The Certified Career Development Practitioner (CCDP) designation is a WARRANT OF COMPETENCE or WARRANT OF EXPERTISE.  

Successful completion of BCCDA’s certification process confers the right to use the title Certified Career Development Professional and the right to use the initials CCDP after one’s name.  Please review the information about the upcoming national certification before applying. 

 Those who do not meet the work experience criteria required for Certification may also apply and will be given the provisional status of CCDP Candidate. If you need more than one year of work experience in your eligible category, it is best to wait for the launch of the National Certification to apply.  

Application for the CCDP designation is voluntary. Applicants must fulfill all criteria for certification through a combination of education, work experience, and evidence of competency. 

Applications are received and reviewed on an ongoing basis. 

Applicants must satisfy the following requirements before submitting their CCDP application: 

• Mandatory Courses - Ethics and Theories

Upon submitting the application, applicants must provide the following information:

• Education and Work Experience

• Career Practitioner Competencies and Areas of Specialization 

• Professional References

Once the application is processed and the applicant satisfy the certification (or candidacy) criteria, they must become an active  professional member of BCCDA in order to be eligible to activate their designation.

• BCCDA Professional Membership 

All applicants are required to attach proof of completion for 2 courses: (1) Ethics and Professional Conduct and (2) Career Development Theories. 

You must complete both courses before applying for the CCDP designation. These courses may have been part of the education program, or taken separately.

 Course Requirements for Ethics and Professional Conduct 

• Course content is directly related to ethics within career development, counseling, or education (documented in the course’s outline)

• Includes a minimum of 10 hours for substantive learning that has been delivered through face-to-face or online instruction (with the majority of the time engaged in facilitated/interactive learning – not simply self-directed reading/assignments) 

• Involves an evaluative assignment, marked and graded by the course instructor

• Has a personalized course completion record from the institution or instructor (such as a certificate, diploma, transcript, or letter with the instructor's signature) 

Course Requirements for Career Development Theories 

• Consists of course content including foundational and emerging career theories (documented in the course outline) 

• Includes a minimum of 20 hours of substantive learning that has been delivered through face-to-face or online instruction (with the majority of the time engaged in facilitated/interactive learning) 

• Involves an evaluative assignment, marked and graded by the course instructor 

• Has a personalized course completion record from the institution or instructor (such as a certificate, diploma, transcript, or letter with the instructor's signature) 

Note: 

BCCDA offers regular Ethics and Theories courses for groups and individual students. SIGN UP FOR THE COURSES

List of other BCCDA approved course providers: 

ETHICS

• Canadian Career Development Foundation- Ethics in Career Development Practice- VOCO COURSE

• Life Strategies Ltd. - Ethics for Career Practitioners 

• SFU Simon Fraser University - Career Development Theories and Code of Ethics - CPRA 105

• Career Professionals of Canada- CDP-101 Course (Ethics & Theory)

•  Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Career Practitioner Certificate - Equivalent to SFU CPRA 105 & CPRP 105 

• Okanagan College - Foundational Theories and Ethics in Career Facilitation - MGR263

• Douglas College - Ethics for Career Development Practitioners - CDPP 267

• Douglas College - Ethical Standards for Career Development Practitioners - CDGI 561

• Douglas College - CDP Theories and Ethical Standards - CDGI 560

• Concordia University College of Alberta - Ethical Practice in Counselling - S540 

• University of Calgary -  Ethics for Professional Practice - ADL 213 

• Conestoga College Professional Ethics - Interviewing and Counselling - CARD 1010

• UCalgary Continuing Education - Certificate in Career Development and Academic Advising   - ADL 221

THEORIES

• Canadian Career Development Foundation-  Career Development Theories- VOCO COURSE

• Life Strategies Ltd. - Career Development Foundations, Emerging Theories and Models

• SFU Simon Fraser University - Career Development Theories and Code of Ethics - CPRA 105

• Career Professionals of Canada- CDP-101 Course (Ethics & Theory) 

• Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Career Practitioner Certificate - Equivalent to SFU CPRA  105 & CPRP 105 

• Okanagan College - Foundations in Career Development -

• Okanagan College - Foundational Theories and Ethics in Career - MGR263

• Douglas College - Models, Strategies and Theories - CDPP 750

• Douglas College - Career Development Theories - CDPP 268

• Douglas College - CDP Theories & Ethical Standards - CDGI 560

• Concordia University College of Alberta - Theories of Career Development - C510

• University of Calgary - Career Development Foundations - ADL 210 

• Conestoga College - Career Counselling and Development - CARD 1060

• UCalgary Continuing Education - Certificate in Career Development and Academic Advising 

NOTE: For Ethics and Career Development Theories Courses that are not on the pre-approved list, the applicant will need to provide a course outline or description and official transcripts as evidence that the course meets the criteria as described above.

