- Strengthening Career Development Training through CDCP Accreditation
- Highlights and Lessons Learned from 2026 Conference
- APCDA Area Update – May 2026
- President’s Report — Year in Review
- Scholar Highlight: APCDA 2026
- Connect, Reflect, Inform — Grow a Global Community, The Vision that Emerged from APCDA’s 2026 Leadership Retreat
- APCDA Committee Council February Update
- Rethinking Career Development in an Age of AI, Disruption, and Meaning
- Why Join an APCDA Committee?
- Using Your APCDA Member Benefits
- IAEVG Membership – A Benefit of APCDA Membership
- APCDA Logos for Members
By Arun Mittal
APCDA has initiated an accreditation process for training programs designed for career development practitioners and offer a credential upon completion of the training program. We call these programs Career Development Credentialing Programs, so we call our process CDCP Accreditation. CDCP Accreditation has been designed to strengthen and recognize quality career development training across the Asia-Pacific region.
As career development continues to emerge as a critical profession in supporting individuals through education, employment, and lifelong career transitions, there is a growing need for training programs that meet recognized standards of quality and professional practice. APCDA’s CDCP Accreditation has been developed to address this need by providing an independent review and endorsement of career development training programs.
The purpose of accreditation is not to replace or compete with existing training programs. Rather, APCDA Accreditation serves as an added layer of professional recognition, enhancing the value and credibility of both established and newly developed programs. Training providers can continue to deliver their unique curriculum, methodologies, and learning experiences while benefiting from APCDA’s endorsement that their programs align with recognized career development competencies and professional standards.
Under this initiative, universities, professional associations, private training providers, government agencies, and educational institutions offering career development education may apply to have their programs reviewed. Accredited programs will demonstrate that they adequately prepare learners with the knowledge, skills, ethical understanding, and professional competencies expected of career development practitioners.
By Grace Koamesah
The 2026 APCDA Hybrid Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has been another unforgettable experience. Beyond the applause, a conference’s success is reflected not only in its sessions but also in the insights of its attendees. Following the event, attendees were invited to share their overall feedback through a post-conference survey in Whova. This summary presents the highlights of the survey results from 41 respondents who shared their insights on what they value most from the conference, as well as valuable improvements for future conferences.
Valuable aspects of the conference
Respondents were asked to rank the aspects of the conference that influenced their decision to attend (6 = Most important, 1 = Least important), with Presentation quality ranked as the most important aspect (4.20). This finding is supported by the open-ended responses where 46% of respondents commented that they gained valuable insights from presenters of diverse backgrounds and from the wide range of topics. The second highest-ranked aspect is Networking (3.82), and 60% of respondents appreciating the opportunity to connect with fellow career advocates and industry professionals across the Asia-Pacific region. The third most important factor was Overall cost (3.45). Many respondents highlighted APCDA’s sense of purpose and strong sense of belonging and camaraderie, noting that interactions with career practitioners from different countries reinforced the value of APCDA membership.
What should we do differently next year?
One suggestion was that all keynote speakers should be physically present. The APCDA Board stands by the decision to enable an excellent speaker who is unable to travel. Offering him the opportunity to provide a keynote remotely was an intentional act of inclusion. During the in-person presentations, the intention to select only “Dialogue” sessions on the first day was impossible to maintain as speakers had issues with their in-person attendance. Most of these sessions were presentations, which felt like false advertising. It was noted that the product marketing sessions were not clearly labelled. It was requested that there be more time for networking sessions. The quality of the tours and the efficiency of the registration process are also things that we hope to improve at future conferences.
The complete results of the survey can be found here: 2026 Conference Overall Survey Results
A Snapshot of Career Development Trends Across the Asia-Pacific Region
The career development landscape across the Asia-Pacific region continues to evolve rapidly, shaped by technological innovation, changing labour market demands, demographic shifts, and growing investment in workforce development. Reports submitted by APCDA Area Representatives highlight both shared challenges and unique regional responses, ranging from AI-driven transformation and skills development initiatives to the strengthening of professional career guidance systems. The following summary provides a snapshot of key developments across APCDA member countries and regions during the first half of 2026.
