By Dr. Serene Lin-Stephens
The year 2023-2024 has been another exciting and challenging year for APCDA. Our staff has worked hard in overcoming the challenges whilst striving to innovate and make significant impacts in the Asia Pacific region. This report provides an overview of our achievements, notes of considerations for our ongoing work, and a summary of emerging projects.
Conferences
Conferences are the highlight of our member engagement. According to our recent member engagement research project, participation in conferences is the strongest indicator of a member’s current and future engagement. This recent research insight has shone a new light on conference planning.
2023-2024 conferences: The 2023 Hybrid conference in Kazakhstan had a small attendance due to post-COVID travel impacts. Financially, 2023 Conference had a $1400 loss. Normally, the conference Income covers a large portion of our annual expenses. In fall of 2023, we used our savings to cover these expenses. In planning for the 2024 in Kerala, India, we worked hard to reduce expenses. To make in-person attendance more attractive for the 2024 Conference, we reduced the cost of in-person registration and maintained the cost of virtual registration. Having only one in-person keynoter and using one remote keynoter saved significantly on transportation costs.
In promoting the conference, we included a panel of India experts and a panel of Dr. Nancy Arthur, Dr. Roberta Borgen, and Dr. Mary McMahon with their new book launch- Practice Principles: Career Theories and Models at Work. We also marketed the conference by identifying the most popular tourist attractions and using our Summer Survey to ask potential attendees to select attractions they most want to visit. Staff wrote weekly articles about sights in Kerala.
We received more proposals for presentations this year than the prior year and were able to offer a varied and stimulating list of topics. Members and staff worked to encourage participation from all of our regions. The result was 285 total attendees (60 in-person, 225 virtual).
Planning for the 2025 Conference and beyond: For many years we were planning to host an annual conference in Shanghai, which was delayed by COVID. Upon rigorous consultations with the board members and industry stakeholders, we have now made the strategic decision to host the 2025 conference in Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China in 2025. I travelled to Zhengzhou University in June along with two sponsors. We met the leadership and discussed planning for the conference. We toured the facilities, intended conference venues, the campus, and the dining space. I shared the video of the 2024 conference and am producing a pre-view video of the 2025 conference to welcome members and friends to the Zhangzhou conference.
The Board had discussed location preferences for Australia in 2026, and is looking forward to 2027, which we hope will be in Singapore. We continue to seek ways to attract more in-person attendees. Those who attend are rewarded in many ways, both with new relationships and with cultural insights based on visiting local establishments and discussing career planning issues with people in the host country.
Member Engagement Research Project
The member engagement research project began in FY22. Our primary goals were to generate insights into deeper and wider engagement with members old and new. We used the 2023 Summer Survey to gather information. We had responses from 135 respondents (66.7% female, 28.9% male) and covered the settings of Uni/College/Tech school (59.6%), Private Practice (33.3%), Government/NFP (16.3%), and K-12 (8.9%). There were six regions with over 10 respondents, including the Philippines (22), Australia (16), USA (16), India (12), Singapore (12), and Japan (10). We found:• Almost all respondents expected to have a higher level of engagement in the future
Conference and webinar supporters have higher engagement, with the conference being the most preferred and valued activity
PD concepts are important for future engagement. The top three most appealing PD concepts are: current hot topics, future workforce trends, and career theories and techniques to use in practice
Technology (video) based delivery is vital for some members
Current activities are perceived as valuable and well-liked
None of the major barriers (time, timing of webinars, topic relevance, costs, English, etc.) were significant in actual engagement. Similarly, Age, gender, sector, and type of PD need were not significant in influencing levels of engagement
The limitation of this research is acknowledged including the lack of responses from areas of emerging careers networks. We are conscious that efforts must be made to support regions with little career guidance structures. The questions remaining include how to get attract new members, gain deeper engagement with current members, and convert first-year members into on-going members.
Supporting and funding professional development
APCDA puts its money and energy into serving our members and providing free or inexpensive learning opportunities. In FY23, we offered 18 webinars, attended by 635 people, which generated $8400 income. We continue to explore various income streams apart from the conference to be able to support low-cost PD. A potential funding stream is through the accreditation scheme for local training programs for career professionals.
