Over the summer, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (SCS) Blueprint Career Services team has been hard at work updating workshop materials, curating excellent free resources for Blueprint Portal members, and connecting with community groups who need specific career support. 

Now they are ready to dive into a new season of support and guidance for anyone ready to make a big career change, whether they are taking on a new role, learning to adapt their skills in a new country, or joining an entirely new industry.

SCS Career Strategist, Ann Park, is looking forward to bringing SCS Blueprint offerings to a wider audience. 

“We are very excited about our Fall 2023 season! In addition to continuing to offer our core career support services, Blueprint will be participating again in the Canadian Immigrant Fair taking place on November 9, and our very own Juan Mavo-Navarro will be a key note speaker,” she says.

“We will also be working with the Learning Enrichment Foundation for our very first in-person panel.”

The in-person panel is entitled Empowering Internationally Educated Healthcare Professionals and will offer participants an opportunity to hear their peers’ success stories, learn about opportunities for them to upskill or reskill to suit the needs of Canadian healthcare, and to build their Canadian career networks. 

Park says she is excited to have Blueprint be a part of the future of healthcare in Canada, and that she is particularly proud that Blueprint fits in with the rest of the School of Continuing Studies’ commitment to accessibility. 

“We also recently had the opportunity to participate in the BALANCE for Blind Adults Community Information Fair. I was chatting with a woman there who had taken a course through SCS and was so impressed with the options and support provided to her when it came to accessibility,” she says. 

“I’m extremely happy that we are able to offer the same support and accommodations through Blueprint, because it means we aren’t limited in who we can assist on their career journey.”

To that end, Blueprint will be hosting a free, online discussion panel on Navigating the Workplace with a Disability, Wednesday, Sept. 27. 

According to a Canadian Human Rights Commission study, at the national level, the employment rates of people with disabilities are substantially lower when compared to those of people without disabilities.  This panel will examine, given these statistics, how people who identify as having a disability or disabilities should navigate the workplace;  how they should request accommodations; and when they should disclose that they have a disability when they are looking for employment. 

“The Navigating the Workplace With a Disability panel promises to address a pressing issue,” Park explains, 

“It’s essential to have conversations like these. People with disabilities often face unique challenges, and discussing how to navigate the workplace and when to disclose a disability can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their careers.”

In addition to the Navigating the Workplace with a Disability RealTalk panel, a new season of Blueprint’s popular free, online Industry Insights panel discussions, featuring industry experts, kicks off October 18 with a banking industry-focused expert discussion and interactive Q and A session. The rest of the season will cover a diverse range of Topics, providing participants with valuable industry-specific knowledge to help them make informed career choices.

Blueprint’s Career Wayfinding Workshops, which use design thinking principles to help participants find the way forward when their next career step is uncertain and support them in gaining clarity and direction in their careers, will continue will remain a cornerstone of their fall 2023 offerings.

The free, online Blueprint Career Services Portal will continue to offer up-to-date resources to help portal members define and meet their career objectives. 

Those in need of one-on-one guidance, can sign up for the school’s CareerNav sessions with Blueprint’s in-house Career Strategist who will work with them to clarify their goals, address their specific career needs, and provide them with a targeted action plan.

And Blueprint’s CliftonStrengths Workshops will round out the fall 2023 season by helping participants to identify and harness their natural abilities and use them to propel their careers forward and achieve their goals. 

To learn more about the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Blueprint Career Services, visit their website and the Blueprint Portal. 

The School of Continuing Studies is the centre of lifelong learning at the University of Toronto. They offer transformative personal and professional enrichment opportunities through hundreds of expert-led, non-degree courses and certificates. They value diversity and welcome learners from all educational backgrounds and all stages of the professional/learning journey. Their learners, clients, and a passion for lifelong learning are at the heart of everything they do.