1. Labour Market & Economic Trends
Across the Asia-Pacific region, labour markets remain resilient yet are undergoing significant transformation. Hong Kong reported strong economic growth of 5.9% in Q1 2026, while Japan continues to experience severe labour shortages, driving wage increases and more flexible employment practices. Canada faces a mixed employment outlook with moderate unemployment and continued economic uncertainty. Australia’s labour market has softened slightly, particularly for youth, while Pakistan and South China are grappling with high numbers of young job seekers entering the workforce. Demand for talent remains strongest in AI, cybersecurity, digital technologies, sustainability, healthcare, logistics, and advanced manufacturing.
2. Education, Skills & Workforce Development
Governments throughout the region are investing heavily in employability and skills development. North India announced major investments in education, vocational training, and apprenticeship programs, while Malaysia continues advancing its National TVET Policy 2030. The Philippines introduced labour education into tertiary curricula, and Vietnam launched scholarship initiatives to encourage enrolment in science and engineering fields. Pakistan expanded digital, green, and AI-focused training, while South China intensified efforts to support graduate employment through job fairs and career planning initiatives.
3. AI, Technology & Future Work
Artificial Intelligence is emerging as a defining theme across the region. Vietnam estimates that over 20% of jobs may be affected by Generative AI, particularly in finance, information, and administrative sectors. Australia, Macau, Japan, and Hong Kong report increasing AI adoption in workplaces, recruitment, and career services. Organizations are focusing on balancing technological advancement with ethical, human-centred career support and workforce development.
4. Growth of Career Development Practice
Career development continues to gain recognition as a professional field. Kazakhstan launched a national professional development program for university career centre leaders, while Canada expanded its national certification and standards framework. Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan reported growing practitioner networks, professional learning opportunities, and stronger collaboration among educators, counsellors, psychologists, and employers. APCDA’s influence continues to support regional capacity building and international partnerships.
5. Regional Engagement & Career Initiatives
Universities, governments, and professional associations are increasing investment in career education and employability. Large-scale career fairs and industry engagement activities were reported in Macau, South China, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Indonesia is preparing regional career development events, while APCDA conferences and collaborations continue to strengthen cross-border learning and professional exchange throughout the region. Together, these developments demonstrate growing recognition that effective career development is essential for economic resilience, workforce readiness, and lifelong learning.
By Dr. Elisabeth Montgomery
Conference Snapshot
From April 20–29, 2026, APCDA and our gracious hosts at Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur perfected the hybrid format for the theme most expertly embraced: “Inclusive Career Development in Global Transitions.” According to the numbers, among our 453 total participants, 178 attended the conference in person, while 275 were virtual. The largest groups of attendees were from our neighbors in Singapore, then Malaysia, Vietnam, India, United States, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia.
Inclusivity as Purpose
The Universiti Malaya is the oldest and most respected university in Malaysia, making it an ideal setting for our hybrid conference by facilitating meaningful discussions, cultural exchanges, and global collaborations that advance inclusive career development. Our Asia Pacific theme rekindled the flames, making it the central purpose of the presentations, sharpening new employment skills and strategies in the field.
What emerged was an exceptional amount of regional creativity and advocacy from all sectors of the region and beyond. And a few fiery manifestos! Many advocated for workforce change, embracing entrepreneurship, working with AI/automation, implementing workplace mitigations to secure long-term onboarding, and defining success in new ways. Members re-energized around disabled participants and young women, especially within our youth contingencies. Amid extreme regional climate transitions, research on expanding career education focused on securing and protecting inclusive access.
The Keynote & Panel Themes
Universiti Malaya, APCDA’s gracious host, invests in inclusive leadership development, professional learning, and emerging voices, partnering with government, corporations, and nonprofits to design principled opportunities for inclusive workplaces.
The conference opened with an opening Keynote from UM EXPERT Dr. Ahmad Shamsuri Muhamad, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, who addressed “From Barriers to Breakthroughs: Building Resilient and Inclusive Practices in Career Development” bridging diversity in career development. He was followed by the Dean of the Faculty of Education, and UMEXPERT, Department of Educational Management, Planning and Policy Prof. Dr. Ahmad Zavidi bin Abdul Razak on the theme of Holistic Human Development.