Software consolidation
We reviewed our software utilization. We were met with 1) an impending 25% fee increase of the member management software that is outdated with noticeable weak website features and 2) a supplementary and expensive member engagement portal that few people used. For these reasons, the staff proactively started on the work to update the existing ineffective systems.
In July 2023, we conducted an intensive survey of other association database software and selected Member365. This software combined the most useful parts of our member engagement portal and our member management software at a lower cost. At the same time, we separated our website from our member management software to allow us more control over the website. The money we saved by canceling our member engagement portal paid for the development of our new website.
Transitioning membership information to the new system and learning to use the new software was a difficult and lengthy task. In the process, software on individual computers noticed that our location had changed and marked our new website as suspicious. We lost touch with some members and friends and suffered a decline of membership from about 500 to about 400. We corrected the technical problems in January and are still catching up on reconnecting with old friends.
Scholarships
Before the 2024 Conference, we reviewed our scholarships policies. In 2023, only 64% of those receiving a scholarship attended any sessions in 2023. We collected recommendations from our leadership who are university faculty and from past scholars. Many changes in our criteria for scholarships resulted:
Providing scholarships to students who have been accepted to present.
Being more selective in offering scholarships when viewing the qualification of applications, including recommendation letter and motivation/enthusiasm for learning from the conference.
Adding more support to our scholars.
We need to differentiate professionals who apply for a scholarship from student applicants.
This year we granted 42 Scholars, in these categories:
Conflict Zone (11)
Emerging Leaders (5)
Martha Russell (17)
Student Presenters (7)
In the pipeline
Publish Conference Proceedings this year for the first time.
Publish the member engagement research
Conflict zone career practitioner support research
Podcast publishing on YouTube
New co-chairs for the reconstructed PR Committee
The addition of a Job Board to our website.
The Intersectionality Project started in July 2023 with a grant from David Reile and Barbara Suddarth. After those 2 sessions, we initiate a team of members to test the materials provided to us in January. The results of that project will be discussed soon.
The Board developed an MOU with Mr. Syed Iqbal, CEO of Maryland Works, to help him develop a global employment agency. This effort is still pending.
A project in Mongolia supporting building a model career center.
By Arun Mittal
The 2024 APCDA Hybrid Conference, held from April 15 to 27 in Trivandrum, India, marked another milestone in bringing together a diverse group of professionals dedicated to career development. Here are some of the highlights and insights from the event that are particularly relevant to our members and attendees. Event Overview Highlights
Event App Usage: The Whova event app played a crucial role in enhancing attendee engagement and participation. The app was widely adopted, with a download rate of 91% and 88% of attendees actively using it. This resulted in 269 total users, split between 189 mobile app users and 238 web app users. These figures highlight the app’s significance in facilitating a smooth conference experience.
Sponsors & Exhibitors: The conference attracted a robust lineup of sponsors and exhibitors, generating a total of 144,019 sponsor impressions. This interaction fostered valuable connections and collaborations, demonstrating the event’s role in promoting industry engagement.
Engagement and Networking: Engagement metrics were impressive, with attendees actively participating in various sessions, discussions, and networking activities. The community board saw 2,448 messages, 80 photos shared, and 1,836 attendee profile views. Networking was enhanced through 11 meetups, and 2,380 private 1-on-1 messages, underscoring the hybrid format’s effectiveness in connecting a global audience.
Attendee Demographics and Participation
The conference drew participants from a wide range of countries, reflecting the global nature of the APCDA community. Notably, the top five attendee locations were Singapore (79 attendees), India (27+ attendees), Australia (14 attendees), Japan (13 attendees), and the United States (10 attendees). This diverse participation contributed to a rich exchange of ideas and best practices.
A total of 853 hours of watch time by 222 attendees clearly highlighted the success of the hybrid format, with 164 questions being asked receiving 208 replied in 58 sessions. About 24% of the attendees participated in person, actively engaging with both in-person and remote audiences.
