Recognition in Action: National Certification for Career Development Professionals

2024 has been a year of meaningful progress in Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). A standout moment for me has been contributing to the National Career Development Certification (NCDC) program - an initiative that sets a new national standard for Career Development Professionals (CDPs) across Canada.

Over the last couple of years, I have worked alongside my colleagues at North Pacific Inc., to support the NSCDA, CCDF-FCDC, national stakeholders including the National Certification Advisory Committee, and the Technical Working Group made of dedicated career development professionals to bring this national certification to life.

I had the privilege of designing, developing, refining, and delivering a range of competency-based assessment tools that are now being used to recognize the competencies of CDPs across the country. This project represents my first involvement in a national RPL-based occupational certification program — a significant milestone in my journey from working on several provincial and occupation-specific initiatives to a national platform.

The collaborative effort behind this program and the passion and commitment of the CDP community has been so inspiring. This certification process not only reflects the critical contributions of the role of CDPs but also raises the bar for professional standards. I’m honored to have played a part in supporting the continued growth and recognition of this vital profession, which touches so many lives across Canada.

Beyond the technical aspects of creating assessment tools and frameworks this work has been about breaking down barriers to recognition. It’s about opening doors for individuals who face systemic challenges in having their prior learning and existing skills formally acknowledged. For me, the most fulfilling part of this journey has been seeing candidates achieve the recognition they deserve and step into new career opportunities.

As someone who is passionate about learning and the recognition of learning, I see 2025 as a year of possibility. The work I do in the areas of RPL/PLAR is more critical than ever, helping recognize uncredentialed workers, address skill shortages, and create equitable career pathways. I envision deeper integration of competency-based assessment models with emerging technologies including AI to scale recognition programs. I also hope to see greater collaboration between the Government, industry associations & sector councils, training institutions, and employers to design innovative pathways for recognizing prior learning.

But beyond the tools and technologies, I hope that the heart of my work remains the same: enabling individuals to realize their full potential and access opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach. As the year ends, I’m grateful for the opportunity to make a difference and excited about what lies ahead.

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Congratulations Kathy McKee, Sareena Hopkins, Gail Langlais, Teresa Francis, Lindsay Guitard, Tara Deveau, BRM CCDPcm, Ashley, Connie Corse, CCDP and everyone who worked tirelessly to bring this certification to life. This National Certification is a true game changer for CDPs in Canada and I am so grateful I got a chance to play a role along with my incredible colleagues, Dan McFaull and Jennifer Boeda. 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tarunagoel_careerdevelopment-ncdc-ccdp-activity-7279917487675060225--LGx

Shaping the Future of Teaching and Learning in B.C.

This week, I had the pleasure of participating in the second annual Digital Learning Strategy Forum, hosted by BCcampus and the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. It was an energizing two days filled with rich discussions, shared best practices, and innovative ideas to advance the B.C. Post-Secondary Digital Learning Strategy.

Maha Bali's keynote and her work on the Equity/Care matrix highlighted the importance of ethics, morality, equity and care in teaching and learning. One of my biggest takeaways was the shift she described as moving from designing with empathy to co-designing with compassion rooted in the ideas of recognition and learner agency. It’s a perspective that will stay with me.

Lucas Wright’s keynote on GenAI was equally thought-provoking and pragmatic. He described it as a sea change in teaching and learning and emphasized the skills we need to navigate this disruption—critical thinking, creativity, agency, and community. Lucas shared practical strategies to help us move forward, from building GenAI literacy to cross-institutional and local GenAI models, and rethinking assignments and assessments. His insights on prompt engineering, including the ACTOR Prompting Model, were both timely and actionable.

As a member of the Program Committee, I knew what was in store for the participants. But I was blown away by the way all the presenters brought their ideas to life. They created opportunities for interaction and reflection and challenged us to think bigger and deeper. As a participant, I found myself surrounded by a community who engaged with such honesty, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. Some of the feedback shared about the work done so far and the questions raised about the road ahead were insightful. What stood out most for me was the commitment and active engagement of the Ministry team, who are clearly in this for the long haul. Their presence throughout the two days was truly inspiring.

Some of you may have heard me share this sentiment during the forum: I view the implementation of the Digital Learning Strategy as an evolution, not a revolution. While there is a clear need to build policies, supports, and technologies to strengthen digital learning and competencies across B.C., I felt proud of the incredible work already happening in our post-secondary institutions. The forum reaffirmed the importance of the spaces that BCcampus and the Ministry are fostering for cross-institutional dialogue so that we all continue to become better, together.

In 1997, when Paul Gilster coined the term “digital literacy,” he said it was about “mastering ideas, not [computer] keystrokes.” That sentiment feels as relevant as ever. Over these two days—and in the ongoing conversations—we’re all working together to master ideas that will shape the future of teaching and learning in B.C. It’s a privilege to be part of these conversations, and I’m eager to see where they lead.

From Jargon to Clarity: Turning Terms into Understanding

Image by Felix Wolf from Pixabay

As consultants and industry professionals, we often take for granted the terms we use every day. But what seems like common language to us can be a whole different story for others outside our industry. One such term is “granularity”. Granularity refers to the level of detail or precision within a particular context. It can be applied across various fields.

As a Competency Development & Assessment Consultant, I used the term in a recent workshop within the context of mapping existing courses to the Occupational Competency Profile and highlighted the importance of identifying the "right level of granularity" for the mapping exercise.

What impressed me was how quickly my (very excellent) client team took the initiative to clarify the term. They not only sought a better understanding but also asked for additional resources and tools to truly grasp how to use the idea of “level of granularity” in practical ways. So, we went one layer deeper to discuss how to map different components of a course with specific pieces of information in the competency profile. Should we map topics, lessons, or entire courses? And should those be aligned with competency areas, key competencies within each area, or the specific knowledge and performance requirements within each competency? It became a very nuanced and valuable conversation. And based on that, we came up with usable and workable tools and templates that reflected the level of granularity we were looking for.

That conversation reminded me of how vital it is to clarify industry jargon. What’s simple for us can be vague or ambiguous for someone new to the conversation. By breaking down these terms, we not only help establish shared understanding but also create opportunities for richer discussions and insights.

So, the next time you dive into a conversation, remember: clarity can turn confusion into connection and collaboration!

What’s an industry term or jargon that you’ve explained recently?