Keynote speaker Dr. William E. Donald, an Associate Professor of Sustainable Careers and Human Resource Management led the topic, “Shaping a Sustainable and Inclusive Career Ecosystem: A Collective Call to Action” calling for a career ecosystem both technologically advanced and human centric. He was followed by distinguished Keynote speaker Dr. Roberta Borgen, President of Life Strategies Ltd., Canada. Her conviction was “It takes a Village: Bridging the Diversity Disconnect in Career Development.” Inclusive workforce development, resilience, disability inclusion, holistic human development, career development in transitions, and the future of work were covered across the Asia Pacific!
Conference Panel Discussion.
Elisabeth Montgomery, PhD, moderated the conference’s signature panel discussion that brought together five leaders from across Malaysia’s employment ecosystem to ask how social enterprise, government, the HR profession, employers, and academia can collaborate to solve talent scarcity while keeping people at the center. The Panel Discussion, “Bridging the Divide: Shaping an Inclusive and Resilient Workforce in Malaysia’s Global Transition” began with panelists naming mega-trends in their fields. They then discussed cross-sector collaboration and closed with a collective call to action – aligning with Dr. William Donald’s keynote calling for a career ecosystem both technologically advanced and human-centric.
Ms. Grace Gan Wei Ching (Enabling Academy, Yayasan Gamuda) drew on her fifteen years as a coach to show what inclusive hiring looks like in practice for neurodivergent talent and how coaching capability is built and scaled. And Ms. Gayathri A/P Vadivel), a pioneer of Malaysia’s Return to Work programme (sponsored by PERKESO) and director of the MYFutureJobs portal, examined large-scale employment support and how digital platforms can widen inclusion rather than create barriers.
Mr. Simon Benjamin (Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management) brought three decades in employee relations to embedding inclusion into core HR systems rather than side programs. While Ms. Siti Norliza Mohd Sahar (Liza Sahar) (CIMB) spoke on widening the talent funnel, shoring up populations with scarce digital skills, and inclusive recruitment mechanics, while framing retention as the other half of talent acquisition. And Dr. Pang Jee Ching (Universiti Malaya) offered person-centered, rights-based principles for supported employment, making the case for inclusion as a source of workforce resilience.
Together, the panel modeled the conference’s conviction that inclusive, human-centric employment is the foundation of a resilient workforce — and that Malaysia’s model offers a blueprint for others.
APCDA Scholars & Resilience Scholars
In 2026, APCDA expanded access for emerging professionals, students, early-career practitioners, and scholars from underrepresented contexts. The scholarship program directly advances APCDA’s inclusion mission. Of our 125 APCDA Scholars across 21 countries, the largest groups came from Vietnam (26), India (23), the Philippines (15), Malaysia (14), Pakistan (7), Australia (6), Indonesia (6), China (4), the USA (4), Yemen (4), Sri Lanka (3), Japan (2), Taiwan (2), and with one scholar each from Hong Kong, the Maldives, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UK.
In meetings prior to the Conference, APCDA staff Tuan Anh Le and Board members Nila Urrea and Elisabeth Montgomery answered questions and reviewed expectations with our scholars to find ways for them to contribute to the organization in the year ahead. Among our scholars are also “Resilience Scholars” distinguished by UN conflict zones, whose circumstances call for a wide range of strategies and support from our global community.
PDIs & Learning Tours
Every year APCDA members express a strong interest in pre-conference and supplemental learning, both in-person and virtual PDI participation. The 2026 Professional Development Institutes (PDI). The 3-hour course for conference participants seeking a more profound learning experience hosted Dr. Roberta Borgen and Dr. William Borgen’s “A Reflective Approach to Career Development for Diverse Clients. Offered prior to the Conference opening, the intensive, audience engaged program emphasized professional development on the topic of inclusivity.
Kuala Lumpur, Cyberjaya, Melaka. Kuala Lumpur, known for its dynamic economy and multicultural society, offers a vibrant backdrop that merges tradition with modernity, making it an inspiring venue for all participants. That tour also included lunch at the Autism Cafe. The Cyberjaya Tour included visits to Multimedia University, Cyberview Sdn Bhd (a city planning company), and MDEC (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation). An all-day excursion to beautiful and historic Melaka city included a visit to a PERKESO vocational center.
