Career Development Practice Certificate Program

Future Skills grant: $3,500

The Career Development Practitioner Certificate Program has been approved for funding by the StrongerBC future skills grant for 20 spots in Fall 2024 and 20 spots in Winter 2025. This funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Apply for the StrongerBC future skills grant online using your BC Services Card Account.

To learn more about the application process and eligibility requirements, please visit our funding options page.

Do you want to work in the career, employment or vocational rehabilitation fields, but don’t want to leave your current job to study? Are you currently working in this area and want to upgrade your skills and knowledge? Then this is the program for you!

Program Overview

The Career Development Practice (CDP) certificate program will help you develop the competencies, knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to work effectively with a diverse client population. You will learn techniques to work with individuals and groups, and how to use assessment tools. Labour market trends, career transitions, resource materials and the Canadian Standards and Guidelines are all included in the program content. 

This part-time program is available entirely online in an asynchronous learning format. Courses run for two to four weeks and involve interactive discussions, live content and videos. These courses are actively facilitated by instructors, so students are expected to log in/ participate regularly. 

Program admission is available throughout the year, and you may start the program at any time and start with any course. You will be given a maximum of three years to complete all the courses in the program. Visit the Schedules & Booklist page for up-to-date schedules, registration information, booklist and FAQ. 

The Career Development Practice Certificate was developed by Douglas College in partnership with BC Career Development Association (formerly ENET). An active advisory committee provides guidance to ensure quality and current course material.

Please review the FAQ below for more details.

Skills for Success Training Information: 

If you are looking for information on the Training Group's Skills for Success/Essential Skills Certificate or the Indigenous Skills for Success Journey please find it here:  Skills for Success/Essential Skills Practitioner CE Certificate Program or Indigenous Skills Front Line Worker Pilot Online Course   

Further your studies

Courses may be transferred to other post-secondary institutions in British Columbia:

  • University of the Fraser Valley offers 12 credits for completion of the CDP Program towards a degree in Adult Education.
  • Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada (VRA) has approved all courses for continuing education towards the Registered Rehabilitation Professional (RRP), Registered Vocational Professional (RVP) and Registered Community Support Specialist (RCSS) Designations.

The Ethics (CDPP 267) and Theories (CDPP 750) courses in the CDP program meet the minimum education requirements for certification as a Certified Career Development Professional (CCDP) by the BC Career Development Association.

Frequently Asked Questions

While there are due dates for assignments and weekly activities, students are not required to be online at specific times every day or week. 

All 30-hour courses will have a one-hour live session during the second week. This session is recorded for those who cannot attend. Exact dates and times are provided by the instructors.

*Note live sessions are mandatory for CDPP 753 Facilitated Learning. 

Please see the CDP Program schedule for course start and end dates.

Refer to the schedule for exact dates, times (if applicable) and CRNs, then contact the Continuing Education Registration Office.

Registration is first come, first serve, so plan to register one to two months in advance. 

Not at all! Students are welcome to register for courses without a submitting a program application. This allows students to try online learning and determine if this is the right program/ field for them. 

Students who decide to complete the full 10-course CDP Certificate Program should plan to submit a (free) program application before they are 50% complete (i.e. before their 5th course). 

Tuition for all 10 required courses: $4781

  • 10 hour course $251
  • 15 hour course $306
  • 30 hour course $528
  • Rates current as of May 25, 2023. More info here.

Please note there is no tax applied to tuition.

 

Textbooks are required for most courses. Currently, textbooks cost approx $380.00. Always check the Bookstore for most up to date pricing. 

If you have taken equivalent courses (same content and number of hours, documented with an official transcript) you may apply for exemption for a maximum of two of the required program courses. See Course Exemptions for more info. 

Are you close to completing or have you completed all 10 required courses? Graduation from your program and the issue of your certificate is not automatic! You must apply to graduate by the deadline - for Winter (February) graduation, the deadline is usually in late November; for Summer (June) graduation, the deadline is usually in late March. Be sure to check the graduation deadlines and apply online - no late applications are accepted.

Not sure if you are eligible to graduate? Questions about applying while courses are in progress? Contact the CDP Program Assistant for assistance and include your student ID number.