NOC 41321: Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education)

Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) provide assistance and information to job seeker clients on all aspects of employment search and career planning. They also provide advice and information to employer clients regarding employment issues and human resources. They are employed by public or private employment agencies, rehabilitation centres, hospitals, human resource departments of establishments, consulting firms, correctional facilities and by federal and provincial governments. Supervisors of career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) are included in this unit group.

Express Entry eligibility

• Skilled work (TEER 0 to 3): yes, TEER 1.
• Canadian Experience Class: counts as skilled Canadian work (1 year in the last 3 years).
• Federal Skilled Worker Program: counts as skilled work (1 year of continuous work in the last 10 years).
• Federal Skilled Trades Program: not one of the eligible trades.
• High-wage occupation (from November 3, 2026): no. No high-wage add-on, and a job offer in it earns no CRS points.

TEER 1: Occupations that usually need a university degree. Every program has other requirements too, such as language test results and, for FSW, a points test.

Category-based draws

NOC 41321 is not on any of IRCC’s occupation category lists. You can still be invited in general, Canadian Experience Class or other program draws.

Category lists checked on canada.ca on 2026-10-17. IRCC category-based selection

CRS points for work in NOC 41321

Skilled Canadian work in this occupation earns the standard points, the same before and after November 3, 2026, with no high-wage add-on:

See Canadian work points and the median-wage rule.

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

• Interview clients to obtain employment history, educational background and career goals
• Identify barriers to employment and assist clients with such matters as job readiness skills, job search strategies, writing résumés and preparing for job interviews
• Assess need for assistance such as rehabilitation, financial aid or further training and refer clients to the appropriate services
• Provide established workers with information and strategies for maintaining a job or moving within an organization, dealing with job dissatisfaction, making mid-career changes and adjusting to workplace transitions
• Collect labour market information for clients regarding job openings, entry and skill requirements and other occupational information
• Advise employers on human resource and other employment-related issues
• Provide consulting services to community groups and agencies, businesses, industry and other organizations involved in providing community-based career planning support or resources
• May administer and interpret tests designed to determine the interests, aptitudes and abilities of clients.
• May provide advocacy and adjudication services related to employment legislation or contractual agreements.
• May arrange for, or conduct physical, mental, academic, vocational, and other evaluations to obtain information for assessing clients' needs and to develop employment and rehabilitation plans.
• Vocational counsellors provide specialized career development services to individuals with physical illnesses or injuries, mental health illnesses and individuals with disabilities. They require additional knowledge and experience to assess employment capabilities and develop associated employment plans.

For Express Entry your duties must match the lead statement and most of the main duties above.

Example job titles

• career counsellor (except education)
• career development counsellor
• career development practitioner
• outplacement counsellor
• rehabilitation counsellor
• relocation consultant
• vocational rehabilitation counsellor

Employment requirements

• A bachelor's degree or college diploma in employment counselling, career development or in a related field, such as human resources development, psychology, education or social services is required.
• A master's degree in counselling psychology or a related field such as educational psychology, developmental psychology or social work may be required.
• Vocational rehabilitation professional certification may be required by employers.
• In Quebec, membership in l'Ordre des conseillers et conseillères d'orientation du Québec is mandatory to use the titles ''vocational counsellor'' and "vocational guidance counsellor".
• In New Brunswick, membership in the College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick is mandatory to use the title "Licensed career counsellor".
• In Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, Certified Career Development Professional/Practitioner (CCDP) certification may be required by employers.

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