The Industry Tour included GRAB and Air Asia, each connecting the theme to Malaysia’s educational, cultural, technological, and workforce ecosystems. The emphasis was on the topic of workplace training and accessing jobs.
Sponsors & Supporters
This year’s conference was made possible by the generosity of our sponsors and contributors, whose support enabled access, strengthened learning, and sustained conference operations. We extend particular thanks to Kinobi.ai and CIMB, along with the many other organizations and individuals who gave of their resources.
Kinobi.ai, an AI-powered career development and student success platform for higher education, reflects the very future our theme imagines technology that scales personalized, human-centered career guidance for students and early-career professionals across the region. As an organization that has previously partnered with APCDA on examining the state of university career services in the Asia Pacific, Kinobi shares our commitment to widening access and connecting learning to meaningful employment.
CIMB, one of ASEAN’s leading banks, brought to the conference a deep and demonstrated commitment to inclusive workforce development. Across Malaysia and the wider Pacific Rim, CIMB has invested in diversity and inclusion as a cornerstone of its work embedding non-discrimination in how it develops and advances its own people, delivering DEI masterclasses for corporate leaders across ASEAN. This is accomplished with funding, training, upskilling, and entrepreneurship programs that reach women-led businesses, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable communities. Their participation, including on our panel, embodied the partnership between employers, educators, and social systems that this conference set out to strengthen.
Together, these sponsors did more than underwrite an event they helped advance a shared vision of an inclusive, human-centric career ecosystem.
2026 Takeaways
In 2026, APCDA strengthened regional participation, membership and scholar inclusion increased, expanded hybrid access, professional learning, new partnerships, and momentum for leadership rapidly developed.
Member & Regional Engagement
• APCDA strengthened our networks by building Area Representatives, recruiting deeper involvement of board members, volunteers, presenters, moderators, and broadened country participation.
• These efforts now position APCDA as a working regional association.
Hybrid Access & Virtual Engagement
• Virtual attendance exceeded in-person level, which demonstrate the importance of the hybrid model.
• APCDA broadened participation across countries reduced travel barriers, and served a wide geographic region across time zones.
• Hybrid coordination, time zones, speaker preparation, platform navigation, communication flow, scholar onboarding, session recordings, along with clearer pre-conference orientation assured success.
Looking Ahead — 2026–2027
- Activate the CDCP certification throughout the region; CDP programs and services become a well-integrated design.
- Initiate the first members into the Circle of Wisdom to develop long-term stability and global achievement.
- Area Representative mentorships; double the number of 8–12-month mentorships from 8 to 16.
- Deepen our scholar engagement to assure that new ideas and excitement for future conferences,
- Continue to develop our hybrid accessibility.
by Elisabeth Montgomery, PhD
The APCDA 2026 Conference welcomed scholars from across the Asia Pacific and beyond as one shared professional community. Through conference sessions, informal exchanges, and guided conversations, scholars connected across regions, disciplines, and telling their lived experiences. Those attending the Conference in person brought their voices and inquiries forward, engaging leaders in fresh perspectives on career development, inclusion, resilience, and the future of work.
Within this wider scholar community, APCDA also welcomed Resilience Scholars whose professional commitment continues under conditions of conflict and disruption. Their presence deepened the meaning of inclusion—not as a separate category, but as a shared responsibility to create access, dignity, and belonging for all scholars.
This year, APCDA is especially honored to have recognize a past scholar Farha Bin Beshr of Yemen (Resilience Scholar in 2024) with the APCDA 2026 President’s Award for Advocacy. Farha’s work with AMIDEAST in Aden has supported students through international education advising scholarship pathways, intercultural exchange, and youth development. Her APCDA journey has also created a ripple effect: after receiving an APCDA Hybrid Conference Scholarship in 2024, she continued advocating for young professionals in Yemen, helping others connect with APCDA opportunities in 2025 and 2026.
Farha’s leadership reminds us that career development can become a powerful instrument of hope, access, and peacebuilding.
