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Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education)

OaSIS code 41321.00

Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) provide assistance and information to job seeker clients on all aspects of employment search and career planning. They also provide advice and information to employer clients regarding employment issues and human resources. Supervisors of career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) are included in this unit group.

Overview

Also known as

  • Career counsellor (except education)
  • Career development counsellor
  • Career development practitioner
  • Outplacement counsellor
  • Rehabilitation counsellor
  • Relocation consultant
  • Vocational rehabilitation counsellor

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Interview clients to obtain employment history, educational background and career goals
  • Identify barriers to employment and assist clients with such matters as job readiness skills, job search strategies, writing résumés and preparing for job interviews
  • Assess need for assistance such as rehabilitation, financial aid or further training and refer clients to the appropriate services
  • Provide established workers with information and strategies for maintaining a job or moving within an organization, dealing with job dissatisfaction, making mid-career changes and adjusting to workplace transitions
  • Collect labour market information for clients regarding job openings, entry and skill requirements and other occupational information
  • Advise employers on human resource and other employment-related issues
  • Provide consulting services to community groups and agencies, businesses, industry and other organizations involved in providing community-based career planning support or resources
  • May administer and interpret tests designed to determine the interests, aptitudes and abilities of clients
  • May provide advocacy and adjudication services related to employment legislation or contractual agreements
  • May arrange for, or conduct physical, mental, academic, vocational, and other evaluations to obtain information for assessing clients' needs and to developing employment and rehabilitation plans.

Additional information

  • Mobility to positions in personnel or training is possible.
  • Progression to supervisory positions is possible through experience.
  • Vocational counsellors provide specialized career development services to individuals with physical illnesses or injuries, mental health illnesses, including individuals with disabilities. They require additional knowledge and experience to assess employment capabilities and develop associated employment plans.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

  • Human resources and recruitment officers (12101)
  • Educational counsellors (41320)
  • Job coach for persons with disabilities (in 42203.00 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
  • Employment insurance officer (in 12104.02 Government benefits services officers)

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

4 – Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services

TEER

1 – Occupations usually require a university degree

Major group

41 – Professional occupations in law, education, social, community and government services

Sub-major group

413 – Professional occupations in social and community services

Minor group

4132 – Educational and employment counsellors

Unit group

41321 – Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education)

Occupational profile

41321.00 – Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education)

Work characteristics

Work characteristics gathers the various components describing the work environment of each occupation, such as employers, work activities, and the work context. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of complexity (for Work Activities) or other measurement dimensions (for Work Context), and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Work Activities

Proficiency or complexity level
Assisting and Caring for Others
4 - High Level
Clerical Activities
4 - High Level
Coaching and Developing Others
4 - High Level
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
4 - High Level
Developing Objectives and Strategies
4 - High Level

Work Context

Structural Job Characteristics

Structured versus Unstructured Work
Degree of freedom to determine tasks and priorities
3 - Moderate amount of freedom
Work Week Duration
Worked hours in a typical week
2 - Between 35 to 40 hours

Physical Work Environment

Physical Proximity
Physical distance from others
3 - Somewhat close (e.g. share office)

Physical Demands

Sitting
Duration
4 - More than half the time
Standing
Duration
2 - Less than half the time
Bending or Twisting the Body
Duration
1 - Very little time

Interpersonal Relations

Contact with Others
Frequency
5 - Every day, almost continuously
Duration
5 - All the time, or almost all the time
Work with Work Group or Team
Importance
4 - Highly important
Frequency
4 - Every day, a few times per day

Workplaces/employers

  • Consulting firms
  • Correctional facilities
  • Employment service organizations
  • Federal and provincial governments
  • Human resource departments of establishments

Skills and abilities

This section displays the various competencies required for an occupation. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency (for Skills and Abilities) or importance (for Personal Attributes) and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Abilities

Proficiency or complexity level
Fluency of Ideas
4 - High Level
Problem Identification
4 - High Level
Speech Clarity
4 - High Level
Verbal Ability
4 - High Level
Written Comprehension
4 - High Level

Skills

Proficiency or complexity level
Social Perceptiveness
5 - Highest Level
Coordinating
4 - High Level
Critical Thinking
4 - High Level
Evaluation
4 - High Level
Instructing
4 - High Level

Personal Attributes

Importance
Adaptability
5 - Extremely important
Collaboration
5 - Extremely important
Concern for Others
5 - Extremely important
Service Orientation
5 - Extremely important
Social Orientation
5 - Extremely important

Interests

The OaSIS uses the Holland Codes to describe the work-related interests. According to the Holland model, people work best in work environments that match their preferences, which means that people and work environments can be matched for a best fit. Occupational environments in Holland’s theory are described according to a combination of main interests and the activities they represent. There are six interests in the Holland typology: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. All occupations in OaSIS have up to three interests assigned to them.

Interests

Preferences for work environments and outcomes.

Interests profile: SIE

Social (S)

Social occupations are characterized by the dominance of activities that entail the interaction with others to inform, train, aid, develop, cure, or enlighten. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others, teaching, working or communicating with people.

Investigative (I)

Investigative occupations are characterized by the dominance of activities that entail the observation and systematic or creative investigation of physical, biological, or cultural phenomena. These occupations require an extensive amount of thinking and frequently involve working with ideas, searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Enterprising (E)

Enterprising occupations are characterized by the dominance of action-oriented activities to attain organizational or self-interest goals. They frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects, influencing, leading or mobilizing people, making decisions, and sometimes require risk taking and dealing with business.

Employment requirements

Employment requirements includes the education, training, certifications and the knowledge required to work in each occupation. The Knowledge category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency, and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of Knowledge descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Education, certification and licensing

  • A bachelor's degree or college diploma in employment counselling, career development or in a related field, such as human resources development, psychology, education or social services is required.
  • A master's degree in counselling psychology or a related field such as educational psychology, developmental psychology or social work may be required.
  • Vocational rehabilitation professional certification may be required by employers.
  • In Quebec, membership in l'Ordre des conseillers et conseillères d'orientation du Québec is mandatory to use the titles ''vocational counsellor'' and “vocational guidance counsellor”.
  • In New Brunswick, membership in the College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick is mandatory to use the title “Licensed career counsellor”.
  • In Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, Certified Career Development Professional/Practitioner (CCDP) certification may be required by employers.

Knowledge

Knowledge level
Clerical
3 - Advanced Level
Client Service
3 - Advanced Level
Teaching
3 - Advanced Level
Training, Mentoring and Coaching
3 - Advanced Level
Languages
2 - Intermediate Level

Skills for success

 
Skills for Success Model
 
Skills for Success are skills that help you in a quickly changing world. Everyone benefits from having these skills. They can help you to get a job, progress at your current job or even change jobs. The skills also help you become an active member of your community and succeed in learning.
 
 
Linkages Between ESDC Skills Models and Frameworks
 
ESDC makes available a dictionary of over 300 terms (or descriptors) and definitions, known as the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy (SCT). Descriptor information from the Taxonomy is used in the Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS).
 
While there is general commonality of meaning between the descriptors in the SCT and the Skills for Success model, there are some differences in their definitions due to their distinct purposes. The Skills for Success Model [9 broadly defined skills] identifies the skills that are universally applicable. The SCT displays specific skills and competency requirements for 900 occupations. Users of the Skills for Success Model and Essential Skills content may find competency information from the Taxonomy and the OaSIS to be complementary.
 
Stay tuned to this section for more information and updates regarding linkages between the Skills for Success model and the OaSIS.

O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 27.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Employment and Social Development Canada has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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