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NCDA Sets Legislative Agenda
The National Career Development Association (NCDA), a founding division of the American Counseling Association (ACA), has established a legislative agenda during its 2008 annual Global Conference in Washington, DC.
NCDA Brand Statement
1. Worker Employability (Sustainability and Resiliency): To prepare the nation's citizenry for the dynamic nature of the ever-changing and turbulent world of work and to bolster the government's efforts to train a competitive workforce that is well-equipped to compete in a global economy and meet the demands of employers, the National Career Development Association urges Congress to extend the roles and responsibilities of the nation's education and workforce development systems (community colleges, One Stop Career Centers) beyond a singular focus on employMENT (i.e., measuring the numbers of persons trained and employed) to an increased emphasis on individual worker sustainability and resiliency (i.e., measuring increases in long-term, personal employABILITY success).
2. Individual Career Plans: To curb the nation's alarming school dropout problem and significantly increase the career readiness of America's youth—particularly in relation to high-growth, high-demand industries (e.g., the STEM disciplines)—the National Career Development Association urges Congress to develop policies and fund relevant, evidence-based career developmentand education programsthat help students internalize the connection between school and work, preparing them for a lifetime of successful work and education. We further call for the implementation of a system by which every young person has an Individual Career Development Plan in place prior to enrollment in high school, which will becompleted and updated annually with the assistance of a certified/licensed career development practitioner (including school counselors, career development facilitators, licensed professional counselors, etc.).