By Dr. Elisabeth Montgomery
In Kuala Lumpur on May 1, the full APCDA board, officers, and staff gathered to create a shared purpose, inspiring a sense of unity and collective pride in shaping our future. What emerged was more than a strategic plan. It was an articulation of APCDA’s DNA, our values, commitments, and aspirations that bind this Asia Pacific community together. We also articulated a calling: to connect, reflect, inform, and grow a global community of practice in career development.
There was something different about those of us in the room by the time the closing remarks began. Participants described it as a palpable shift in atmosphere that led to a deepened sense of trust and common purpose, transforming a routine governance gathering into something more like a founding moment by the end of a six-hour day at the Urban Living Residence in Kuala Lumpur. The APCDA 2026 Leadership Retreat set the course for everything the association intends to become.
The retreat brought together the full board, officers, and staff, with several participants connecting virtually and across time zones to address three interlocking questions: What do we truly stand for? How do we build structures that last? And who will carry APCDA’s mission forward into a rapidly changing career development ecosystem?
The image below is the answer the room produced together. It is the Collective Portrait of APCDA’s shared identity and the hub to which everything else in this article connects.
The APCDA Collective Portrait. At its heart, APCDA’s DNA and the values that define who we are is the path we walk together.
What APCDA’s DNA contains
The values radiating from the center of the Collective Portrait were named, refined, and arranged by the participants themselves as the retreat unfolded. From the emerging individual reflections, tested in collective conversation, we finally drew the vision together into a single picture. Three main categories of commitment come into focus:
How we belong to each other: Inclusivity & Belongingness, Sense of Family, Cultural Humility, Intercultural Exchange, Interconnectedness, and Diversity.
How we work in the world: Bridging Individuals, Employers, and Policy Makers; Advocacy; Interdisciplinary Appreciation; Research Driven; Ecological Mindset; Empowerment.
How we grow: Continuous Learning, Meaning, Impact, and Transformation.
The top of the Portrait features four words serving both as a vision and an invitation:
Connect. Reflect. Inform. Grow – A Global Community. In other words, expand our Global Community. These words are an open call to all members, emphasizing that our collective growth depends on active community engagement and shared effort.
Why a retreat and the emerging vision?
Years of growth in membership, conferences, and regional reach revealed structural gaps that routine board meetings could not address. We needed quality time together to develop clearer roles for leaders and staff, conference protocols stretched by complexity, a revenue model facing the limits of scalability, and the unanswered question of who would carry APCDA forward.
Sini Parampota and Allan Gatenby selected Role Biography (Long, 2026) as their leadership development method. We had practiced this last year with significant success. This socio-analytic approach encourages participants to examine their professional journeys by considering both the roles they have undertaken and those they aspire to pursue. This methodology surfaces the patterns, values, and motivations that conventional strategic planning rarely reaches. Members create safe space conditions for alignment and trust, making the visions of the DNA Portrait viable.
The people who made it happen. Lead facilitators Allan Gatenby (Past President) and Sini Parampota (Secretary) joined remotely. In the room: Elisabeth Montgomery (President & Co-Facilitator), Lau Poh Li (President-Elect & Host), Nila Vitug-Urrea (Treasurer), Roberta Borgen (Board/Committee), Natalie Kaufmann (Board/Committee), Brian Schwartz (Officer/Area Council), Baktiar Hasnan (Chair, Area Council). Staff team: Arun Mittal (Executive Director), Marilyn Maze (Finance), Emily Lizada, Tuan Anh Le, and Grace Koamesah (Association Assistants). Gaini Yessembekova (PR Committee) could not attend.
Three main themes ran through every stage: Leadership development, mapping directly onto the DNA values of Continuous Learning, Empowerment, Transformation, and Impact.
Key retreat outcomes and decisions
Beyond the Portrait itself, the retreat produced concrete decisions, each in service of APCDA values:
• Circle of Wisdom named and launched (Longevity, Continuous Learning). The fellowship program for past officers and award winners was formally recognized, will report directly to the board, and will award Fellowship badges.
• APCDA’s Accreditation program structure confirmed (Research Driven, Empowerment). The CDPA Accreditation program will operate outside the committee structure with a dedicated coordinator reporting to the board. The role may become paid as revenue allows.
