Capacity and Credentialing: The Evidence Base for Career Development Training and Certification in Nova Scotia

It has been well identified in the literature that having a professional designation attached to one’s name has many benefits to a practitioner’s self-perception as a professional, as well as identifying the individual as having a certain standard of knowledge and practice. What is less clear is whether there is a direct co-relation between improved practice and the process undertaken to achieve the designation. This paper reports on the findings of the research project, Capacity and Credentialing: The Evidence Base for Career Development Training and Certification in Nova Scotia and examines what impacts, if any, participating in a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)-based credentialling process and achieving the designation has on an individual’s career development practice over time. The findings reveal that overall, participants felt that the certification process had a positive impact on CCDPs’ self-perception, day-to-day practice, and the career development profession more broadly. While participants identified some challenges or clarity needed around aspects of the process, there was consensus around the value of certification, with several participants advocating for similar credentials to be developed for the other career services positions, such as job developers, employer engagement specialists, and employment support practitioners.