Reimagining Career Services

Rethinking our approach to work and learning

Canada’s world of work is shifting rapidly. Automation, the rise of gig work, climate change, the pandemic, an aging populace, and beyond are reshaping how people build careers and how employers sustain their workforce.

These changes have exposed deep gaps in our employment ecosystem: services that don’t meet the needs of today’s workers, employers struggling without adequate support, and practitioners asked to do more without the tools and training to succeed.

Where the ecosystem falls short

Our current ecosystem fails to meet the full needs of four key groups:

• Individuals facing complex barriers. Many unemployed Canadians experience intersecting challenges, such as poor health, unstable housing, limited childcare, and financial insecurity. Existing employment services often prioritize rapid job placement over long-term stability, pushing people into low-wage or precarious roles that don’t address their underlying needs and can lead to repeated cycles of unemployment.
• Mid-career workers. Canadians in their 30s, 40s, and 50s are increasingly expected to reskill, adapt to automation, or transition into new industries. Yet current systems rarely support career pivots while people remain employed. Services are often only available once workers lose their jobs, leaving those in precarious or disrupted sectors without proactive guidance.
• Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs make up over 90% of Canadian businesses and employ two-thirds of the private-sector workforce, but many lack the resources for structured workforce planning. Without accessible, affordable tools and services, many struggle with recruitment, retention, and training—pressures that have only grown in the wake of the pandemic and ongoing labour shortages.
• Career development practitioners (CDPs). CDPs provide critical guidance to Canadians navigating disruption, but their profession remains fragmented and under-resourced. Training and professional development opportunities are inconsistent, national standards are only emerging, and recognition of their role is limited. Without stronger supports, practitioners cannot fully meet the increasingly complex needs of the workers and employers they serve.

A portfolio of innovation

In response to these shortcomings, Blueprint launched the Re-imagining Career Services (RCS) initiative with funding from the Future Skills Centre (FSC).

Rather than a single solution, RCS is testing multiple new models to serve different parts of the system—unemployed individuals with complex barriers, mid-career workers navigating transitions, SMEs addressing recruitment and retention, and practitioners who guide Canadians through disruption. Each project is co-designed with partners on the ground, piloted in real-world contexts, and evaluated to generate evidence on what works and what doesn’t.

RCS Phase One (January to July 2021)

In 2021, Blueprint engaged a multi-disciplinary team of Canadian and international subject-matter experts and thought leaders to identify gaps and needs, explore alternatives, and provide actionable insights to help Canadians navigate the future of work. We captured these findings in nine richly detailed research papers and in a summative research brief.

RCS Phase Two (April 2022 to 2027)

Recognizing that change needs to happen throughout the system, Blueprint launched transformative work streams to put our research into practice. Throughout Phase Two, we’re working with partners to identify, design, and test promising career service innovations to generate evidence on what works, what doesn’t, and to share evidence and insights with the sector.

We have four novel service models helping to shape career services of the future:

Pathways to Opportunity. Launched in Ontario with partners WoodGreen Community Services, The Neighbourhood Group, Bruce County, and YMCA Owen Sound Grey Bruce, Pathways to Opportunity (PtO) supports social assistance clients facing complex barriers to employment. The pilot combines personalized coaching, financial empowerment, skills development, wraparound supports, and incentives to help participants transition from Ontario Works to sustainable employment. PtO is testing a comprehensive, evidence-informed model to strengthen employment services and expand opportunities for individuals with low incomes.

Mid-career Transitions. In partnership with Douglas College (BC) and the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT), Mid-Career Transitions is testing dual-client service models that support both mid-career workers and SMEs. Using co-design and prototyping, the project is piloting tailored services—group-based workshops, one-on-one counselling, and employer engagement strategies—that help workers navigate career changes while meeting employer workforce needs. The project is breaking new ground in designing responsive, scalable career services for working Canadians.

Thriving Workplaces. Along with MixtMode Consulting, the Canadian Career Development Foundation, and the Government of Nova Scotia, Thriving Workplaces is pioneering a dual-client model delivered through Nova Scotia Works. Drawing on extensive user research with SMEs and workers, the project applies an innovative “Magnetic Factors” framework to align worker and employer needs in recruitment, retention, and workplace culture. Currently piloted at Nova Scotia Works sites, this project is reimagining how public employment services can strengthen small businesses, foster retention, and create thriving workplaces.

The Career Development Professional Centre (CDPC). In collaboration with the Canadian Career Development Foundation and MixtMode Consulting, Blueprint is building the Career Development Professional Centre (CDPC)—a pan-Canadian, virtual centre of excellence for career practitioners. With thousands already engaged, the CDPC provides training, resources, a national community of practice, and Canada’s first national certification system for practitioners. This initiative is professionalizing the field, equipping practitioners with new skills and tools, and ensuring Canadians can access high-quality career guidance in a changing economy.

A portfolio for the future of work

By experimenting across this range of challenges, RCS is helping to rebalance the employment ecosystem. The portfolio is building knowledge, capacity, and new service models that can inform how Canada better supports workers, employers, and practitioners in the years ahead—ensuring that our employment system is inclusive, responsive, and ready for the future of work.