Moving forward: Connect, Reflect, Inform, Grow
We built the APCDA Collective Portrait in one room one day, but for the vision to take hold, it has to travel across Asia Pacific’s many countries and contexts, into the daily working lives of members who could not be in Kuala Lumpur, and into conversations the board can convene but cannot have on its own. Our numerous Scholars and young practitioners represented at the Malaysia conference echoed the language of inclusivity back to us as they aspire to high engagement with strong interests in meaningful work. The very heart of our organizational DNA signals that our long-term vision resonates with the next generations.
Area Representatives: Bridges
APCDA’s Area Representatives sit at the most strategically important seam in the association: between the board’s initial collective vision and the lived reality of members in their countries, regions, and sub-regions. The retreat made clear that Area Representatives are our main strength for global unity. They are being asked to become co-stewards of the Collective Portrait by communicating our DNA values into local languages, stand as examples of stewardship, and who focus on our interwoven priorities. And to carry member voices back into the organization’s center. In practical terms, the months ahead will involve three things from Area Reps:
- Carrying the Portrait home. Each Area Representative will be equipped with a plain-language summary of the Collective Portrait, the DNA values, the key proposals (Circle of Wisdom and the CDCP accreditation structure). This includes the questions the leadership wants members to answer. A guiding question: which of the DNA values feel strongest in your context, and which needs more attention?
- Hosting local conversations and reporting back. Ahead of the June Annual Members Meeting, Area Representatives are encouraged to convene short virtual gatherings in their areas, small enough for real dialogue, yet large enough to surface a range of perspectives. And to bring those perspectives into the wider meeting, a survey feedback channel, to be confirmed at the June meeting, will give Area Representatives an ongoing route for emerging ideas.
- Identifying emerging leaders. Currently, the APCDA mentorship program has 8 of the 26 Area Representatives matched with mentors. Mentors are seasoned members and uniquely positioned to spot practitioners, especially younger ones, who would benefit from being invited to APCDA committees, conference roles, or the mentorship program. Engage in mentor-mentee relationships for 6 months and chart your changes.
For every general member, whether you have been part of APCDA for a decade or joined this year, the retreat opens a genuine invitation, not a ceremonial one. The Collective Portrait is unfinished by design, and the next stages depend on member voices. There are several concrete ways to take part:
- Attend the Annual Members Meeting on June 15–16.
- Join a task group or step into a committee role.
- Reach out to your Area Representative.
You do not need to be a board or officer to contribute. If a particular DNA value resonates with you, whether Advocacy, Research, Empowerment, Cultural Humility, or Ecological Mindset, there is almost certainly a place where that resonance can be put to work. If you have ideas, concerns, or a perspective you want carried into the wider conversation, your Area Representative is your most direct route to implementation. Their role is to listen as much as to inform.
The APCDA Leadership Retreat’s underlying conviction is that our strength lies in distributed leadership among our members who know and share career development in their contexts.
“Growing a global community” is not the board’s job. It is everyone’s!
By Natalie Kauffman
APCDA’s nine (9) currently active committee volunteer staff along with journal volunteer staff total almost 130 association members and span the following 25 countries and 2 SARs: Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, KSA, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, S. Korea, Taiwan, United States, Vietnam, and Yemen
Awards & Scholarships Committee Awards Co-Chair (& former APCDA President), Prof. Dr. Narender K Chadha, shared the deadline for our 2025 APCDA Awards is fast approaching, Sunday, March 15th. The three (3) possible awards include: Outstanding Career Practitioner Award, Outstanding Educator of Career Professionals Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award. For further details on our association’s 2026 Awards Nomination Process, pease see: https://asiapacificcda.org/awards/
Scholarship Committee Co-Chairs Tuan Anh Le and Dr. Ma. Leonila V. Urrea (& current APCDA Treasurer) determined the selection criteria by which over 140 scholarship applications were evaluated and 123 scholarships were awarded. The Resilience Scholarship team have been virtually meeting with conflict-zone scholarship applicants. The committee will provide a Scholar Meetup in April to prepare scholars to take advantage of the conference and a video of the selected scholarship recipients which will be shown during the Awards Ceremony at our upcoming Malaysia conference.
