Yesterday, Premier John Horgan and Prime Minister Trudeau made a much-anticipated joint announcement. Recent financial commitments in both the federal and provincial budgets have cumulated in a plan for an eventual $10 a day daycare program. 

Access to affordable and safe daycare continues to be a barrier to employment and has been one of ASPECT BC's advocacy issues for the past 5 years. As someone who knows first-hand the desperation of trying to find daycare and making career decisions because of a lack of daycare, I'm absolutely delighted with the announcement. 

We will likely see an economic boom as more people enter the workforce leading to increased gender and racial diversity and inclusion. Much has been written on this topic but a fairly recent report from the World Bank called Better Jobs and Brighter Futures: Investing in Childcare to Build Human Capital provides an interesting perspective. The report posits that "access to quality childcare has the potential to unlock pathways out of poverty, build human capital and increase equity" (p.8) and "the expansion of quality childcare presents an incredible opportunity to deliver better jobs and brighter futures by improving women’s employment and productivity, child outcomes, family welfare, business productivity, and overall economic development" (p.47).

Kudos to the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC and their $10 a Day BC campaign for all your hard work on this issue. ASPECT is proud to stand by you in your work drawing attention to this issue. I can't wait to see how the world of work will transform! 

Janet Morris-Reade, CEO
ASPECT BC

Robots are Taking Our Survey! 

Last week we invited you to take our online survey for a research project funded by the Government of Canada's Future Skills Centre. 

Since then, we've had an overwhelming response from cyber robots, and we would really like to hear from humans instead.

If you have already taken the survey, your data is safe, and your responses will be counted. 

If you have not taken the survey, please do so ASAP and encourage your staff and coworkers to take the survey, too.

The data we compile will be crucial in our advocacy work. We are hoping to reach our goal of 500 human responses to ensure that we have enough data for a meaningful investigation. 

To take the survey go to https://bit.ly/3jmWFLD.  

For more information about our research project and this survey, please go to https://bit.ly/3x96v8g. 

Those responding prior to the survey closing date July 13, 2021, will be entered to win one of four $25 gift cards selected from www.giftcards.ca. 

Thank you in advance for your help completing this survey.

Take the Survey Now!

More information can be found on our website. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. 

Janet Morris-Reade
CEO, ASPECT BC

It has been an exciting week. On Monday, an independent ethics review board approved our research plan, and the online survey for the Government of Canada-funded Future Skills Centre project went live. 

Competency of Career Development Practitioners for Virtual Services is a 10-15 minute survey that asks questions about how career development practitioners have done transitioning to online services. Then through our follow-up focus groups, we will probe further into how the clients have handled the transition and how those in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities are managing.

Thank you to the 80+ survey respondents so far for taking the time to complete the survey. Our goal is to have 500 survey responses from career development practitioners in all areas of practice.

Our research goal is to collect much-needed data to inform sector development and program funding. 

If you haven't already responded, please take a few moments to do that now. Again, thanks to those who have already responded and our Virtual Learning Consortium of ASPECT members who helped us create the survey. 

More information can be found on our website. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. 

Janet Morris-Reade
CEO, ASPECT BC

Transitioning back to the office is a hot topic for many ASPECT BC members. In fact, it was one of the main topics of discussion at this week's members' meeting. Some organizations have been working in the office with the staff at full capacity for months, some have had a hybrid approach with some at home and some in the office, and others have not worked in their offices since this pandemic began. There were two issues at the heart of the discussion: the safety of those working in an environment with distressed clients or community members entering the office, and navigating the office safety when not everyone can be vaccinated.

While keeping staff safe from the virus is at the front of my mind, I was interested to hear of member concerns about physical safety. One organization has placed security guards inside their resource room, several others have panic buttons hardwired or software at the ready, and another member shared the safety code term they use when a staff member needs help (red file). Increased and/or refresher de-escalating conflict training is happening, too. From the feedback, organizations with gradual return-to-work plans are a good way to help staff feel safe as many emerge from our pandemic bubbles.

Whether or not you and your coworkers are vaccinated and whether your employer can demand vaccinations, is a little more fluid. It appears to me that the legal landscape is evolving and that depending on the type of work being done, there are some areas for clarification. Below is a brief list of resources for you to peruse. 

