Sarah Delicate - please vivit our website 
For many in the field of Career Development, practice has become unhinged from purpose. The performance story has been hijacked by well-meaning funders aiming to use outcome data to demonstrate the effectiveness of programs. With funding on the line, service providers become laser-focused on achieving mandated targets at all cost and too often, services for job seekers and employers suffer, as does staff morale.

What does it mean to have a career development 'practice'?  

It means embracing the complexity of what we do and WHY we do it. It means rejecting the transactional, mindless 'one-size-fits-all-GPS-sausage-grinder-throw-the-spaghetti-on-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks model of spending-the-money and hitting-the-targets'.

What does it mean to have a Purposeful Practice?  
It means operating with integrity from within a well-defined purpose, mission or vision, backed with clear goals (not to be confused with the funder's targets, which are rarely 'purpose-powered'). Purposeful Practice is hard, and it requires getting out of your comfort zone. It always involves feedback. It means using the data you collect to identify opportunities for improvement and professional development. Just as "a stopwatch does not make you a better runner", government-mandated outcomes do not make you a better practitioner. To be 'feedback-informed' means you use the data to guide your practice - what is working, what is not, and what needs to change? I am hosting a free webinar to explore this very concept, and I hope you can join us.
Purposeful Practice means truly embracing the National Standards and Guidelines for Career Development. The S&Gs define our practice, yet most have never even heard of them. Read them and rate your competencies from 1-10. In fact, challenge your whole staff team to rate themselves, or even rate your organization. What would it take to move up even one point? On a related note, Angela Hoyt is hosting a free webinar, Optimize Employment for Everyone , that will have you really consider your organizational model of practice.
T here are several services that we offer to help you and your organization build your Career Development Practice. Everything is tailored to our sector and all of our various roles: Employment Counsellors/Coaches, Job Developers, R&I staff and Management:

Training :
  1. Our fall webinar line up focuses on developing your skills for your practice
  2. Our face-to-face training comes to your location; our current offerings and the costs can be found here
  3. Keynotes and Workshops for your conferences
  4. We can also customize any training to meet the needs of your organization.  Contact us for a free needs assessment today.
Performance Coaching: Understanding your Feedback . 
You have never had as much data on your performance as you do right now. In the Employment Ontario programs, your CaMS reports provide a WEALTH of information regarding your performance AND your practice. As an expert in those reports I offer the following services:
  1. Deep-Dive Data Audit: This service includes a full data audit of all relevant reports. This includes expert recommendations, in a series of reports, pertaining to data integrity, data compliance, performance risk and strengths. This is NOT a workshop but a consulting service. Includes a one-hour audit virtual debrief. $3100 + HST (per program, per funded site).
     
  2. Data Training: In-house training and review of your program's key reports. For managers and/or the whole staff team.  $1550/day+ HST and travel.                                                                  
  3. Building your internal, staff-focused Performance Management Systems This intensive workshop will give you and your teams the information you need to 'operationalize' your Schedule E targets and ensure everyone understands the performance that is expected from each position and role. Your agency's performance is the sum of your parts, and we strongly believe in individual and comprehensive performance targets for staff. $1550/day+ HST and travel.            
  4. One-on-one Management Coaching and Training on reading and using reports = $1550+ HST for 6 x 1.5 hr virtual sessions (additional time $210/hr + HST)
Regardless of the EO program, we can work with you to ensure that you both hit the targets AND build a 'Purposeful Practice'. We have worked with almost every EO organization in the province, and we would be pleased to work with you.
  
Contact me to explore how we can help.

 

Sincerely,


Sarah Delicate
www.sarahdelicate.ca
T 905.922.9726
F 877.455.2263
Sarah.Delicate@bbmd.ca

   Like us on Facebook    Follow us on Twitter   

BBMD Consulting
bbmd