2026 Summer Career Development Skills Conference
Summer CDS 2026: Supporting Long-Term Unemployed Clients
Highlighting the Use of Digital Technology & Tools (Signature lens across all sessions)
- June 26 until Aug 14, 2026 -
Fridays in the 😎 Summer just got more exciting for Career Development Practitioners!
With long-term unemployment becoming a persistent reality for many adults, we’ve chosen to center our CDS 2026 conference on practical ways to support clients who are stuck, discouraged, or cycling through programs without progress. By integrating approachable digital tools and tech into everyday practice, our sessions will focus on rebuilding confidence, strengthening real-world skills, and creating gentle on-ramps to more modern job search strategies—for both tech-anxious clients and the Career Advisors who serve them.
In the Summer of 2026, we’re thrilled to present a series of six 1-hour webinars on Fridays designed to help you stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of career counselling and career development. Tailored to meet the needs of Career Development Practitioners balancing client work, family commitments, and continuous learning, these webinars will provide practical strategies, actionable tools, and insights to enhance effectiveness and confidence in the digital age. Summer is also the perfect time for professional development as employment offices tend to be less busy, allowing you to focus on your growth!
This isn’t just another webinar series — our virtual and interactive conference puts you at the centre of the career development learning experience.
- Flexibility: To support participants with unpredictable schedules, each session will be recorded and available for a limited 72-hour window afterwards (until Monday night PST). Making the sessions accessible for all time zones in Canada! (Note: For privacy and to encourage open discussions, the Q&A portion will not be recorded.)
- Customize Your Learning: Start each session with quick audience polls to guide the content, ensuring your questions and learning goals are addressed.
- Engage with Speaker: Live Q&A sessions after every webinar allows you to ask questions and gain tailored insights.
- Practical Takeaways: Walk away with actionable tools, strategies, and presentation slides designed to elevate your career advising effectiveness.
- Digital Approach to Career Counselling: webinars include career development support that uses lightweight digital tools—and AI where appropriate. It emphasizes repeatable workflows (micro-activities and hybrid support) that help programs scale support without adding complexity.
- Receive a Certificate of Completion: Adding proof of dedication to industry learning and the career development field! (Package registrants)
This career development training is offered online at 10:00-11:00 AM PST (=1:00-2:00 PM EST|11:00-12:00 MST) from June 26 until Aug 14, 2026 (not all Fridays, just 6). Package & Group rates (3 or more) are available. You can book online using a credit card or PayPal towards the bottom of this page. Please email info@growcd.ca directly for group bookings and invoicing.
Past attendees from across Canada (BC, YT, AB, SK, MN, ON, NS, NB) have described CDS webinars as being practical, insightful, informative, well-researched, engaging, fun and not boring 😂!
Registration opens on Dec 15, 2025 with a 50% off Mega Early Bird Rate!
Want to see what we did last year? CDS 2025
Supporting Long-Term Unemployed Clients
1. Proactive Approaches to Prevent Long Term Unemployment in Employment Programs
1. Proactive Approaches to Prevent Long Term Unemployment in Employment Programs
1. Proactive Approaches to Prevent Long Term Unemployment in Employment Programs
Fri, June 26, 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM PST | 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
This webinar shows Career Advisors how to design proactive systems that spot clients at risk of long term unemployment before files stall. You will learn how to build simple structured risk profiles so high-risk factors (months unemployed, shrinking industry, health/digital ba
Fri, June 26, 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM PST | 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
This webinar shows Career Advisors how to design proactive systems that spot clients at risk of long term unemployment before files stall. You will learn how to build simple structured risk profiles so high-risk factors (months unemployed, shrinking industry, health/digital barriers) are captured consistently. We will walk through how to turn that data into easy-to-read triage views that highlight which clients or groups need faster one-to-one support each week. You will also see how to plug these risk flags into basic automated task lists so reminders, check-ins, and re-contact attempts are triggered instead of relying on memory. By the end, you will leave with clear examples and automation ideas that move your program from reactive case management to genuinely proactive, tech-enabled prevention of long term unemployment.