Some resources
 

• WorkSafe BC's policy on COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/covid-19/vaccination-and-the-workplace 
• This week's public health order for employers, workers, and students: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/covid-19/covid-19-pho-order-workplace-safety.pdf
• BC Human Rights Commissioner's message from April: https://bchumanrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/BCOHRC_Nov2020_Mask-Policy-Guidance_FINAL.pdf
• Legal considerations on mandatory vaccinations in the workplace: https://www.ksw.bc.ca/covid-workplace-employee-vaccination/
• Business in Vancouver article about mandatory vaccines: https://biv.com/article/2021/03/mandatory-vaccinations-unlikely-bc-workplace

 
I expect the anxiety about returning to the office, opening the doors to the public,  and working in closer quarters will likely dissipate over the coming weeks as we all get used to the new reality.  As we navigate this together, it's important to check our inner pandemic judge (we all have one), wear a mask to prevent hurting someone else, and dig deep to find the patience needed for the summer ahead. We will keep you updated.

Janet Morris-Reade
CEO, ASPECT BC

Canada is not the utopia that we like to think it is. 

~ quote from a speaker at a vigil held in London, Ontario

With the murder of a Muslim family in London, this past week, the discovery of 215 Indigenous children's bodies in Kamloops, the ongoing inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, the rise in anti-Asian incidents, and the ongoing Black Lives Matters movement, the quote above is a stark wake-up call for some of us. Others of us have been living in a dystopian reality for generations. 

The City of Victoria cancelled their Canada Day celebrations in part due to COVID restrictions but also because Indigenous communities who normally participate in the celebrations did not want to this year. The City of Victoria made international news almost 3 years ago when they took down their John A. Macdonald statue at the entrance of the building. Last week, Ryerson activists defaced and toppled the Egerton Ryerson statue and are calling for a name change for the school.  Colonialism, and its impact on our society, are under the microscope.

At our virtual members' meeting last Wednesday, we shared resources to help us grieve and take action.

National Indigenous Day is coming June 21 and one member organization is taking the day to mourn and reflect together. Another member organization participated this week in a walking vigil within their community.  

Here are some of the resources shared to learn more about cultural sensitivity:

• https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/
• https://www.coursera.org/learn/indigenous-canada  
• https://www.coursera.org/learn/aboriginal-education
• https://www.bcia.com/events/indigenous-awareness-training-building-bridges-through-understanding-village
• https://www.songheesnation.ca/community/l-k-ng-n-traditional-territory
• https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/territorial-acknowledgements-an-interactive-introduction-tickets-155868092661
• https://www.songheesnation.ca/community/l-k-ng-n-traditional-territory
• https://www.facebook.com/kfs.bc.ca/

In the employment service sector, we are in contact with those living in more of a dystopian Canada and take action daily through making a significant difference in the lives of our clients and their families. How can we collectively do more?  Deepening our understanding and sharing our thoughts with others is a good first step.

Janet Morris-Reade
CEO, ASPECT BC

The BC Career Development Association held their annual awards ceremony yesterday and I'm delighted to pass on some good news about some of my colleagues.

Dr. Roberta Borgen (Neault) is an international leader in the career development field and was awarded the BCCDA Career Development Practitioner of the Year. I have worked closely with Roberta and her team at Life Strategies Ltd. to create the Values Based Leadership certificate program and continue to work with her on our Future Skills Centre research project. She has also recently published another important resource for career development practitioners called Career Development for Diverse Clients: Beyond the Basics. It is wonderful to see an honour bestowed on someone so deserving. 

ASPECT member North Island Employment Foundation Society (NIEFS) won the award for Career Development Agency of the Year. As you may know, the leader of NIEFS is also the leader of ASPECT BC  (Val Meany our President). Val has supported her staff to continually develop their career development skills evidenced by the many staff members who attend our conferences and workshops, participate in our weekly member meetings, and strive for the needs of their clients through community development initiatives. Congratulations to the NIEFS team!

Many of you will know Megan Hamlet of ETHOS Career Management Group by her webinars presented through ASPECT. When the pandemic hit, Megan and the ETHOS team quickly jumped in to provide free webinars to the sector through ASPECT helping organizations transition to online delivery. They also generously shared their online resources for free. Throughout the year as the needs of the sector progressed, Megan produced new webinar offerings for job developers and those working with employers. In the process, Megan became a bit of a sector rock star so I am delighted that the BCCDA recognized her as  Emerging Career Development Practitioner of the Year. 

Congratulations to you all. You inspire us!
 