Bylaws Committee Co-Chairs Allan Gatenby (also immediate past APCDA President, Accreditation Committee Chair, & Nominations & Elections Committee Chair) and Natalie Kauffman (also Committee Council Chair & Membership Committee Co-Chair) and the Bylaws team have met to discuss possibly adding five (5) additional components to APCDA’s Policy and Procedures (P&P) Manual. They cordially invite all interested association members to join them on Sunday evening, March 22/Monday morning, March 23 to begin to update APCDA’s P&P Manual. Whether you have previous nonprofit bylaws writing/editing experience or are interested in building your experience, your participation is warmly welcomed. If interested in attending, please email the Co-Chairs at Bylaws@AsiaPacificCDA.org.
Ethics and Standards Committee Chair, Dr. Vandana Gambhir Chopra and the committee team are gearing up for their Malaysia Conference presentation; an interactive session inviting career development professionals to collaboratively reflect on existing standards and ethical practices in the field. Participants will have the opportunity to share perspectives, identify emerging ethical challenges, and help strengthen a shared, values-driven professional framework.
News Committee Chair, Momoko Asaka, (& former APCDA President) invites submissions to APCDA’s Weekly News. Please link to the following and scroll down for the HOW To guidelines:
https://asiapacificcda.org/news/
Natalie Kauffman and Kunimitsu Kuki, Membership Committee Co-Chairs, and the Membership Committee have been enjoying meeting with NEW and potential APCDA members through individual and
group Orientations and Meetups. They are delighted to share that association membership is on the rise! Kudos to team members Alicia Ch’ng (also Awards & Scholarships Committee member), Ayza Figuro (also Philippines Area Representative), and Sarah McKinna for crafting and facilitating the recent Community of Practice gathering. Through small group discussions, more than 35 APCDA members were able showcase their respective Career Development AI CAPABILITIES & KNOWLEDGE. It also was a Gift that kept on Giving, multiple ongoing LinkedIn connections were forged.
Nominations & Elections Committee Chair (&), Allan Gatenby wants to remind us all, “it’s not too early to be thinking about running or nominating an association member for President!” You will begin to hear more about our association’s Nominations & Elections Process during the upcoming conference in Malaysia. Allan looks forward to virtually introducing some of the nominees during our annual June Membership Meeting.
Co-Chairs, Dr. Sujata Ives, Muhammad Basit Rana, and the Program Committee have been enjoying programming and providing podcasts and webinars. Webinars between now & the end of May are currently being marketed in our APCDA Weekly News, in our website’s Member Portal Calendar, and/or our website’s Upcoming Webinar page, https://asiapacificcda.org/live-webinars/.
Ani Titus and Gaini Yessembekova (also Committee Council Representative) Public Relations Co-Chairs, and the Public Relations Committee have been sharing as well as building their skills across three subcommittees formed late last year,
- Social Media & Design
- Advocacy
- Capacity Development
Research Chair, Dr. Serene Lin-Stephens, and the Research team continue to discuss research collaboration and how to categorize APCDA Conference topics to identify popular trends. Perhaps this is the time to join the team? Please email the Chair at Research@AsiaPacificCDA.org.
Dr. Poh Li Lau is editor of our APCD Journal (as well as our APCDA President Elect). Our Associate Editors include:
- Amberyce Ang, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore
- Sang Min Lee, Korea University, South Korea
- Serene Lin-Stephens, RMIT University, Australia
- Hsiu-Lan (Shelley) Tien, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
Our Journal leadership kindly invite you to submit your article for the next Journal issue. To find out more regarding the guidelines for submitting articles, please connect to the following APCDA web page & scroll down to click and find out more.
In closing, our committees and journal warmly thank all their volunteer staff and cordially invite you, yes you, to attend their next virtual committee and/or journal gathering. Remember, the date of the next Bylaws Committee Meeting is Sunday evening, March 22/Monday morning, March 23.
At APCDA, much of the work is done by our Standing Committees (groups that continue year after year). All members are welcome to join.
Joining a committee is a great way to get to know other members personally and build global relationships, in addition to providing a really valuable contribution to the field of career development. Below are comments from the chairs of our standing committees about the unique benefits each committee offers.
