An Honour to Serve

Having the opportunity to serve as President of the CACEE National Board of Directors is truly an honour. There are many inspiring professionals who have taken on this role in our 75+ year history, and I am both humbled and proud to be among them. 

Since 2005, CACEE has continuously played an integral role in my career as part of the amazing team at the Laurier Career Centre.  It has empowered me to learn, develop new skills, innovate, and push myself as a professional and leader in the field.

CACEE has also enabled me to build a vast professional network that spans the country and to form collaborative partnerships that greatly benefit the work we do with students - our common interest holder as an association.

I am perhaps most excited by the opportunity to keep pushing my own professional knowledge and continue to give back to a community that has given me so much. And I invite you to join me in doing the same!

I really believe that what you gain from being a part of CACEE is directly proportional to what you can give. I am very much looking forward to working alongside the dedicated volunteers, committees and regional advisory boards that make CACEE the wonderful professional community that it is.

Perhaps now, more than ever, the collaboration between career centres and employers is critical!  Together as a CACEE community, we can contribute to fostering a robust and inclusive talent pipeline that ensures:

• the talent needs of the employers and our labour market are being met.
• students, new grads and early career talent are equipped with the in-demand skills and competencies needed to make a smooth transition from their post-secondary studies to a rewarding career path.
• a sustainable, equitable and prosperous economic future for Canada!

Priorities for CACEE

In 2023-24, CACEE will remain focused on its priorities of:

• leveraging our strengths as we continue to evolve our professional community.
• building our membership, particularly amongst Employer and Affiliate Members.
• providing high-quality programming and professional offerings throughout the year.

These priorities translate into some very exciting initiatives and areas of operational focus including:

• The launch of a Community of Practice (CoP) for Senior Career Services Leaders of Colleges, Institutes, and Polytechnics this Summer. This Community of Practice joins its successful counterpart for Senior Career Leaders of Universities with plans to launch additional CoPs tailored to the needs of employers, various specializations in Career Education, and diverse talent pools later in 2023.
• A revitalized member perks program through Perkopolis which will feature exclusive discounts on travel, arts and entertainment, festivals, sporting events, insurance products, and more. This will also be launched over the summer.
• A refresh of our competency framework, which was first introduced in 2018, led by the CACEE Competencies Committee. The competencies are embedded into the learning outcomes of CACEE’s core offerings. They also serve as a guidepost for members in developing their own knowledge and skills and demonstrate, to those outside of our professional sphere, the breadth of expertise CACEE members bring to supporting the post-secondary to career transition.
• Continuing to play an active role in advocacy, ensuring our voice is represented in the broader sector and cultivating strategic partnerships to bring content and resources to our members.
  
  This includes work with CERIC, the David C. Onley Initiative for Employment and Enterprise focused on improved accessibility and career outcomes for students with disabilities, Challenge Factory, and the Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) as they map the Career Development Sector in Canada and contributing to the work of INEUCS (the body for associations like CACEE from all over the world) to name just a few.

• And finally, in the face of tighter programming budgets and economic uncertainty as Canada braces for the potential impacts of an economic recession, CACEE members can also count on expanded access to programming, evidence-informed and best practice sharing and networking included as a part of their annual membership.
  
  This of course is in addition to the significant cost savings CACEE members already receive for things like our certificate programs, regional symposium and networking events, research reports, and the CACEE National Conference (Dec 4 - 6). All of which will once again be a part of the fantastic programming calendar we have in store for 2023-24.

It is a very exciting time for CACEE!  I, the CACEE National Board of Directors and our Executive Director are here if you have questions, feedback, or ideas to make CACEE even better!  Please feel free to reach out to us at any time.

Here’s to 2023-24 and all that lies ahead for us, the CACEE community!

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