Ignite Your Passion Conference 2009-Professional Panel

Agenda for the Day:

7:45-8:15 am Breakfast and Registration

8:15-8:30 am Welcome from the Calgary Chapter

8:30 am -8:45 am  Introduction of the Professional Panel

Dr. Norm Amundson

Dr. Amundson is a Full Professor in Counselling Psychology for the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. He has given numerous workshops and seminars and has also been a keynote speaker at many national and international conferences. In his writings, Dr. Amundson emphasizes the importance of creativity, imagination, cultural awareness, and action as career development strategies. His publications include: over 70 journal articles; training DVDs; books such as  Active Engagement (3rd edition), The Essential Elements of Career Counseling (2nd edition), Metaphor Making (just released) and The Physics of Living; and several career workbooks - Career Pathways, Guiding Circles, and CareerScope. Dr. Amundson has won many awards from professional associations for his work including an honorary doctorate from the University of Umea in Sweden.

Dr. Roberta Neault

Dr. Neault started out running a "Student Manpower" centre in the days before politically correct language had even been invented! From frontline work with displaced and injured workers, graduate students, global careerists, immigrants, and Aboriginal clients, to consulting to the Forum of Labour Market Ministers, Roberta's strengths lie  in her professionalism, infectious enthusiasm for empowering individuals and organizations, and "hands-on" experience. As founding president of LifeStrategies Ltd. and co-developer of the internationally-recognized fully-online Career Management Professional program, Roberta's pragmatic "can do" attitude ensures that customized solutions are innovative and affordable. Author of  Career Stragies for a Lifetime of Success, That Elusive Work-Life Balance, Beyond the Basics: Real World Skills for Career Practitioners, and several training "toolkits" for Personality Dimensions TM. An exciting recent project has been co-authoring  the book Career Flow with Norm Amundson and Spencer Niles. Roberta currently serves as editor of the Journal of Employment Counseling. In 2009, her team was honored to receive a BC Career Management Association's Award of Excellence. Roberta is also a recipient of the Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Counselling  and Career Development in Canada (2002).

Dr. Nancy Arthur

Dr. Arthur is a Canada Research Chair in  Professional Education and a Professor in the Division of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Calgary. Nancy's research and teaching interests focus on career development,  multicultural counselling and international transitions. She authored the book, Counselling International Students and co-edited the book, Case Incidents in Counselling for International Transitions. The first edition of the co-edited book, Culture-Infused Counselling, received the 2005 Book Award from the Canadian Counselling Association. Nancy has been a consultant and trainer for multcultural career counselling both nationally and internationally.

8:45 am-9:30 am

Each member of our panel will answer

Question #1: What are some of the new career development theories you see emerging in the field?

9:30 am-9:45 am

Coffee Break

9:45 am-10:30 am

Each member of our panel will answer

 Question #2:  What are other countries doing in the field of career development and how does this relate to our work in Alberta?

10:30 am-11:15 am

Session A:

Dr. Nancy Arthur: Culture Really Matters

Culture is one of the most important influences on career development, including the ways that people think about their work and life roles, their approach to decison-making, and the opportunities available to them. Career practitioners also are influenced by the ways that they view culture and career development, and their own life experiences. In this session, we will look at ways in which our personal culture really matters for the ways that we practice career development.

11:15 am-12:00 noon

Each member of our panel will answer

Question #3: What do you see as the new opportunities and career areas for our clients?

12 noon- 1:00 pm

LUNCH

1:00 pm- 1:45 pm

Session B:

Dr. Norm Amundson: Metaphor Making: Your Career, Your Life, Your Way

Dr. Amundson will speak about his latest book, Metaphor Making, in this interactive session.   Beginning with the theoretical foundations of metaphors, the session will then explore how both clients and counsellors utilize metaphor in the process of career counselling.  Several metaphors will be explored as a stimulus for personal reflection, providing practical strategies for using metphors in career counselling.

1:45 pm- 2:30 pm

Each member of the panel will answer

Question #4: How do you see the relationship between the fields of career development and human resources developing over the next few years?

2:30 pm-2:45 pm

Coffee Break

2:45pm-3:30 pm

Session C:

Dr. Roberta Neault: The Changing Nature of Work-the 10 Cs of 21st Century Careers

Just as the field of career development has evolved from Parsons’ influential publication 101 years ago, so, too, individual careers continue to change. Theories serve as navigational tools to help us understand how careers develop; not surprisingly, most emerging theories acknowledge the need for flexibility and responsiveness in an increasingly unpredictable environment. As career practitioners, you need to understand new ways of working, including project-based portfolio careers and self-employment. You or your clients may even engage in global careers – in some cases without ever leaving home as virtual workplaces become more common.  Join an interactive discussion about the changing nature of careers as we examine intrinsic qualities, interpersonal competencies, and strategic components that contribute to success in the 21^st century.

3:30pm-3:45pm Closing:

Final Draws/Door prizes and Feedback