The field for people who facilitate the careers of others
People who enter the Career Development profession come from many different fields. Some are counselors and personal coaches. Others are workforce development employees, case managers, student advisers, intake interviewers and HR specialists.
As a result of such diversity, leaders in Career Development have created a set of standards, training specifications and credentialing for career providers who want to obtain professional training and recognition in the field. Depending on their goals, practitioners can obtain several levels of training and certification.
Career Development Facilitator (CDF)
The first professional level is that of Career Development Facilitator (CDF). To achieve this designation, practitioners go through an intensive 120-hour career development facilitator training developed by the National Career Development Association (NCDA), a nonprofit membership organization whose goal is to promote the highest levels of ethics and professionalism in the field.
Most CDF trainings are offered in a hybrid format that combines 18 weeks of e-learning instruction with a 3-day face-to-face workshop. The NCDA awards a certificate upon successful completion of this course.
After completing the 120-hour training successfully, participants have the right to add the following phrase to the education section of their resume: Earned a Certificate of Completion for NCDA CDF Training.
Who is most likely to succeed in CDF Training?
Successful students typically share the following characteristics:
Committed to learning. They know that learning is a lifelong process, and they embody this awareness in their work and with those they serve.
Seek to improve. They know that the world of work is changing rapidly. As a result, they proactively look for opportunities to develop professionally and keep up with changes in the field.
Already knowledgeable about career development. Successful CDFs already have extensive experience in the career field.
Work well independently. They are disciplined problem solvers. They set and meet goals for themselves without supervision.
Work well with others. They know that learning does not occur in a vacuum and that the greatest teachers are also classmates. As a result, they contribute actively to creating a caring, supportive learning environment for all.
Global Career Development Facilitator Credential (GCDF)
Many professionals who receive the CDF simply take their new knowledge and skills and apply them in their jobs.
Others, however, decide to obtain an official credential as a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF). To do so, they must submit their Certificate of Completion from their CDF Training course to the Center for Credentialing and Education, which is the organization that awards the GCDF credential.
CDF Instructor (CDFI)
Professionals who are particularly passionate about facilitating Career Development—and who love teaching—can take the next step and obtain the training they need to conduct their own 120-hour CDF classes. Acceptance into the CDF Instructor program depends upon the candidate’s education, experience, ability to train adults, and commitment to CDF. Candidates must also complete a 3-day training conducted by an NCDA Master Trainer.
CDFI eLearning Specialist
CDFIs are only allowed to teach the CDF course in-person. If they want to teach online as well, they need to take a 1-day, customized eLearning Instructor Training workshop.
Becoming an eLearning Specialist enables CDFIs to offer the CDF curriculum to adult learners who are working full time, are in a remote location, or prefer to learn at their own pace. The cost for the training is set at $350 by the NCDA.
CDF Master Trainer
The final—and most rigorous—designation is the CDF Master Trainer. The NCDA certifies successful graduates to conduct the CDFI course—in other words to train the trainers. Obtaining certification involves rigorous requirements in education, training, experience and commitment to the Career Development field.
In fact, the requirements are so rigorous that only 37 people in the United States have so far (Summer 2011) received this designation.