The GCDF Program

The GCDF Career Consultant

The Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) started in 1997 as a joint initiative the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE), National Career Development Association and National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee. Since then, the GCDF program has grown and matured, now offering customization for different nations' characteristics, according to country-specific needs. Currently, GCDF exists in Bulgaria, Canada, China, Germany, Greece, Japan, Macedonia, New Zealand, Romania, South Korea, Turkey and the United States. It will be launched in Portugal in 2010.
The GCDF Career Consultant is a graduate of the GCDF training program, as approved by CCE. The main role of the GCDF is to facilitate the access of clients to existing professional opportunities in the labor market and to assist them in the process of personal and professional development.
Career consulting is a key service for an education system and labor market as an instrument for helping individuals find careers that capitalize on their skills. In the European and global labor market, the GCDF program can be one solution for offering clients high quality career services.

Benefits

General Benefits for Universities and students:
• Contributes to diversify the educational offer of the universities, granting a new certification in career counseling which completes the master/BA degree:
• Offers more chances for the graduates to find jobs and, as a consequence, the program brings value to the university;
• Since getting the certificate is not conditioned by the previous major, we can conclude that the GCDF certificate widens the area of job opportunities.

Benefits for students and GCDF graduates:
• Helps them to form a systemic way of thinking and a reflexive attitude in approaching the field of professional development and career management;
• Students can practice their communication and assessment;
• They learn to value all elements in order to effectively approach various career issues.