UW Gazette, December 10, 1997
     
     Through a special partnership arrangement,
undergraduate students from UW, the University of Guelph and
Wilfrid Laurier University will be able to work on their
degrees at their home universities, take related courses at
the other universities, and earn a certificate in Conestoga
College's Career Development Practitioner program.
     The new joint arrangement is the culmination of two
years' work by people from all four institutions. It was to
be launched with a reception yesterday afternoon at
Conestoga, which has its headquarters in south Kitchener.
     Conestoga has offered the Career Development
Practitioner Certificate program for the past three years,
with entry limited to people who have already graduated from
university or from a college diploma program.
     Under the new linkage, students will be able to work
toward a general BA (from Laurier, Guelph or Waterloo) and
the CPDPC at the same time.
     Students will have to complete all 11.0 college courses
specified for the CDPC program as well as meeting all the
normal requirements of their home degree program. It's
expected that fitting the Conestoga courses into a student's
schedule will add one term to the total length of the
program - or, to put it another way, it will take
"approximately one semester less than if students
sequentially pursued a baccalaureate degree and a
certificate outside the agreement".
     "Eventually the program will be offered through
distance education from all three (university)
institutions," says Laurier registrar Doug Witmer.
     Sharon Kalbfleisch, Conestoga's dean of special
projects and assessment, says the existing CDPC program was
set up with $300,000 in support from the Counselling
Foundation of Canada, some of which is earmarked for the
development of the program so it can be offered at a
distance over the Internet. The first distance education
course should be ready early in 1998.
     Two representatives of the Foundation were expected as
special guests at yesterday's reception.
     The program, which is unique in Canada, is described as
an important step in professionalising the career
development field nationally. While anybody can claim to be
a career counsellor, "We are hoping this will become the
minimum requirement - a university degree and completion of
a professional program" - for industry-wide professional
standards, Kalbfleisch says.
     "I think this is a real growth industry," she adds.
"Our employment stats for the last two years are really
quite remarkable."
     Says a news release issued to announce the launch this
week: "The college-university partnership and the foundation
grant recognize that skilled, effective career-development
practitioners will be essential in all types of careers and
employment settings in the future. They will have a definite
impact on helping Canada maintain a competitive edge by
helping people anticipate, plan and adjust to ongoing
employment changes."
     Graduates of the program find jobs as high-school
guidance counsellors, with social service agencies, and
"headhunter" employment services, Kalbfleisch says. They are
also qualified to work for governmental agencies such as
Human Resources Canada or regional welfare offices, although
jobs in government are currently difficult to find.
     To assist part-time students already employed in the
field who wish to take the program, a financial assistance
fund is being established by the foundation to ensure the
greatest possible access. The Ontario Association of Youth
Employment Centres will administer the fund.