Networking and Distribution
Networking remained a cornerstone of the conference, with numerous opportunities for attendees to connect with peers and industry leaders. The hybrid audience breakdown showed balanced participation between in-person and virtual attendees, ensuring broad access and inclusivity.
Sponsors and Exhibitors Report
The sponsor report highlighted the value sponsors and exhibitors found in participating, with many expressing interests in future events.
Looking Forward
As we reflect on the success of the 2024 APCDA Hybrid Conference, we are already planning possibilities and improvements for next year. Our aim is to continue enhancing the experience for all attendees, ensuring that each conference offers unparalleled opportunities for learning, networking, and professional growth.
We thank all attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, and the APCDA leadership for their contributions to this year’s event. See you in Zhengzhou, China in 2025!
By Momoko Asaka
I am glad to have had the opportunity to share my experience and thoughts as the APCDA president-elect, president and past president over the past three years as my term comes to an end. My involvement with APCDA dates back to the first APCDA Annual Conference held in Seoul, Korea, in 2013. I learned from JCDA, where I have been a member, about this organization and its first conference.
At that time, I had just left my corporate job and started my journey as an independent counselor, and APCDA appeared very inspiring to me because the organization offers a valuable opportunity to exchange information with industry colleagues worldwide on career development practices and research in a global context.
Attending the conference, I felt strongly that APCDA had great growth potential. Since then, I have participated in the conference every year. In 2017, I was recommended for the role of Secretary and joined the board of directors. With my experience in organizational management, I aimed to contribute more significantly to the development of this organization.
My first year as president-elect was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual conference had to be fully virtual, and we had many tough discussions in a short time and under uncertain global conditions to decide the direction of our organization. I am pleased that, as a board, we were able to establish the path to the current hybrid format.
The following year, as president, I prepared for and hosted the first hybrid annual conference after COVID-19 and the in-person conference in Kazakhstan. I also represented APCDA in various related organizations, explored new initiatives with officers, staff, and board members, and reviewed our policies. The success of the hybrid conference and the return to in-person meetings is a highlight of my APCDA career.
This year, as past president, my main roles included contributing to the board and the executive committee, selecting award winners with the awards committee, and choosing the next president-elect. It is inspiring to see so many people with excellent leadership skills and to learn about their dedication to their work. APCDA has wonderful members, and it is an hour and a pleasure to be involved in recognizing them through awards.
Of course, these contributions were not made by my efforts alone. The APCDA leadership team provides an equal platform for expressing opinions, regardless of tenure as APCDA or career history as a counselor. Ideas are always heard, and in many cases, we have the opportunity to pursue them. All members of the executive committee and the board support each other and share their opinions, making APCDA a strong organization.
As an organization that has surpassed its 10th year and holds great potential for further growth, APCDA offers you the chance to take on a leadership role. Managing the responsibilities of the presidency while handling daily work can sometimes feel hectic, but I assure you it is worth it. I eagerly await your candidacy for the next president. If you have any questions, I am always open to sharing my experiences candidly.
By Yoshinobu Oi
This consolidated report provides an overview of labor markets, demographic impacts, training and development efforts, and the influence of APCDA across diverse regions.
Labor Market Status and Challenges
- Korea‘s employment rates: Overall – 62.4%, Youth – 45.9%. Unemployment rates: Overall – 3.0%, Youth – 6.5%. Reflecting varied workforce dynamics.
- Australia‘s latest data shows a rise in unemployment to 3.9%,
- with youth unemployment at 9.5%. Full-time employment grows, while workforce participation declines, favoring part-time roles.
- Net Overseas Migration Levels in Australia are projected to reach 315,000 in 2023-24, sparking intense political discussions amid concerns about housing shortages.
- Canada‘s unemployment rate hovers around 6%, notably high among the 15-24 age bracket. However, growth is observed in the healthcare and construction sectors.
- In Kazakhstan, the oil and gas sector provide substantial employment, but challenges persist, including skills gaps, urban-rural inequalities, and high youth unemployment.
