What Is a CDF?
A Career Development Facilitator (CDF) is a trained professioanl who helps to facilitate the careers of others. Some CDFs are counselors and coaches; many, however, have come to the field through alternate avenues. For example, CDFs may have such job titles as:
- Workforce Development Staff
- Employment Specialist
- Job Developer
- Case Manager
- Transitions Specialist
- Internship Coordinator
- Student Advisor
- Career Services Coordinator
- Career Center Support Staff
- Career Counselor
- Career Coach
- Intake Interviewer
- Career Pathways Advisor
- Career Group Facilitator
- Job Coach
- HR Career Development Coordinator
Who is most likely to succeed in CDF Training?
Successful students typically share the following characteristics. If you have several of them, you will likely be a good fit for CDF Training.
- Committed to learning. You know that learning is a lifelong process, and you embody this awareness in your work with those you serve.
- Seeking to improve. You know that the world of work is changing faster than any one person can keep up with. You are on the lookout for opportunities to develop professionally to keep up with changing demands in your field.
- Already knowledgeable about career development. You have plenty of experience— enough to know that there is always more to learn.
- Work well independently. You are disciplined. You are a problem solver. You set your own goals and meet them without supervision.
- Work well with others. You know that learning does not occur in a vacuum and that the greatest teachers are classmates. You begin with the end in mind and contribute to a caring, supportive learning environment.
Developing Standards
Recognizing that people enter this field through many different paths, leaders in career development created a set of standards, training specifications and credentialing for career providers who wanted to obtain professional training and recognition in the field. Depending on their goals, career development facilitators can now obtain several levels of training and certification.
Career Development Facilitator (CDF) Training
The first step is to participate in an intensive 120-hour career development facilitator training. (Note that in order to enroll in the class, all applicants must have at least a high school diploma.) 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 12 Career Development Competencies form the heart of the CDF course. They were created 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.
The competencies consist of the knowledge and skills that professionals in the field must master to meet these standards. During the 18-week training course, you will have numerous opportunities to practice and internalize new skills, as well as to enhance the skills that you have already mastered.
The National Career Development Association (NCDA) awards a certificate after successful completion of this course.
Global Career Development Facilitator Credential (GCDF)
After completing the 120-hour training, many people take their new knowledge and skills and simply apply them in their jobs. Their training gives them the right to add the following phrase to the education section of their resume: Earned a Certificate of Completion for NCDA CDF Training
Other people, however, want 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.
To learn more about becoming a GCDF, see GCDF Credential
CDF Instructor (CDFI)
People who are particularly passionate about Career Development Facilitation—and who also love teaching—can take the next step and obtain the training they need to conduct their own 120-hour CDF classes. Acceptance into the program depends upon the candidate's education, experience, adult training abilities, and commitment to CDF. Candidates must also complete a 3-day training conducted by an NCDA Master Trainer.
NCDA awards certification after successful completion of the training. To learn more about this training, go to: CDF Instructor
CDF Master Trainer
This is the final—and most rigorous—designation of all. After successful completion, the NCDA certifies participants to conduct the CDFI course—in other words to train the trainers. In fact, the requirements of experience and education are so rigorous that only 37 people in the United States have so far (Winter 2009) received this designation.
To learn more, go to: CDF Master Trainer
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