overview of the Crafting your Career Pathway program
- Hands on example of how to include arts-based therapy into your career development practice
- Considerations when implementing an arts-based component to your career development practice
Finding the Balance: Digital Tools & Human Connection
Team Leads & Supervisors
Sara Collins, Matt Vissers
Embrace modern technology without sacrificing the human connection. In “Finding the Balance,” explore strategies for selecting digital tools that support, not replace, career professionals’ personal touch. Discover how to leverage these resources to foster deeper engagement, free up more hands-on service time, and meet the evolving needs of diverse client groups in a rapidly shifting labor market environment.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Discover digital and AI-based tools that complement personalized employment support
- Develop tech-enhanced collaboration opportunities with other service providers
- Deploy approaches using technology to enhance, not replace, personalized support
Micro Research: Maximizing Impact & Relevance
Executive Directors & Organizational Leads
Dr. Roberta Borgen, Cassie Taylor
Front-line career development professionals (CDPs) are remarkably well-positioned to conduct research that informs “evidence-based practice.” However, most CDPs don’t identify as researchers; nor do they think they have the time. This session underscores how day-to-day practice can be strategically integrated into ethical research "off the side of your desk," informing relevant locally and culturally responsive interventions that impact client change.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand and address perceived research-related barriers
- Learn strategies for incorporating small-scale research into service delivery
- Promote ethically informed and culturally responsive evaluation/research
10:30am Sessions
Sustainable Career Pathways: Integrating SDGs into CD
Whole Team Learning
Dr. Candy Ho
Career development professionals play a vital role in shaping sustainable workforce futures. This interactive workshop explores how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be embedded into career guidance, empowering clients to align career choices with global challenges. Participants will gain practical tools to integrate SDG principles into career education, job search strategies, and employment programming.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Apply SDG principles to career guidance and job search strategies.
- Develop tools for integrating sustainability into career conversations.
- Explore best practices for embedding SDGs into career education.
Who's Coaching the Coaches?
Managers & Program Coordinators
John Harrison, David McLellan
Coaching clients isn’t easy. But when done well, coaching is a powerful approach that helps improve skills, self-efficacy & outcomes. This workshop equips employment-services teams with coaching strategies to enhance client support. Through interactive exercises and practical tools, participants will learn how to increase client accountability, build resilience, and navigate career transitions effectively, improving outcomes and self-sufficiency in today’s job market.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Develop effective coaching techniques to empower client decision-making.
- Enhance client resilience and adaptability in career transitions.
- Implement strategies to build client confidence and job readiness.
Getting Unstuck
Frontline Practitioners
Steve Miller, Denise Reimer
There comes a time for most of us when we feel 'stuck'. Stuck in our job search, stuck in helping others in their job search, stuck in the job we are currently in, etc. This presentation is designed to help career practitioners specifically identify what may be causing this 'stuckness' and provides some simple tools to move on from that.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Identifying Defensive Behaviours that result in that 'stuck' feeling whether we are in a job or looking for one.
- Identifying the Signs of Defensive that warn us when those behaviours are about to surface.
- What to replace the defensive behaviour with.
Reframing Resilience: Building Relationships for Impact
Team Leads & Supervisors
Dr. Catherine Hajnal, Seanna Quressette
Our service participants face systemic barriers. Surmounting those barriers cannot be addressed through individual resilience. We propose an approach to resilience and our role within it: holding resilience as an ongoing process in which resource capacity and access to those resources is built within community; deepening our relationships within community; and viewing our role as natural connectors.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
- Reframing of individual and community resilience
- Defining impact networks for systemic change, building community resilience
- Exploring natural connector role for Career Development Professionals
Shaping the Future of Employment Services: A Conversation
Executive Directors & Organizational Leads
Janet Morris-Reade
TBA
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