- Malaysia expects a steady 3.2% unemployment rate in 2024, yet faces challenges like decent work shortages, gender gaps, and overqualification.
- Japan maintains a stable unemployment rate of approximately 2.5%, with university student employment offers rebounding to pre-COVID levels, signifying economic resilience.
Economic Overview and Diversification Efforts
- In Sri Lanka, the economy contracted by 2.3% in 2023 but rebounded in Q3 and Q4, despite declines in construction, financial services, and manufacturing. Tourism growth partially offset these losses, yet inflation rose to 5.9% by February 2024. Net overseas migration levels are projected to hit 315,000, sparking political debates on migration and housing. Additionally, there’s a proposal to overhaul the visa system due to inefficiencies.
- Azerbaijan is nearing a peace agreement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after decades of discord. Meanwhile, changes to the international student program, including a cap on study permits, raise concerns for universities.
- In Kazakhstan, a reliance on rich natural resources drives the economy, with recent efforts to diversify into agriculture, manufacturing, and technology.
- Macau‘s economy has been gradually reopening since January 2023, with initiatives like educational tours aiding diversification efforts.
Education & Training
- In Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea, as the school-age population declines, there’s a rise in multicultural schools and vocational high schools enrolling international students, with plans to potentially increase foreign student intake while monitoring adjustment. Additionally, there’s a reduction in the training quota for primary school teachers by 12% in 2025 due to declining enrollments.
- In Sri Lanka, the Technical and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) introduced the NVQ 4 level for career guidance practitioners, marking its first implementation in the country.
- Macau implements a graduating student career plan survey to grasp career planning challenges and initiates an educational tour program by Wynn Resort to train future talents in the hospitality sector.
- Meanwhile, in Taiwan, there are training workshops for Career Development Instructors and programs specifically designed for women re-entering the workforce.
Government Policies and Interventions
By Natalie Kauffman
Please join me in warmly welcoming the new Chair of our News Committee, APCDA Past President and current Chair of our Nominations Committee, Ms. Momoko Asaka. In addition, join me in applauding the ongoing engagement efforts of:
- Membership Committee Co-Chair, Kunimitsu Kuki
- Membership Committee Co-Chair, Ms. Natalie Kauffman
- Program Committee Co-Chair/South China Representative, Dr. Elisabeth Montgomery
- Program Committee Co-Chair, Dr. Sujata Ives
- Public Relations Co-Chair/Kazakhstan Representative, Ms. Gaini Yessembekova
- Public Relations Co-Chair/former Pakistan Representative, Mr. Raza Abbas
- Awards & Scholarships Committee Co-Chair/Website Administrator, MR. Tuan Anh Le
- Awards & Scholarships Committee Co-Chair and former APCDA President, Dr. Narendar Chadha
- Ethics, Standards & Glossary Committee Chair, Dr. Vandana Gambhir Chopra
- Research Committee Co-Chairs, Dr. Poh Li Lau and Dr. Hsiu-Lan (Shelley) Tien.
All our APCDA members are invited to fuel the discovery initiated by attending our April Conference and/or previous APCDA webinars by joining one of these eight (8) committees and strengthening engagement among our association. Please connect to our website’s Contact Us page, https://asiapacificcda.org/contact-us/, and scroll to the Committee Council section to directly contact Committee (Co-)Chairs and express your interest in joining.
Both Momoko and Kunimitsu have been meeting regularly with members of the Japan Career Development Association, https://www.j-cda.org/, to talk about APCDA and how its many membership benefits could inspire existing and potential Japanese career practitioners to enhance their delivery of theory-based and research-driven career development services.
Kunimitsu additionally has been working with Natalie and the entire Membership Committee team and delivered the 1st-ever Community of Practice gathering. This semi-annual experiential event focused on Motivation. The 2nd gathering is planned for October, please look for the specific date and future focus in the next couple of months.