2. Re-Engaging Long Term Unemployed Jobseekers Who Have Quietly Given Up
1. Proactive Approaches to Prevent Long Term Unemployment in Employment Programs
1. Proactive Approaches to Prevent Long Term Unemployment in Employment Programs
Fri, July 10, 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM PST | 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
3. Micro Hybrid Sessions to Lift Discouraged Long Term Unemployed Clients
1. Proactive Approaches to Prevent Long Term Unemployment in Employment Programs
3. Micro Hybrid Sessions to Lift Discouraged Long Term Unemployed Clients
Fri, July 17, 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM PST | 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
4. Re-Employment Counselling for Clients from Shrinking Industries
6. Sustaining Employment for Long Term Unemployed Clients with Wraparound and Post Hire Support
3. Micro Hybrid Sessions to Lift Discouraged Long Term Unemployed Clients
Fri, July 24, 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM PST | 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
5. Bridging Foundational, Digital and AI Skill Gaps for Long Term Unemployed Clients
6. Sustaining Employment for Long Term Unemployed Clients with Wraparound and Post Hire Support
6. Sustaining Employment for Long Term Unemployed Clients with Wraparound and Post Hire Support
Fri, July 31, 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM PST | 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
6. Sustaining Employment for Long Term Unemployed Clients with Wraparound and Post Hire Support
6. Sustaining Employment for Long Term Unemployed Clients with Wraparound and Post Hire Support
6. Sustaining Employment for Long Term Unemployed Clients with Wraparound and Post Hire Support
Fri, Aug 14, 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM PST | 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
Pricing & Registration for the CDS 2026 Conference
🐣 Mega Early Bird Rate 50% off the Full Package - Available NOW!
Mega Early Bird Rate: Full Experience Package at $99 per person which is 50% off the Regular Full Package Rate of $198!
Do some advance planning for 2026 Professional Development and Career Development training now - $99 that's $16.50 per session!
Offer ends on January 31, 2026.
Access all 6 of the topics at CDS 2026 in one convenient bundle:
- Proactive Approaches to Prevent Long Term Unemployment in Employment Programs
- Re-Engaging Long Term Unemployed Jobseekers Who Have Quietly Given Up
- Micro Hybrid Sessions to Lift Discouraged Long Term Unemployed Clients
- Re-Employment Counselling for Clients from Shrinking Industries
- Bridging Foundational, Digital and AI Skill Gaps for Long Term Unemployed Clients
- Sustaining Employment for Long Term Unemployed Clients with Wraparound and Post Hire Support
- Note: these webinars are not weekly from June 26-Aug 14, 2026; there are 2 break weeks, during the week of Canada Day and BC Day.
Receive a Certificate of Completion, adding proof of dedication to industry learning and the career development field!
Not sure about your summer schedule? Each session will be recorded and available for a limited 72-hour window afterwards (until Monday night PST). For privacy and to encourage open discussions, the Q&A portion will not be recorded.
Those who register for the Full Package will not need to register for individual sessions. They will be automatically registered for all sessions and will be sent online links before each session.
👥👥 Group Rates & Invoices
Reduced rates are available for group bookings of 3 people or more. Please email info@growcd.ca directly for group bookings and invoicing or complete the 'CDS 2026 Contact Form' below.
🐥 Regular Early Bird Rate 30% off Full Package Feb 1 - April 15, 2026
Did you miss the Mega Early Bird Rate? Or did program budgeting not allow for registration that early? There is still another chance to register at a lower rate in advance: 30% off the Full Experience Package at $138.60 per person (Regular Rate $198) That's approximately $23 per session!
Offer ends on April 15, 2026.
🚀 Individual Topics Feb 1 - April 15, 2026
Individual Topics can be booked after Feb 1, 2026 at $45 per person/topic:
- Proactive Approaches to Prevent Long Term Unemployment in Employment Programs
- Re-Engaging Long Term Unemployed Jobseekers Who Have Quietly Given Up
- Micro Hybrid Sessions to Lift Discouraged Long Term Unemployed Clients
- Re-Employment Counselling for Clients from Shrinking Industries
- Bridging Foundational, Digital and AI Skill Gaps for Long Term Unemployed Clients
- Sustaining Employment for Long Term Unemployed Clients with Wraparound and Post Hire Support
✨ CDS 2025 Full Experience Package (After April 15, 2026)
Regular Package Rate at $198 per person: April 15 - June 24, 2026. Registration closes 2 days before events.