Career Advisors

15-20.1-24. Career development facilitation – Certificate – Qualifications

1. The department shall develop a program leading to a certificate in career development facilitation. The department shall award the certificate to any individual who:

   • Holds a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education;

   • Has at least a five-year employment history; and

   • Successfully completes the department's programmatic requirements.

2. An individual holding a certificate awarded under this section is a career advisor.

15-20.1-25. Career development facilitation - Provisional approval

1. The department may provisionally approve an individual to serve as a career advisor if the individual:

   • Holds a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education;

   • Has at least a five-year employment history; and

   • Provides the department with a plan for completing the department's programmatic requirements within a two-year period.

2. Provisional approval under subsection 1 is valid for a period of two years and may not be extended by the department.

15.1-06-19. Counselor positions – Requirement

1. Beginning with the 2010-11 school year, each school district must have available one full-time equivalent counselor for every three hundred students in grades seven through twelve.

2. Up to one-third of the full-time equivalency requirement established in subsection 1 may be met by career advisors.

3. For purposes of this section, a "career advisor" means an individual who holds a certificate in career development facilitation issued by the department of career and technical education under section 15-20.1-24 or an individual who is provisionally approved by the department of career and technical education under section 15-20.1-25 to serve as a career advisor.

15.1-06-20. Career advisor – Duties

A career advisor shall provide sequential career development activities, current career information, and related career exploration opportunities to students in grades seven through twelve. A career advisor shall use computer-assisted career guidance systems and work at the direction and under the supervision of the school district counseling staff.

A Career Advisor is a person who incorporates career development information or skills in his/her work with students, parents, or school staff. A Career Advisor has received in-depth training in the areas of career development in the form of up to 120+ class/instructional hours, provided by a nationally trained and qualified instructor.

A Career Advisor:

1. Provides career information to students, staff and parents

2. Compiles resource lists for students, staff and parents

3. Facilitates classroom career exploration activities

4. Maintains student career portfolios

5. Coordinates job shadows, career fairs, college visits, job interviews, etc.

6. Prepares students with employment-seeking skills

7. Administers and interprets interest assessments

8. Utilizes working knowledge of RUReady.ND.gov (internet-based career information system)

No.  You do not have to be a licensed teacher to be a Career Advisor. However, if the Career Advisor is not a licensed teacher, then a North Dakota licensed teacher must be present.

A Career Advisor must have:

1. A bachelor’s degree in any field

2. At least a five-year employment history, three years of which must be outside the educational field

3. Completed the programmatic requirements as set forth by the Department of Career and Technical Education (See below.)

As part of the programmatic requirement stated in the Century Code, the Department of Career and Technical Education has determined:

1. A Career Advisor must complete the Facilitating Career Development Training established by National Career Development Association.  

2. This training consists of 120+ training hours on the following topics:

   • Helping skills (attending, listening, reflecting, encouraging)

   • Diverse populations (definitions, barriers, attitudes)

   • Ethical and legal issues

   • Consultation

   • Career development models

   • Assessment (formal and informal, qualifications to administer them)

   • Labor market information and resources

   • Technology

   • Employability skills

   • Training clients and peers

   • Program management and implementation (developing a program of work)

   • Promotion and public relations

After completing the training, career advisors must obtain and maintain:

• a Global Career Development Facilitator credential issued by the Center for Credentialing and Education

             OR

• a Certified Career Services Provider credential from the National Career Development Association.

For more information about these credentials, please visit their websites.

The Department of Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides the training free of charge for Career Advisors who are contracted for this position.  In addition, CTE will reimburse trainees (or trainees’ schools) for travel expenses such as meals, lodging, and mileage at approved state rates.

Career advisors must be contracted by a school.  The contracting school sets the pay rate.

At this time CTE’s first priority remains to those individuals who will be serving as career advisors in North Dakota schools serving grades 7-12. If the class limit of 20 is not met, there may be opportunities for other individuals to receive the training.

No.  The Department of Career will issue provisional credentials for Career Advisors who have been contracted and are working on completing the career development facilitator training.

Usually yes.  However, some of the training sessions will require the school counselor, career advisor and possibly an administrator to attend together to help with overall planning of the counseling program. As the law states, the school counselor staff will act as a supervisor for the Career Advisors.  Therefore, it is important for the school counseling staff and administration to attend the trainings to understand the role and boundaries of the Career Advisors.

The training will be delivered as a hybrid course, meaning:

1. A combination of face-to-face meetings and online sessions

2. Regionalized training across the state when possible

Training will be paced to be completed in 15 weeks.

Registration for sessions is online: REGISTER FOR CAREER ADVISOR TRAINING