For more than a decade, Elisabeth has been teaming with South China University of Technology, https://www.scut.edu.cn/new/, to share APCDA’s career development ideas and practices in the Asia Pacific region and how APCDA membership engages the world about these insights. Recently, Elisabeth has been promoting APCDA’s May 12 – 26, 2025 Hybrid Conference at Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China. If you would like to join Elisabeth in her ongoing collaboration development efforts, please contact her at SouthChina@AsiaPacficCDA.org.
Additionally, Elizabeth has been working with Sujata and the entire Program Committee team to deliver several webinars and podcasts for our members and friends. Please note on your calendar that $FREE$ webinars are provided to members every other month and recorded webinars are always $FREE$ (after 6 months) in the Store after members log into your Membership Portal.
As our seasoned APCDA members may recall, Kazakhstan hosted our 2023 APCDA Conference. Since then, Gaini has been hard at work developing an APCDA Affiliate Membership within the country. Recently she cemented the Affiliate status by bringing on 30 career development practitioners from the country. Many of them gathered not long ago to discuss next steps.
Over and above her affiliate development efforts, Gaini has been working with Raza and the newly expanded Public Relations team to inspire both committee growth and commitment to raising awareness of APCDA across the forty (40) plus countries currently populated by association members.
In addition to our 30 Affiliate members from Kazakhstan, please applaud, and additionally welcome to APCDA membership our 42 Scholarship Winners in 2024:
- 11 Conflict Zones Scholars: career practitioners living in conflict zones recognized by the UN who asked for a scholarship.
- 5 Emerging Leader Scholars: leaders or students from high-income countries who applied for a scholarship and were selected based on their commitment to use our conference to advance their work in our field.
- 17 Martha Russell Scholars: leaders or students from not high-income countries who applied for a scholarship and were selected based on their commitment to use our conference to advance their work in our field.
- 9 Presenter Scholars: students who submitted a proposal to present and were selected by the Proposal Selection team
Special thanks to our Scholarship Committee Co-Chair, Tuan Anh, for all his and his selection team’s efforts in enhancing APCDA with 42 new members. Kudos!
Congratulations go out as well to our 2024 APCDA Award Winners:
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Hsiu-Lan (Shelley) Tien*
- Outstanding Educator of Career Professionals Award: Dr. Kevin Glavin
- Outstanding Career Practitioner Award: Mr. Tuan Anh Le*
- Career Counseling Advocacy Award: Prof (Dr.) Vimala Arunachalam
- President’s Award: Ruchira Tripathi*
- Conference Host Award: Lifology
* = APCDA committee Co-chairs or committee members
Special thanks to Narender for his and his team’s selection efforts.
Additional special thanks to Vandana and her team of Glossary translators. They updated the glossary translations to Version 3 of the Glossary for Arabic, Japanese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese in April 2024. Vandana shared this information during our recent conference and additionally provided some history on our Glossary project. The project began in 2014. It is currently on its third version. Please review the translated versions to date, https://asiapacificcda.org/glossary/. If you are interested in assisting with the Korean and simplified Chinese translations, or updating the Traditional Chinese and Malay versions to Version 3, please contact Vandana at Ethics@AsiaPacificCDA.org.
Several weekly issues of our APCD News Blog have encouraged both scholars and practitioners to submit articles containing research related to their practices. The goal of our APCD Journal is to build a reputation for working with authors and supporting their writing skills. Poh Li encourages you to:
- Submit articles (Guidelines here: https://asiapacificcda.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/APCDJ_Author_Guidelines.pdf)
- Join the Editorial Board (Guidelines here: https://asiapacificcda.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/APCDJ_Editorial-Board.pdf)
APCDA has completed an upgrade. On the top of every page on our new website, you will see 4 colorful buttons on the top right for Join, Member Portal, Donate, and Store. These links, and several links scattered throughout our website pages, lead to our new database system. Data has been transferred from the old database to the new database, but some of your information was lost in the move. We encourage you to visit the Member Portal and add your photo, bio, website, specialties, and work setting. People who, between the middle of September and end of December, subscribed to our newsletter or renewed/changed their Member Profile may find mistakes in their records. Use Info@AsiaPacificCDA.org to report problems you are not able to fix in your profile.
