A new blueprint for organizations to unlock workforce agility, retention, and growth.
For over a decade, Challenge Factory has shown organizations that career development is a powerful strategic lever, not just an HR responsibility. Now, with funding from CERIC and in partnership with the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE), we’re advancing this work to help employers build resilient, future-ready workforces.
We’re thrilled to announce our new project: Empowering Organizations Through Career Development – A Blueprint for Creating Career Development Centres of Expertise. This initiative equips leaders with practical tools to embed career development at the core of their workforce strategy—driving employee engagement, internal mobility, and long-term success.
“Too many organizations still rely on outdated career and talent structures. This project offers employers of all sizes and across sectors the opportunity to innovate and leverage a careers culture with practical, actionable tools. The integration of leading career development approaches with future-focused workforce strategies is both unique and powerful—especially when people managers and career development practitioners work together. This initiative has the potential to become another Canadian success story that the rest of the world looks to for inspiration.”
Lisa Taylor, Founder and CEO, Challenge Factory
Read CERIC’s funding announcement and project description.
Why this project matters now
Canadian workplaces and labour markets are undergoing a profound shift. Employers face persistent talent shortages, evolving employee expectations, and a pressing need to future-proof their organizations. Yet career development, when offered at all, is often siloed—reserved for leadership pipelines or reactive outplacement services.
The most effective career development is proactive, enterprise-wide, and seamlessly integrated into business strategy. With this project, we’ll create a hands-on playbook and workshop that show executives and HR leaders exactly how to:
- Assess their organization’s readiness to establish an internal career centre of expertise
- Build a compelling business case and ROI for career-focused strategies
- Partner effectively with career development professionals to enhance workforce agility
- Design and implement their own custom career centre
This isn’t about a one-size-fits-all model. It’s about leveraging how career development strengthens both people and productivity—at scale.
What we’re delivering
Our team will work with leaders across industries to co-create resources that bridge the gap between organizational priorities and career development best practices. The project will produce:
- A practical playbook with actionable strategies, frameworks, and tools
- A synchronous workshop to help executives and HR teams design, test, and implement their own internal career centres
- Insights and case studies highlighting how career development drives retention, engagement, and innovation
Findings will be shared at Cannexus 2026, Canada’s largest career development conference, and made available for broader use by employers everywhere.
Get involved
This project is for:
- HR professionals looking to integrate career development into talent strategies, improve retention, and enable internal mobility.
- Executives and leaders seeking a clear business case and roadmap to embed career development across their organizations.
- Learning and talent teams focused on upskilling, training, and succession planning.
- Career development professionals aiming to build stronger partnerships with employers.
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Interested in bringing a career development centre of expertise to your organization? Contact us to start a conversation.
Join us in creating a future where talent grows, adapts, and thrives at the same speed of business change.
The Challenge Factory difference
Workforce challenges are complex, and they demand more than surface-level solutions. At Challenge Factory, we go beyond quick fixes to address the root causes of talent and workforce issues. As a certified B Corporation, we combine data-driven research, human-centred design, and practical implementation strategies that drive lasting impact.
This project builds on our proven track record, including the Retain and Gain series of career management playbooks for employers, our groundbreaking Hidden Sector, Hidden Talent research on Canada’s career development sector, and in-depth work helping organizations lead transformative HR, leadership, and employee initiatives. Grounded in our Research-to-Practice service model, we empower organizations to not only prepare for the Future of Work—but to shape it.
About Challenge Factory
Challenge Factory is an internationally trusted advisory and research firm that supercharges talent across organizations, industries, and economies. Our clients don’t worry about the Future of Work. They shape it.
www.challengefactory.ca
Contact
Emma James
Public Policy and Research Associate
Challenge Factory
416-217-0777
[email protected]
