A group of 21 employees of Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) and its partners entered a new era in their professional careers recently as they obtained Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) credentials at a ceremony in Lexington.

The GCDF credential is a professional certification recognized by career counseling, workforce development, and educational organizations around the world.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony May 9 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lexington, EKCEP Executive Director Jeff Whitehead said obtaining the credential demonstrates that the group is dedicated to attaining the highest level of professionalism in the workforce development field.

“It’s a great credential that you’re receiving, one that’s recognized around the world.  Be proud of what you’ve done,” Whitehead told the graduates.

EKCEP provides GCDF training for selected employees of the community action agencies that provide WIA services under contract with EKCEP, which administers the WIA program in 23 eastern Kentucky counties. Further information about WIA services is available on the web at www.ekcep.org.

The GCDF credential class met once a month for 10 months, completing 90 hours of classroom training and 30 hours of homework. Class members were required to demonstrate 12 competencies related to career development, including: helping skills; labor market information and resources; assessments; diverse populations; ethical and legal issues; career development models; employability skills; training clients and peers; program management and implementation; promotion and public relations; technology; and supervision.

“For anyone working with people related to career development it’s an important credential to have,” said Carla Hunter, co-trainer for the class and president and founder of the training provider, Careerspan. She added that the GCDF is a “very up and coming” credential.

The agencies and associations that support the credential include the International Association of Workforce Professionals, the National Career Development Association and the National Employment Counseling Association.  Several states require it for all career center staff. 

Although the credential is not yet required in Kentucky, it is becoming more widespread, according to Whitehead. There were a total of 15 people in Kentucky with GCDF credentials in 2004; that total has grown to 87 with the recent graduating class.

Hunter said the graduating class was very focused and dedicated to improving their effectiveness in career counseling. At the ceremony she talked about how graduates had transformed over the course of the class into a “team forged in collaboration and hard work” and challenged the graduates to go forth and use what they had learned to create a “better tomorrow” in their eastern Kentucky communities.

Caroline Francis, co-trainer for the class, told the graduates never to underestimate the “amazing influence” their services can have on people’s lives and communities as they help people make life-changing career decisions.

“We help them find their passion, we help them become contributors in the community, and we can help them provide for their families. After all, you could be training the person who cures cancer, the person who develops and creates the next Sistine Chapel, writes that number one hit song, or leads our country,” Francis said.

Keynote speaker Celia Barley Joyce, a previous GCDF graduate who is now Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program director for Harlan County Community Action Agency, said becoming a GCDF had been an “eye-opening experience” for her.

“This credential sets us apart from the others working in our field because of the knowledge and skills we have acquired through our training. We are as diverse as those we serve, and in return our customers expect diverse responses from us. We’re multifaceted workers who are capable of teaching employability skills, job readiness, and effective communication skills,” Joyce said.

“As a GCDF, you will work with people who have been through rough times. Their confidence in you and your leadership ability can help them overcome obstacles, help them obtain that ideal job or career path that they’re looking for and provide them with job skills,” Joyce said.

Joyce congratulated the graduating class on being the “best of the best” in terms of professionalism and knowledge about workforce competencies, ethics, and the latest developments.

“Now it’s time to put all that talent to work,” Joyce told the graduates. “Be all you can be, and do not settle for less than you know you’re capable of doing. You can do anything you put your mind to do. You have the training and you have the ability. Never think that you do not make a difference,” she said.

Class speaker Janet Jackson, who is WIA Youth coordinator for Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency, said the class had learned a great deal from the GCDF experience.

“With GCDF we’ve been given tools with our competencies, our ethics and our individual assessments, the ways to facilitate our knowledge and our helping skills. These combine to help us make the fit of that ‘glass slipper’ as painless as possible for our client. The result, if we’ve gotten it right, is the Cinderella effect,” Jackson said.

The full list of GCDF graduates included: Allison Brown; Shirley Davidson; Jarred Gibson; Rudelle Greene; Stephen Hibbard; Deana Holbrook; Mitzi Hubbard; Janet Jackson; Lynn Johnson; Mary Ann Keck; Brian Kidd; Reva Kidd; Christina Lowe; Becky Miller; Brenda Moore; Zethaniel Shepherd; Melissa Slone; Kathy Stonic; Shanna Tate; Chris Thompson; and Flora Wattenberger.

Also at the ceremony, Chris Thompson and Janet Jackson were awarded the GCDF Helper Award and Shirley Davidson was given the GCDF Dedication Award.