In your new Member Profile, you can find your new Membership Card. Beginning with November webinars, you will also find a Continuing Education certificate in your Member Profile for each webinar you attend. The new process for Recorded Webinars is to move them to the Store as soon as they are edited and ready for viewing. In the Store, recorded webinars are Free to members if they are more than 6 months old. When you “purchase” a recorded webinar, you receive a PDF file that allows you to view the webinar any time you wish. You should save the PDF file in case you want to watch the webinar again or use it for educational purposes with colleagues or students. We were not able to transfer your event history, but you can still ask for certification of past events.
Our Member Community is now built into the Member Portal. Please use the new Discussion area to share questions or announcements with our community. Any committees you serve on should be listed and the Workspace for the committee should be available to you. This allows us to know who is serving on a committee and allows you to find relevant information in your Member Portal. If some of the information has been lost in the transition, please let us know so we can restore it.
We also changed Credit Card processors. Previously, we used AffiniPay and some people had saved their credit cards to Auto Renew or pay for webinars. Our new Credit Card processor is Stripe. Stripe is completely new to all of us. It is not possible to transfer your information from AffiniPay to Stripe for security reasons, so expect to be treated like a stranger in Stripe. Let us know if you have payment issues.
In July and September, 2023, APCDA held 2 webinars on Intersectionality, which explores power relationships and discrimination. These 2 webinars are available in the APCDA Store.
We learned that focusing on one area or another (gender, race and ethnic identity, (dis)ability, socio-economic status, etc.) allows us to examine how specific identities affect people in different ways. This focus also helps us to understand which elements contribute most to discrimination on each level. While doing so, however, we must keep in mind that the intersections of identities are indeed endless and should be considered in terms of each other. An intersectional approach recognizes that these multiple intersections exist in endless combinations, and that they can sometimes lead to privilege and sometimes to discrimination. We must continually question where the power lies in different societies, organizations and groups to understand why some individuals are treated better than others, find it easier to be successful, or are more readily included. Only by doing this can we start to see who is excluded or discriminated against. Intersectionality, therefore, encourages solidarity, highlighting that all struggles for freedom from oppression are interlinked and that they can all benefit by interacting with each other. By working together we can all begin to strengthen the fight against oppression in general.
After these workshops, we received a toolkit with 4 activities for exploring intersectionality. APCDA is eager to understand how useful this workbook may be to our members. We have identified four volunteers, in 4 different countries, who promise to use our new toolkit with a group of people by June, 2024. These activities can be used with a group of students, a group of colleagues, a church group, a corporate group, or any other setting in which you have the opportunity to interact with 8 to 25 other people at one time. As you know if you attended these webinars, the outcome of using these materials will be increased understanding among members of the group and increased respect for the uniqueness of each member in the group.
Are you available to explore this important topic, to build your own skills in using this concept, and to help a group of people you interact with to come closer to each other? This pilot project is happening now – please join us. If you are willing to volunteer, please reply to Info@AsiaPacificCDA.org
By Arun Mittal
The Asia Pacific Career Development Association (APCDA) stands as an exemplary model of a global yet local association, fostering a robust ecosystem for career professionals to learn, network, and share best practices from across the region. With a distinctive GloCal (Global + Local) approach, APCDA seamlessly integrates global perspectives while staying attuned to the unique needs and nuances of the diverse communities it serves.
The GloCal approach embodies the concept of thinking globally and acting locally. For APCDA, this means connecting career professionals across borders, transcending cultural barriers, and sharing knowledge and insights on a global scale. However, it also involves recognizing the significance of local contexts, cultural sensitivities, and regional challenges that shape career development.
Some of the examples of the GloCal Approach
- Annual Conferences: These events feature international keynote speakers, workshops, and presentations on emerging tends in career development. Simultaneously, the conferences also include local experts who provide insights into the unique job markets, career aspirations, and industry demands specific to the host country.