 The Ethics component may be from the counseling or education fields. When this is the case, the applicant must provide evidence of that the course covered topics relevant and applicable to Career and Employment services. 

Code of Ethics for Career Development Professionals (CDPs) -CDPs are engaged in a wide spectrum of activities in many fields. This Code of Ethics is intended as a platform for the Canadian Competencies for Career Development Professionals. It is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of the field as an essential component of the national core competencies (2021). Download the COE here. 

Applicants must provide evidence for how he or she has demonstrated all 4 of the core competencies and 3 of the 6 areas of specialization outlined in the Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Practitioners through experience or training. 

Evidence should document/describe how the applicant has addressed these competencies through past work experience or training/workshops/education. 

For competencies obtained through training, the relevant documentation must be submitted.

NOTE: 

• For competencies obtained through training, indicate the relevant course title and year completed and list or attach documentation if not previously included. A brief explanation of how you put this training into practice is also required. 

• For competencies obtained through work experience or other, briefly provide evidence for how you have demonstrated this competency. 

• When giving examples of work experience, you may find it helpful to use techniques such as Situation, Action, Result (SAR)

• You may use one statement or example to demonstrate more than one competency at a time.

The applicant must submit TWO professional references in support of their application. 

At least one reference must be from a supervisor or employer. 

The second may be from a supervisor, employer or colleague who have knowledge of the Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Practitioners and can speak to and verify your capacity in the career development field. 

If self-employed, colleagues or client references may be acceptable. Please use the official CCDP Reference Form. You can download this form through BCCDA website.

Criteria for Acceptance as a Professional Reference: 

• The applicant must have known the reference for at least one year for CCDP candidates and at least six months for CCDP Candidacy candidates

• The applicant must have known the reference in a professional capacity 

• The reference must have recent knowledge of the applicant’s work experience (within the past 5 years) 

• The reference must not be a family member

• Ideally, the reference will be familiar with the Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners (for more information see www.career-dev-guidelines.org ) 

NOTE:

Reference Forms are now  within our new application system.  

Ensure that your reference knows which 3 areas of specialization you are claiming so that their comments match your application

Successful applicants must apply and maintain professional membership with BCCDA to be eligible to use their CCDP or CCDP Candidate designation officially.

Membership is required for the Association to have continued jurisdiction over the member. 

BECOME A MEMBER

The CCDP designation is a mark of professional excellence. It symbolizes the practitioner's commitment to ongoing professional development and the continuous advancement of the career development field.

To maintain their designation and title, both CCDP and CCDP Candidates must:

• Maintain continuous Professional Membership with BCCDA

• Complete and document professional activities worth 25 credits per year

• Ensure that each professional development activity claimed addresses at least one Core Competency and one area of Specialization from the Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners

• Supporting Documents: Please retain verification documents for all continuing education activities claimed for one year after submission as they may be required for randomized audits

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES;

Sign up to your Membership Portal, click on professional activities section from your menu, either choose the activity from the existing list, or submit a new activity. For each activity, indicate at least one core competency and one area of specialization that it addresses. 

OR 

Submit them via the maintenance application form.  

C1 - Professional Behavior

C2 - Interpersonal Competence

C3 - Career Development Knowledge

C4 - Needs Assessment and Referral 

S1 - Assessment

S2 - Facilitated/Individual Group Learning

S3 - Career Counselling (counselling understood as advising, not clinical counselling)  

S4 - Information/Resource Management

S5 - Work Development

S6 - Community Capacity Building

Those who do not meet all the criteria required for Certification will be given the provisional status of CCDP Candidate. They will receive a statement report listing the criteria they need to fulfill to qualify for the full certification. 

Once CCDP Candidate submits missing certification requirements, the candidate’s file will be updated and transferred to the Reviewer for the final decision. If the candidate satisfies all the criteria, they will receive their CCDP Certification at no extra fees.

CCDP candidates will have five years to submit the missing criteria, with a possibility of extension in special cases. 

The CCDP Candidacy Program is designed to establish communication, assistance, and continuity between CCDP Certification and applicants in the career development field who are seeking CCDP accreditation. “Candidate” status indicates that a CCDP candidate has voluntarily committed to ongoing professional development and continuous advancement in the career development field to achieve CCDP, the proof of professional excellence.

 The Candidate applicants will benefit from:

• Ongoing professional training and support

• Access to BCCDA resources and job board

• Connect and communicate with industry professionals using the BCCDA platform