Natalie Kauffman, Membership Committee Co-Chair
“APCDA offers a lot of services, more than most members know about. Members of the Membership Committee help others learn how to use these services and connects you to the new members and potential new members. You can build worldwide connections and help others to take full advantage of what APCDA has to offer.”
Kunimitsu Kuki, Membership Committee Co-Chair, Membership@AsiaPacificCDA.org
“Joining the Program Committee offers a unique opportunity to shape impactful professional development for APCDA members by identifying relevant topics, connecting with expert speakers, and facilitating engaging webinars. As a committee member, you’ll contribute to the continuous professional development of career professionals across the Asia-Pacific region, while also expanding your network and enhancing your professional skills.”
Syed Hassan Abdullah, Program Committee Co-Chair, Program@AsiaPacificCDA.org
“We invite you to join the Research Committee, where your experience can play a pivotal role in advancing the field of Career Development and driving impactful change. Collaborate with dedicated professionals to shape innovative research initiatives that enhance career pathways and empower individuals to achieve their goals. Together, we can inspire new ideas and foster a culture of research and innovation!”
Dr. Poh Li Lau, Research Committee Co-Chair, Research@AsiaPacificCDA.org
“PR Committee plays a key role in developing strategies to enhance APCDA’s visibility both in our region and globally. Additionally, you will have the chance to enhance your skills in virtual presentations, team-building, and project management—skills that are highly transferable and beneficial across various professional contexts. Most importantly, you will be making a meaningful contribution to raising APCDA’s profile.”
Gaini Yessembekova, Public Relations Co-Chair, PublicRelations@AsiaPacificCDA.org
“Our Ethics and Standards Committee is where your voice can truly shape the future! Imagine contributing to the very principles that guide our profession globally—standards that empower trust, integrity, and professional growth. Join us, and let’s set the gold standard together while building a network of passionate professionals dedicated to making an impact.”
Vandana Gambhir, Ethics and Standards Committee Chair, Ethics@AsiaPacificCDA.org 
APCDA is an association of people who love their work and are eager to share their expertise with others. It is our goal to make that sharing as easy as possible.
In November 2023, we moved to a new website and new member database software which offers a “Member Portal” to facilitate communication among members and displays our other member services. Your Member Portal is a vital part of the services offered by APCDA. The new software offers several valuable features that were previously scattered over 2 software systems.
Unfortunately, networking with each other became more difficult when we switched because we were not able to copy the photo and bio of our members to the new system. Have you updated your Member Profile in the Member Portal? If not, we urge to do this now. Another vital piece of information is the Country where you live. Unfortunately, our new software hides that information under Address. Since we do not communicate by mail, “Address” does not seem very important. But your Country is important (and your city). December is a month for giving. We hope all of our members will make it easier for other members in need of your advice and assistance to find you by adding a photo of your face, a bio describing your areas of focus, and your country. Please help us to make member networking easier.
Have you looked closely at your Member Portal? When we moved our website, we offered a Basic video to introduce the features to you. We have just added an Advanced video to explain in detail the many features which are unique to this new software and help you connect to each other. Special features of the Member Portal include:
- Member Discussion Space: You can find this under “Workspaces” in the Portal. We invite you to share any issue you may be facing at work. Ask for advice, and others who have experience in that area will join the discussion.
- If you prefer a more targeted approach, try searching the “Directory” for members who work in a similar setting. The Directory displays names, emails, and organizations for all of our members. One click takes you to the photo and bio for any member. Please feel free to reach out to other members who you think might have similar interests. We are all separated by large distances, but the member directory can bring us closer together.
- The Store lists past webinars. Most are free to members, and many of the presenters are famous in our field. It is a treasure chest filled with valuable information.
- My Account is the place to update your own information. Look for “My Profile” -> “Member Profile”, and don’t forget to make sure your Country is listed under “Contact Info.” My Account also contains certification of the webinars you attended and many other pieces of information about you and your 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.
Members are invited to download a copy of the Member Logo from the APCDA Website. The legal agreement published on our website makes it possible for our members to use this logo on your website, signature, or letterhead. 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 to 4, please go to our website at 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.
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