- Webinars and Online Resources: The association provides a wealth of online resources, including webinars, articles, and glossaries that cater to the diverse needs of its members. While some resources address universal career challenges, others are tailored to address region-specific issues (Arabic Glossary of Career Terms), ensuring that career professionals can find relevant information applicable to their local communities.
- Collaborative Research Projects: APCDA encourages research collaboration among its members across the Asia Pacific region. This allows for the synthesis of overarching career development principles while acknowledging the influence of cultural differences on individual career journeys.
This approach has been of immense help to both the associations and career professionals in our region. The benefits to the individual career practitioners include,
- Enhanced Cultural Sensitivity: Career professionals working in the Asia Pacific region encounter a rich tapestry of cultures and traditions. The GloCal approach helps them develop a heightened sense of cultural sensitivity, enabling them to support clients with respect and understanding, regardless of their background.
- Global Best Practices: By tapping into a global network, APCDA members gain exposure to the latest innovations and successful practices from around the world. They can adapt and implement these best practices to suit local contexts, leading to more effective and relevant career counseling and guidance.
- Access to a Diverse Network: The APCDA network opens avenues for career professionals to connect with colleagues, mentors, and experts across borders. This diverse network fosters professional growth and collaboration, leading to new opportunities and enriching career experiences.
- Leveraging Regional Expertise: The association’s local chapters possess in-depth knowledge of their respective regions. By collaborating with these chapters, career associations and professionals from other parts of the world can gain valuable insights into specific regional challenges and trends, which can be invaluable for international career counseling.
The benefits to other associations in the region are as follows,
- Cross-Pollination of Ideas: Associations in the Asia Pacific region can benefit from partnering with APCDA by exchanging ideas, resources, and expertise. This cross-pollination of ideas can lead to fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to mutual challenges faced by career professionals.
- Access to Global Partnerships: By joining hands with APCDA, regional associations can gain access to a global network of career professionals and organizations. This opens doors to potential international collaborations, joint research projects, and opportunities for their members to expand their horizons.
- Professional Development Opportunities: APCDA’s focus on learning and development means that associations in the region can tap into a wide array of training programs, workshops, and webinars that contribute to the growth of their members’ professional skill sets.
Closing Notes
The association’s GloCal approach has proven to be a winning formula in creating a strong ecosystem for career professionals in the region. By embracing global perspectives while respecting local nuances, APCDA has become a powerful platform that empowers its members to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. Through collaboration and association with APCDA, other career development organizations in the region can also unlock new opportunities, strengthen their impact, and enrich the lives of career professionals they serve.
#CDAA, #CDANZ, #IAEVG, #JCDA, #NCDA, #NPOCA, #PCDA
Thank you to all of these attendees at our APCDA meeting at the NCDA Conference. It was a great conference and we were so happy to be together after so much time apart. Thank you to Tupe from Samoa for the colorful t-shirts we are holding. We are excited to welcome Samoa as our newest member Area.
APCDA Webinar Feedback
By Arun Mittal
APCDA provides regular training programs for its members as a member benefit. These are delivered virtually in the form of webinars. In this article, we share some of our observations based on attendee feedback.
The purpose of this article is to provide an unbiased view of attendees’ enthusiasm for webinars as a source of self-enrichment and development.
General Enthusiasm for the Webinars.
With a median of 39 registrations (minimum of 26, maximum of 126), there was plenty of opportunity for members to benefit from the webinars being held. The live sessions were attended by approximately half of those who register, and this proportion is the same for both free and paid webinars. Given the variety of time zones in which our members live, it is understandable that many prefer to listen to the recorded sessions.
Motivation & Purpose
Attendees were asked about their familiarity with the topics covered before the sessions. On a scale of 4= Expert to 1= Unfamiliar, the average response was 2.3. This average falls just below the midpoint between slightly and very familiar.
Two of the Free webinars (“Using Holland Typology to Quickly Assess Career Personality” and “Dealing with Trauma in Career Conversations”) tied for the highest registration at 126, while the webinar “Design Thinking Principles for Career Development Learnings” received the highest registration for a Paid webinar at 63.
