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Educational counsellors

OaSIS code 41320.00

Educational counsellors advise current and prospective students on educational issues, career planning and personal development, and coordinate the provision of counselling services to students, parents, teachers, faculty and staff.

Overview

Also known as

  • Academic counsellor
  • Career counsellor - education
  • Indigenous advisor – college
  • School counsellor
  • Student services counsellor

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Counsel students regarding educational issues such as course and program selection, time tables and scheduling, school adjustment, attendance problems and study skills
  • Counsel students regarding career or vocational issues including career exploration and planning, résumé preparation, job interview skills and job search strategies and make available to them a wide range of educational and occupational information
  • Coordinate co-op and school-to-work transition programs, and the provision of counselling and information services, such as career information, professional development sessions and exchanges with other educational institutions, to students, parents, teachers, faculty and staff
  • Consult with teachers and parents or faculty and other professionals such as psychologists, speech therapists and social workers regarding various issues and concerns, and with administrators and community agencies regarding programs and referrals
  • Administer and interpret standardized intelligence, personality, vocational, aptitude and interest tests
  • Develop and coordinate study skills groups or workshops in high schools, colleges and universities on topics such as note-taking, test or examination anxiety and preparation strategies and time management skills
  • Visit colleges and secondary schools to provide academic information to prospective students, their parents and educational counsellors
  • Coordinate or participate in student orientation programs in colleges or universities
  • Arrange for employers to recruit graduating college and university students, and students for co-op education work terms
  • Counsel students regarding personal and social issues such as substance abuse, depression, sexuality, eating disorders, anxiety, self-esteem, family problems, relationship and interpersonal skills and anger management
  • Counsel students in crisis situations such as dealing with the death of a friend or family member, suicidal tendencies and abuse situations
  • May supervise peer counselling programs in school settings
  • May supervise field experience for graduate students in counselling
  • May teach regular classes.

Additional information

  • Elementary school counsellors generally provide more social and personal counselling whereas academic counselling is provided more by high school counsellors.
  • Educational counsellors in colleges, universities and other settings may specialize in academic, career or personal issues counselling.
  • Vocational counsellors in Quebec may also provide professional orientation to individuals with a mental illness, disabilities, and those with adaptation difficulties. Those with specific training may also perform certain mental health assessment.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

  • Secondary school teachers (41220)
  • Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) (41321)
  • Social workers (41300)
  • Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies (41301)
  • School psychologist (in 31200.00 Psychologists)

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

41320 – Educational counsellors

Occupational profile

41320.00 – Educational counsellors

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
5 - Highest Level
Coaching and Developing Others
5 - Highest Level
Communicating with Coworkers
5 - Highest Level
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
5 - Highest Level
Developing Objectives and Strategies
5 - Highest 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
4 - Close (at arm’s length)

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
4 - Every day, a few times per day
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

  • Post-secondary educational institutions
  • School boards

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
Persuading
5 - Highest Level
Social Perceptiveness
5 - Highest Level
Coordinating
4 - High Level
Critical Thinking
4 - High Level
Decision Making
4 - High Level

Personal Attributes

Importance
Adaptability
5 - Extremely important
Collaboration
5 - Extremely important
Concern for Others
5 - Extremely important
Independence
5 - Extremely important
Service 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 in counselling, career development, education or social sciences is required for counsellors in school settings.
  • A master's degree in counselling psychology or a related field such as educational psychology, developmental psychology or social work is usually required.
  • Educational counsellors in post-secondary settings require an undergraduate degree and may require a graduate degree. A particular academic specialization may also be required.
  • In Quebec, membership in L'Ordre des conseillers et conseillères d'orientation is mandatory to use the titles ''vocational counsellor'', “guidance counsellor” and “vocational guidance counsellor”.
  • A teacher's certificate in the province of employment and some teaching experience is usually required for counsellors in school settings.
  • Educational counsellors in colleges and universities may require licensing from a provincial regulatory body governing psychologists, educational counsellors or social workers.

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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