The Career Educator Certificate (CEC) provides an important stepping stone for any teacher or coordinator of career education from across Canada to develop crucial knowledge and skills that support effective career connected learning for all students within the K-12 system.
The CEC is especially valuable for educators who have completed a bachelor’s degree and have limited experience in teaching career education courses, teachers who would like to extend and deepen their knowledge and skills, or coordinators and administrators who would like to support their teachers to provide theoretically underpinned, relevant, innovative, and effective career education that is aligned to provincial curriculum and worthwhile career education practice.
Why choose CEC?
The Career Educator Certificate offers a valuable opportunity to:
- Design and deliver effective career education that values and respects all students’ individual pathways
- Achieve high professional standards, as the program is aligned to the Pan Canadian Competency Framework for Career Development Professionals
- Hone your practical skills and gain fresh perspectives on curriculum that is relevant to career connected learning
- Enjoy the flexibility of an asynchronous program that can fit around other commitments
Program overview
The Career Educator Certificate provides structured support to help new and experienced teachers develop knowledge and skills required to teach and manage transformative career education courses and programs in their schools and school districts.
Participants will engage with course material through an interactive, facilitated asynchronous learning format, undertaking a series of discussions and reflective assignment tasks, where learning can be directly applied to individual teaching contexts. All courses are taught by a National Certified Career Development Professional with extensive experience in the career development sector who is also a qualified teacher.
Program structure
The CEC includes 5 15-hour courses covering five topic areas. Each course takes place over a three week period.
You must begin with the “Talking About Careers” course. After that, you may complete the remaining four courses in any order.
Once you have taken CDGI 600 you can also take any individual course in the certificate without needing to complete the whole certificate. CDGI 600 is still a pre-requisite for the courses.
Upon successful completion of the program, participants will be equipped to deliver and evaluate career education courses in a range of educational settings.
Talking about careers will focus on understanding a variety of career-related terminology, the importance of conversations with students, parents, and other interested partners, and successfully moving career conversations into interactive career-related learning.
| Dates | November 23 – December 13, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Asynchronous online |
| Tuition | $525.00 |
| CRN | 31031 |
| To register | Call 604 527 5472 or contact CE Registration |
Skills training will allow educators to increase their understanding of the importance of skills development, the Government of Canada’s Skills for Success Framework, and how skills are required for both scholarly learning and applied learning.
| Dates | February 8 -28, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Asynchronous online |
| Tuition | $525.00 |
| CRN | TBA |
| Prerequisite | CDGI 600 - Talking about careers |
| To register | Call 604 527 5472 or contact CE Registration |
Trauma-informed practice will support educators in learning some of the main principles of practice, including the importance of relationships, the role of cultural understanding and responsiveness, and the importance of creating perceived safe environments for students to experience how growth might be achieved through risk and vulnerability.
| Dates | March 8 – 28, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Asynchronous online |
| Tuition | $525.00 |
| CRN | TBA |
| Prerequisite | CDGI 600 - Talking about careers |
| To register | Call 604 527 5472 or contact CE Registration |
Valuing all pathways is designed for educators to increase their understanding of the many diverse ways that students may visualize their career, that all pathways’ students might take are important, and that students will navigate these in unique and individual ways.
| Dates | April 12 – May 2, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Asynchronous online |
| Tuition | $525.00 |
| CRN | TBA |
| Prerequisite | CDGI 600 - Talking about careers |
| To register | Call 604 527 5472 or contact CE Registration |
Career Related Programming in Schools will help educators to facilitate career-related learning through curriculum enhancement and co-curricular programming and activities that complement the mainstream courses students are taking.
| Dates | May 24 – June 13, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Asynchronous online |
| Tuition | $525.00 |
| CRN | TBA |
| Prerequisite | CDGI 600 - Talking about careers |
| To register | Call 604 527 5472 or contact CE Registration |
Application process
To apply for the program, please submit the following:
- A program application form;
- A current resume highlighting your education and experience as an educator;
- Proof of completion of a Bachelor of Education or equivalent education program;
- A letter of intent that describes your personal goals and, and how completion of this program aligns with your goals (maximum of one page);
- One letter of reference (this can be a personal reference or work reference); and
- Proof of completion of English 12 with a minimum grade of “C” or equivalent LPI test results (score of 4 on all sections).
Email your application package to facsce@douglascollege.ca.
Meet the instructor
Dr. Lorraine Godden, Ph.D., leads the FUSION skills development program at Carleton University, and teaches career development for teachers courses part-time at Douglas College. Dr. Godden has a PhD in educational policy, a Master of Education, a bachelor’s degree in business, is a qualified teacher, and has taught career development and educational leadership courses for many years. Her research is rooted in understanding how educators interpret policy and curriculum to make sense of career development and employability, work-integrated learning, adult education, school-to-work transition, and other skills development, educational, and public policies. Dr Godden is a current member of the National Certification Advisory Committee, supporting the quality and integrity of the Canadian National Career Development Practitioner certification process.