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Preparing for the 'National Networking Day for Job Developers'
(Part 4 of 4)
Editorial by Christian Saint Cyr
National Director / Canadian Job Development Network
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This week draws to a close our four-part series on strategies for job developers to better network as a community. While we've had a significant focus in the Canadian Job Development Network on professional development and sharing information, we feel it's time to create greater opportunities for job developers to connect in-person and build local job developemnt communities.
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According to LinkedIn, although 79% of professionals agree that networking is valuable for career progression, only 48% consistently keep in touch with their network. We want to help local job developers refine this process.
When job developers unite in communities they're able to focus on best practices; a mutual understanding of what other job developers do; and perhaps most importantly, speak with one-voice to local employers, helping significantly increase the clarity and understanding employers have about the value and importance of inclusive hiring and local supports.
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If we can improve local employers' understanding of supports and benefits, they will more frequently engagement in job development services creating more job opportunities for clients and students across the board. A rising tide floats all boats.
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If we look at organizations such as CERIC and the provincial career development groups, there are many networking and professional development opportunities for 'career professionals' as a whole but not necessarily for job developers specifically.
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Also, while these events are often held in large urban centres, the travel and registration costs are often so large they exclude many professionals.
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Our goal is to create a day of networking and professional development in dozens of cities and towns throughout Canada where job developers can meet with local community colleagues but still draw national attention to the important role job developers and other employer engagement professionals play.
We want to get the participation not just of government-funded employment programs, but also Indigenous-funded groups, secondary schools, colleges, universities, settlement organizations, disability groups and private recruitment, search and temp services. If there are professionals in the community reaching out to employers, we want them at this table.
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To address this, we've set aside Friday September 19th, 2025 as the National Networking Day for Job Developers. We're looking to partner with career development agencies coast-to-coast-to-coast to host at least 50 separate sessions. Each session will include local networking, best practices discussions and employer engagement pieces but we will also bring in national speakers and have opportunities for the groups to be linked across the country.
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While online discussions such as this are valuable, we see the primary benefit of these sessions to be face-to-face interaction and action plan development.
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There are so many benefits of this sort of face-to-face discussion. Forbes Magazine conducted a survey revealing the principal benefits of this sort of face-to-face networking. These benefits include:
- Building stronger, more meaningful business relationships (85%)
- Better ability to read body language and facial expressions (77%)
- Ability to bond with co-workers/clients and more social interaction (75%)
- Allows for more complex strategic thinking (49%)
- Better environment for tough, timely decision-making (44%)
- Less opportunity for unnecessary distractions (40%)
- Leads to higher-quality decision making (39%)
- Easier to focus (38%)
- Fewer disruptions and delays (23%)
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For everyone who attends, we plan to undertake a national, provincial and community job development survey intended to reveal the most significant challenges and opportunities faced by job developers across the country. This coupled with data gathered in all of the sessions will result in a national job development report that all attendees will receive.
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We hope to have sessions planned for all of the major centres across Canada and so the sessions for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver will likely have as many as 100 job developers attending.
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There is no direct charge for organizations wishing to partner in offering a session. This said, partners will provide refreshments and a meeting space large enough to host the session. While a large city might attract as many as 100 job development staff, a medium-size city might attract 30-50 and a town may attract 10-20.
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Staff with these organizations will moderate the session following a predetermined program, facilitating local portions and connecting with a live feed for the national portions.
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Partners organizations are entitled to two (2) complimentary registrations as well as a 25% discount on additional registrations. They will also gain significant exposure in the community and with funders in taking the lead in this new intitiative.
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A package of training materials, networking swag and icebreaker exercises will be shipped to each partner organization for use on National Networking Day.
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All sessions will go from 8:30am to 4:30pm, local time and we will be hosting a series of planning meetings with all partners ahead of National Networking Day to prepare and address any questions partner organizations may have.
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During the month of May we will be gathering partners and plan to launch registration in June.
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If your organization would like to host one of the sessions, please send me an email directly at: csaintcyr@labourmarketsolutions.ca with the name of the city you wish to represent in the subject line.
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Please include a contact name and information in the body of the email. If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to reach out.
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We’ll be discussing National Networking Day at our #MotivatingMondays meeting of the Canadian Job Development Network, Monday Apr. 28th at 8:30am Pacific; 9:30am Mountain; 10:30am Central; 11:30am Eastern; 12:30pm Atlantic and at 1pm in Newfoundland.
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On the morning of Monday Apr. 28th 'Click this Link' to join the session LIVE.
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