Future Skills Centre Announcement

This week I attended a call with the Future Skills Centre (FSC) where they announced the Scaling Up Skills Development program. The FSC is further investing $25.9 million to expand on some of the projects piloted two years ago. Congratulations to the BC Immigrant Employment Council (IECBC) for the successes they have had in their FAST program who are now being given the funding to build on their success. The FAST program supports skilled immigrants in specific fields connect to the Canadian workforce pre-arrival.

IECBC CEO Patrick McKenzie presented at our Summit and even though the project was up and running for a short time, they were already seeing significant positive results. Kudos to Patrick and his team for their work. 

Report Re-Defining Essential Skills

Also this week, the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) released their new Skills for Success model providing a detailed description of the nine key skills. Their goal is to test the new model and garner feedback from the field. This is another opportunity for career practitioners to determine what fits and what doesn't within your practice. I encourage you to take a moment to review the report and submit your feedback to SRDC.
 

Janet Morris-Reade
ASPECT CEO

Our Virtual Skills for Career Development Practitioners research project, funded by the Future Skills Centre, is moving quickly through the Literature Review phase. We have created a long list of questions that we are hoping previously published research will answer. Here are a few of them:

• Did the move to virtual services exacerbate existing challenges serving clients?
• What are the new challenges since moving to virtual services? 
• Why is this research important? 
• Has the typical percentage of time given to topics changed with moving online?
• Has the move online changed delivering counselling skills, such as active listening or motivational interviewing?

During the last week of May, we will host two meetings of our Virtual Learning Consortium (VLC). The first meeting will be to review the project and the expectations of the VLC. We will also have facilitated discussions around the personal experiences of CDPs transitioning to online services. The second meeting will be a continuation of personal experience discussions and a review of the online survey questions. 

Thank you to our VLC members for volunteering to be a part of this project:

• Michelle Luhr, YMCA of Greater Vancouver
• Shameemah Kalaichelvan, Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) 
• Jo-Ann Baker, Community Futures North Okanagan 
• Bruce Buxton, Buxton Consulting
• Janet Evans, Triangle Community Resources
• Kyla Kershaw, Workforce Development Consulting of Northern BC
• Annette Borrows, Community Futures South Fraser & Canadian Association of Supported Employment
• TBD, Kootenay Career Development Society

Want to be involved in this project? You can respond to our online survey in June and if you have a specialized area of practice serving an underrepresented group, then you can volunteer to be a part of our facilitated focus groups in July.  Please contact me if you have any questions about the project. I'm always excited to talk about it!

Janet Morris-Reade
ASPECT CEO

Our Future Skills Centre-funding research project, Virtual Skills for Career Development Practitioners, is at full force this week with the start of our new research assistants. Welcome to Erica Thomson and Bennett King-Nyberg!

The research team, overseen by Dr. Roberta Borgen, has already started compiling articles for the literature review, and the researchers are learning everything they can about the sector.

This week I had an opportunity to address the BC Career Development Association board of directors and share the work we are doing. I was delighted to hear their offers of help to get the word out about the research project by helping us find more respondents from other areas of practice to respond to our online survey. My very ambitious goal is to receive 500 completed survey responses which would provide us with a substantial data set to support our findings. This project is a community-based project where those Career Development Professionals delivering services directly to the clients are the experts and have the opportunity for their voices to inform policy. Along with our project partners, Ethos Career Management Group, and our Virtual Learning Consortium, made up of practitioners from nine ASPECT member organizations, we will collect evidence to inform sector interventions and government funding decisions.

To those 9 CDPs from our learning consortium, you can expect to receive an invitation to our first meeting very soon. To all of you who will be participating through the online survey and/or the focus groups, we will keep you posted on our progress every week in Aspectives news. It's an exciting time, and we are moving a million miles an hour, but I am so excited to be doing this research on behalf of the sector. 

Janet Morris-Reade
ASPECT CEO

For those of you who attended our Annual General Meeting on April 7, you'll know that we re-welcomed five board members to make up our board complement of seven. These volunteers are hardworking, thoughtful, and always put the sector's needs at the forefront of every decision they make for ASPECT members. They work on committees, attend weekly member meetings and monthly board meetings, support our conference sessions, and keep me abreast of developing issues that our members may face. I am proud of the contribution that every one of them provides ASPECT and appreciative of their support of me in this position. Although we are at the end of national volunteer week, I still wanted you all to be aware of the work they do on your behalf.

Board of Directors