Growing forward

By Paula Wischoff Yerama, CCDP, executive director, Career Development Association of Alberta (CDAA)

After three years of postponed, cancelled and reconfigured conferences, the Career Development Association of Alberta (CDAA) is thrilled to be welcoming career development and related professionals back to our first in-person Alberta Career Development Conference (ACDC) since 2019. ACDC 2023: Growing Forward, CDAA’s 9th annual Alberta Career Development Conference (ACDC), will be held in Calgary, Alt. on May 2 and 3, 2023. Grow forward with us and your industry colleagues for two full days of professional development, networking and celebrating.

Like previous in-person conferences, ACDC will showcase keynote presentations, panel presentations/ consultations, concurrent sessions and industry exhibitors on both days of the conference. A networking reception will also be held on the evening of May 2, and the CDAA will host its 26th annual general meeting on the morning of May 3.

Please mark your calendars for ACDC 2023: Tuesday, May 2 and Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Information and registration details are available at www. careerdevelopment.ab.ca/ACDC23.

For 26 years, the CDAA has been a recognized leader that advances the career development profession through strategic outreach and partnership activities and provides services and supports to aspiring and practicing career development professionals. From being the first province to develop and launch voluntary certification for career development practitioners by way of the Certified Career Development Professional (CCDP) designation to being a founding member of what is now known as the Canadian Council for Career Development (3CD), the CDAA has been a prominent organization in the career development community.

Curious about what’s happening in career development in Alberta? The Career Development Association of Alberta publishes bi-weekly Community Connector bulletins and monthly Career Momentum newsletters. Join the mailing list today at www.careerdevelopment. ab.ca/email-subscription.

Several times a year we reach out to our community for their input on various topics. Most recently, the following questions were posed:

• What organizations, events or resources related to diversity, equity and inclusion have you found to be particularly helpful in supporting your clients, colleagues and communities?

• What sources of labour market information have been most beneficial to you in supporting your clients? Where have your clients been finding success in the labour market?

• As the career development profession continues to move toward a national certification program for career development professionals, what questions around national certification are coming up for you?

• As the career development profession prepares to launch the Career Development Professional National Competency Framework, what are you most looking forward to and how do you hope to be able to incorporate the new framework into your own career development?

• Are you an older/mature worker? What has your experience been as an older/mature worker looking for employment or trying to maintain employment?

• Are you a service provider offering services and supports to older/mature workers? What has your experience been providing these services and supports?

If you have anything you would like to share in response to our community collaboration questions or if you have a question you would like to pose, please feel free to email Paula Wischoff Yerama at ed@careerdevelopment.ab.ca with “community collaboration” in the subject line. n