The webinar on “Emerging e-Sports: Gaming, Media and Content Careers,” had a low rating of 1.4 on Prior Knowledge, indicating that members had little familiarity with the topic. There were 26 registrations and over 80% attended the live session. The webinar registration for this session was one of the lowest, but it had the highest attendance of any webinar held this year and was one of the top five paid webinars in terms of fees collected.
Most of our webinar topics were familiar to members. It is reasonable to assume that the majority of members use these webinars to reskill and keep up to date. Furthermore, based on registration and attendance, member enthusiasm for paid and free webinars appears to be similar. The primary difference in attendance appears to be based on the topic.
The summer survey is a very useful and important tool for the Program Committee in identifying members’ interests. It is also critical for members to participate in the survey so that our webinars continue to be relevant to them.
Money-Value Proposition
We asked attendees to rate the webinars on Content, which included relevance, accuracy, and utility The average rating for Content is 4.6. This falls between Very Good and Excellent. The lowest content rating for any webinar was 4.2.
We also asked attendees to rate webinars on Clarity, which included engagement and ease of understanding. The average rating for Clarity is 4.4, and the median is 4.2. This is also between Very Good and Excellent. The lowest content rating for was 4.0.
It is very safe to conclude from the data above that members are very satisfied with webinars as a training source, and the choice of speakers, topics, and their delivery is well appreciated.
Closing Note
As a people-centric organization, APCDA appears to be doing well in terms of helping members to update their skills and providing opportunities for its members to learn and grow. It is also worth noting that there is plenty of room for more members to benefit from such opportunities.
We’d also like to thank the Program Committee and the staff members for all of their hard work and initiative in making these webinars happen.
APCDA's New Research Project
By Dr. Poh Li Lau, Co-Chair of the APCDA Research Committee
I’m glad to announce that we have a new research project. Dr. Serene Lin-Stephens will be leading this project and we are looking for collaborators who are interested. For further information or to express your interest, please contact PElect@AsiaPacificCDA.org by 31 October.
Below are the details of the project:
Expressions of interest
Research project
Growing a career development professional community: A study on membership engagement indicators.
A future goal of APCDA is to devise a set of membership engagement indicators by which to measure our growth. We are seeking collaborators that are interested in the conceptualisation of such indicators.
Who you are
You should be an APCDA member with some research background or training, or be prepared to learn with the collaborators.
What you will do
The level of your involvement can be negotiated. The collaborators will work as a team. You will need to attend meetings as scheduled and should also take on some tasks concerning literature review, data analysis, and result write-up. There may also be some need for data collection, although most data have been collected.
What we will produce
A report, a presentation at the next APCDA conference, and an Empirical Article for the APCD Journal
IAEVG Membership – A Benefit of APCDA Membership
Did you know that you automatically become a member of the International Association of Educational and Vocation Guidance (IAEVG) when you join APCDA? Each year, APCDA pays dues to IAEVG for all of our members.
IAEVG has a 75-year history of providing global leadership in and advocating for guidance by promoting ethical, socially just, and best practices throughout the world so that career, educational and vocational guidance and counselling is available to all citizens from competent and qualified practitioners.
Behind the scenes, IAEVG and many of its members have helped in the development of APCDA. When we want to develop resources for our members, such as our Ethical Guidelines, we turn first to IAEVG for guidance. As the oldest career development association that is truly international, the materials provided by IAEVG are very relevant and helpful in jump-starting our development.
APCDA Member Logos
Members are invited to get a copy of the new Member Logo from the APCDA Website. The legal agreement published on our website makes it possible for us to provide a logo for use by our members. We currently have five kinds of member logos:
- Individual Members
- Organization Members
- Lifetime Members
- Legacy Partner Lifetime
- Professional associations which offer Joint Membership with APCDA (Affiliates)
If you fall into groups 1 or 4, please go to our website at https://AsiaPacificCDA.org and click “Member Portal.” Choose Workspaces, and your member logos (as JPG or PNG files) should be waiting there for you to download. If you fall into the fifth group, you should have received the logo from us by email.