Professional Standards

Information about the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners can be accessed here.

The Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA), the national peak body representing non-profit career practitioner organisations, supported by the Australian Government, developed and published the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners.

The publication of the Professional Standards represents a landmark in the history of Australian career development and a benchmark for career development practitioners.

The Professional Standards:

• Define the career industry, its membership and its services;
• Recognise the diverse skills and knowledge of career practitioners;
• Guide practitioner entry into the industry;
• Provide a foundation for designing career practitioner training;
• Provide quality assurance to the public and other stakeholders;
• Establish a benchmark against which career practitioners can be assessed, evaluated and judged by their peers and by others;
• Require career practitioners to undertake continuing professional development;
• Create an agreed terminology for the industry.

(adapted from National Steering Committee for Career Development Guidelines and Standards, 2004)

See Professional Standards FAQs

See History of the Professional Standards

Downloadable Resources

• Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners (Revised 2007) 321.7 KB

  NEW - Professional Standards Poster - Download

• Briefing Paper 12 (April 2011) - Continuing Professional Development
• Briefing Paper 11 (April 2011) - CICA, Professional Associations and Professional Standards
• Briefing Paper 10 (June 2011) - Professional Standards FAQ's
• Briefing Paper 9 (February 2011) - Implementation Update
• Briefing Paper 8 (August 2007) - Implementation
• Briefing Paper 7 - Adoption and Implementation
• Briefing Paper 6 - Competency Frameworks
• Briefing Paper 5 - Continuing Professional Development
• Briefing Paper 4 - Code of Ethics
• Briefing paper 3 - A possible model
• Briefing Paper 2 - An Overview of the QS Project
  Briefing Paper 1 - Standards Background and Terminology