Career Development Facilitator Training Course
with face-to-face visits at your location

leading to national certification
through the Center for Credentialing and Education
Offered through the Center on Education and Work
School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison,
this training is designed for groups of 12 or more individuals who desire to receive CDF training

What is a Career Development Facilitator?

A Career Development Facilitator (CDF) is a person who works in any career development setting or who incorporates career development information or skills in their work with students, adults, clients, employees, or the public. A CDF has received in-depth training in the areas of career development in the form of 120 class/instructional hours, provided by a nationally qualified and certified trainer.

This training is centered around developing 12 competencies in the field, which were developed by the National Career Development Association (NCDA), the professional association for career development in the United States. After completion of the training, the individual may apply for and receive national certification through the Center for Credentialing and Education, a subsidiary of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).

Center for Credentialing and Education

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

Who Should Receive this Training?

CDF training can enhance the skills and knowledge of individuals who work in any type of career development settings. This may include those who serve as a career group facilitator, career coach, intake interviewer, human resource specialist, school guidance counselor, job search trainer, labor market information resource person, employment/ placement specialist, or workforce development staff person. CDFs from past classes have included those who work in corporations, government agencies, technical colleges, small private companies, large universities, high schools and middle schools, correctional institutions, and entrepreneurial settings.

Benefits of the Training and Certification

As a CDF participant, you will receive training in each of the 12 career competencies. Whether you take the class at home or in the classroom, the training includes hands-on and interactive teaching methods and opportunities to interact with colleagues from a variety of work settings. Each CDF group explores the curriculum together and forms its own support group that individuals can draw on again and again after completing the class. Since the course content covers 12 important competencies, there is plenty of opportunity to build skills and knowledge in areas that are new to you, as well as enhance and develop those that you use every day in your work.

Past CDF participants often comment on how they use what they've learned on their jobs every day, and on how helpful it is to have a built-in network of other CDFs to keep in touch with after the class.

Course Content

CDF course content focuses on twelve career-related competencies, developed by a national team of experts and practitioners through the National Career Development Association.

1. Helping Skills - Be proficient in the basic career facilitating process

2. Labor Market Information and Resources - Understand labor market and occupational information and trends; use current resources

3. Working with Diverse Populations - Recognize special needs of various groups and adapting services to meet their needs

4. Technology and Career Development - Comprehend and use career development computer applications

5. Ethical and Legal Issues - Follow the CDF code of ethics and know current legislative regulations

6. Employability Skills - Know job search strategies and placement techniques, especially in working with specific groups

7. Consultation/Supervision - Accept suggestions for performance improvement from consultants or supervisors

8. Training Clients and Peers - Prepare and develop materials for training programs and presentations

9. Career Development Theories and Models

10. Program Management and Implementation - Understand career development programs and assist in the steps related to their development

11. Assessment - Comprehend and use (under supervision) both formal and informal career development assessments with emphasis on relating appropriate ones to the population served

12. Promotion and Public Relations - Knowing how to market and promote career development programs with staff and supervisors

Qualifications for Applicants

All CDF course applicants must have a high school diploma or a GED to enroll in the class. When applying for national certification after the course, the requirements combine work experience and educational levels to meet the certification requirements. These requirements are:

Educational Level of Applicant	Career Development Experience Required
Graduate degree	1,400 hours (estimated one year)
Bachelor's degree	2,800 hours (estimated two years)
Two years of college	4,200 hours (estimated three years)
High school diploma/ GED	5,600 hours (estimated four years)

Course Schedule & Costs

The Career Development Facilitator course is offered in a convenient hybrid format to suit the varying needs and schedules of participants. This format includes the online coursework as well as trips for classes held at your location. Normally, the hybrid course runs for 13 weeks with a course fee of $1400 plus $200 book fee per participant. Discounted rates may be available depending on your group size. Travel and expenses for the instructor's trips to your site will be added to the course costs. Contact the course instructor to discuss costs and scheduling.

About Classes on Location
In addition to the online course, the instructor will visit your location several times during the course to conduct face-to-face training. Talk to the instructor, Judy Ettinger, regarding costs and scheduling for face-to-face visits.

About the Instructor

Judith Ettinger, PhD, LPC, is a CDF Master Trainer and CDF Instructor. She has been working in the field of career development for 30 years, and travels throughout the world delivering career development technical assistance and training. Dr. Ettinger is a Project Director at the Center on Education and Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison and is the developer and instructor of the online, independent-study course Planning for Retirement: Exploring Your Career and Leisure Options. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including the Distinguished Achievement Award, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Outstanding Practitioner Award, National Career Development Association; and the National Customer Service Award from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Comments from Past Participants

"[The] instructor is very knowledgeable and also very patient and encouraging. The instruction and her style of instruction is the aspect of the course that facilitated learning."

"One of the best instructors I've had."

"The instructor was always available and did a lot of communicating with the students in the class."

"Instruction was very good. Kept standards high. Very effective and knowledgeable."

"Judy was absolutely outstanding. She is clearly a 'master teacher' and was able to pick up on areas in which we needed more help."

"[She] definitely knows this subject. The onsite meetings that we had were very relaxed, interactive and helpful."

Credit

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison are available upon request for a $7.40 fee. Interested students may apply as a special student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and pay regular special student fees to receive credit. Tuition per credit for summer 2010 (subject to change each semester): WI residents $348.24, Non-residents $962.81. Call for details if you are interested in special student credit.

Contact Carol Edds, Coordinator, or
Judy Ettinger, Instructor, at:

Center on Education and Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1025 W. Johnson Street, 964 Educational Sciences Building
Madison, WI 53706-1796
jettinger@education.wisc.edu; or cedds@education.wisc.edu
(800) 862-1071