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Each November for Canada Career Month, organizations across the country celebrate the importance of accessing meaningful work and the professionals connecting people with their preferred futures. This month is the perfect time to amplify the importance of career development through government advocacy.
Today, career development organizations and individuals have a new tool to do just that, the Beyond Decent Work Playbook: A National Advocacy Campaign for Career Development in Canada. It provides key messages that associations and organizations can integrate into their communications as part of ongoing awareness and advocacy messages. Here are other resources to help generate more support for the career development sector.
Want to take action on advocacy right now? Sign this open letter to policy and industry leaders addressing the need for lifelong career development to ensure generational fairness, a sustainable workforce and economic prosperity for people in Canada.
Advocacy guide (Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada) [Guide]
This resource aims to help those who are interested in engaging with parliamentarians and public service employees share their stories and advance common goals. While it is primarily intended for the co-operative and mutual sector, it can help professionals from other fields who are new to government relations or have few or no dedicated resources within their organization. Although it focuses on the federal scene, the information can be applied to provincial and territorial activities.
Advocacy Spectrum Tool (Ontario Nonprofit Network) [Graphic]
This two-page graphic outlines several actions that organizations and individuals can take toward effective policy change. It could also be used to map out where other organizations are advocating on the same issue.
Advocacy Toolkit (Association of Service Providers for Employability and Career Training) [Toolkit]
Developed for community-based employment service providers in British Columbia, this resource offers insights that people outside the province can apply. The toolkit offers information on advocacy and key messages addressing topics such as diversity, pay equity, rural and remote, youth, education and training, international credential recognition, job transitions, worker shortages, and housing and transportation.
Beyond Decent Work Playbook – A National Advocacy Campaign for Career Development in Canada (CERIC) [Playbook]
This brand-new resource provides key messages that associations and organizations can integrate into their communications as part of ongoing awareness and advocacy messages. These messages for policymakers, businesses, educators and the public can be adapted to align with each organization’s goals and target audience. The Playbook also offers a step-by-step guide to creating a communications plan and engaging in advocacy work. Organizations are encouraged to use and disseminate the Beyond Decent Work Playbook as the career development sector works together toward change.
Hidden Sector, Hidden Talent: Mapping Canada’s Career Development Sector (Challenge Factory) [Report]
This report reveals the full scope of the people and systems providing career services and supports to people in Canada. Career professionals can leverage this evidence to advocate for public awareness and recognition of career development. Features of the report include a national portrait of the sector and 13 profiles of the career development ecosystems in each of Canada’s provinces and territories.
How to build a winning advocacy strategy (Municipal World) [Article]
Relationship building and compromise are emphasized in this resource, especially for local issues that need ongoing partnerships with government. Focusing on advocacy at the municipal level, it provides successful advocacy examples like a campaign for Manitoba’s railway. Clarifying messaging and having unified goals when approaching municipal leaders are also discussed.
Resources (Imagine Canada) [Resources]
Imagine Canada offers resources on public policy news to help non-profits get involved in policy and legislation, raise awareness about issues and connect with members of parliament. This includes a Nonprofit Advocacy Survival Guide and a blog post about Sparking Change: 3 Ways to Engage in Advocacy.
Policy Advocacy Tools (Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations) [Tools]
Developed for non-profit organizations in Calgary, these resources can be useful for career organizations across the country. There are guides for engaging with municipal, provincial and federal governments; strategies for effective media engagement; and developing a policy agenda.
Resources (Canadian Advocacy Network) [Tools]
Geared toward Canadian non-profit organizations and charities, these resources offer insight on preparing a government relations strategy, refining advocacy tactics and developing strategic communications plans. The Government of Canada’s Get Ready for Advocacy webpage and the Ontario Non-Profit Network’s Advocacy Toolkit are among those listed.
Additional information
- A national careers strategy would help win in the future of work. Here’s how (Toronto Star) [Op-ed]
- Posts – By region (International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy) [Articles]
- Written Submission for the Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the Upcoming Federal Budget 2025 (Canadian Coalition of Community-Based Employability Training (CCCBET) [Pre-budget submission]
