Together, we can develop a strong evidence base.
CCDF believes that who you directly involve in the research has a lot to do with how well the findings are implemented into practice. CCDF’s research projects are conducted in partnership with front-line practitioners working with real clients and/or directly with people who are the subject of the research. Our research protocols have been consistently guided by the following principles:
- New interventions/programs/service delivery models must reflect front-line realities and practices or they will never be adopted into longer-term practice, regardless of results;
- Full engagement and buy in of research partners is essential. This includes front-line practitioners, their clients, their supervisors and management in career service settings. In education settings, this includes students and those that have left school prior to graduation, teachers, guidance counsellors, principals, government officials, employers, and community members. We are mindful in any research project to actively seek out and include under-represented voices;
- Involvement in a research project is a professional and organizational development opportunity that benefits clients, professionals, educators and management and supervisors.
Working with those on the front-lines results in outcomes that are grounded in reality and informs practice moving forward.
Our research
Assessing the Impact of Career Development Resources and Practitioner Support Across the Employability Dimensions
Key Researchers:
This project aimed to answer the following research question: If clients are given a comprehensive needs assessment to determine their employability need(s), what is the differential effect of “practitioner-launched” and “practitioner launched and supported” use of career resources on clients who are weakly attached to the labour market versus those who are more strongly attached.
The project used a participant-research approach in which real practitioners implemented research protocols and gathered data from typical clients with diverse employability needs across a variety of populations.
State of Practice: Essential Skills Applications with First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada
Key Researchers:
This literature was produced for CCDF’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis Essential Skills Inventory Project. The purpose of the literature review was to describe the current level of need for Essential Skill development among First Nations, Inuit and Métis, to explore the state of practice of Essential Skills initiatives with these populations in Canada and to examine innovative practices in an effort to determine potential “markers of excellence” in ES programming.
Transitioning Graduates to Work: Improving the Labour Market Success of Poorly Integrated New Entrants (PINEs) in Canada
Key Researchers:
This research report focuses on a growing group of un- and underemployed youth, Poorly Integrated New Entrants (PINEs). PINEs are young people who often have qualifications (diplomas or degrees); but who frequently go back and forth between temporary jobs, unemployment and/or inactivity, even during periods of strong economic growth (OECD, 2010). The report examines what the literature says about them and their barriers to labour market attachment from a global and Canadian perspective. It investigates what works in terms of policies and programs to mitigate their growth, includes a preliminary inventory of national and international programs and policies that target those who are or who are at-risk of becoming PINEs and, finally, provides an analysis of the inventory leading to the development of policy and program recommendations to stem the growth of PINEs in Canada.
Pan-Canadian Mapping Study of the Career Development Sector
Key Researchers:
In Canada, we have had virtually no data on the career development sector – its hiring practices, training/professional development trends, human resource challenges, composition and needs of clients it serves or the extent to which jurisdictions are applying competency profiles such as the Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners (S&Gs). The Forum of Labour Market Ministers undertook to fill this void, engaging CCDF to map the career development sector across Canada. Highlights and recommendations for action are included in the executive summary.
Making Bridges Visible: An Inventory of Innovative, Effective or Promising Canadian School-to-Work Transitions Practices, Programs and Policies
Key Researchers:
This report highlights an initial inventory of current Canadian practices, programs and policies aimed at improving school-to-work transitions for school-leavers (both from secondary and post-secondary groups). The report provides a situational analysis of Canadian youth in transition and highlights the elements that make up successful school-to-work initiatives. It also points to the need for a more consolidated and collective school-to-work strategy endorsed by all levels of government and makes 12 recommendations for further action.