11 Career Development Courses for Upskilling In 2024
Part of your job as an HR professional is being able to help people see a path ahead and grow professionally to achieve the goals laid out on that path. But career coaching, like everything else in HR, evolves with each generation and change to the business.
How do you keep up with this? Well, through continuing education, of course. With that in mind, I've taken a look at some of the best career development courses for career-led professionals to learn about new technology, strategies, and philosophies about how we work.
Best Career Development Courses Shortlist
Here's a shortlist of the best career development courses I think are worth your time in 2024:
- NCDA Facilitating Career Development Training and Certification Program (NCDA)
- Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) (CCE)
- Counseling and Career Development (M.A.) (Colorado State University)
- Goodwill® Career Coach and Navigator Professional Certificate (Goodwill)
- Career Development Practitioner (CDP) (Career Professionals of Canada)
- Career Development Professional (Conestoga College)
- Overview of Career Development Theories (Career Coaching and Training)
- Executive Leadership Coaching: Mastery Session (Harvard University)
- Leadership Coaching Strategies (Harvard University)
- People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization (IBM)
- Introduction to Career Coaching (Alison)
Find more details about each course below.
Overview Of The Best Career Development Courses
1. NCDA Facilitating Career Development Training and Certification Program (NCDA)
This career development training course equips professionals with advanced skills in career counseling, program development, and client engagement. It covers key terms and concepts related to entrepreneurship, enhancing participants' ability to support clients in exploring entrepreneurial paths.
Upon completion, participants gain certification, signifying their expertise in facilitating career development.
- Who It’s For: Career development professionals
- Topics Covered:
- Career development theories
- Labor market information
- Career planning
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Both
- Exam Required? Yes
- Eligibility Requirements: None
Take The Course: NCDA
2. Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) (CCE)
This course is designed for professionals who wish to specialize in career development and counseling, emphasizing personal development and achieving career success. The GCDF course covers key areas such as career assessment, counseling techniques, job search strategies, and setting career goals.
This certification helps professionals enhance their ability to guide individuals through career transitions and development, ultimately supporting their journey toward career success.
- Who It’s For: Career development facilitators
- Topics Covered:
- Career resources
- Employability skills
- Career assessment
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Both
- Exam Required? Yes
- Eligibility Requirements:
- Commit to adhering to the GCDF Code of Ethics.
- Complete a required amount of supervised career development experience appropriate to your level of education.
- Finish 120 hours of comprehensive training on the 12 GCDF core competencies using an approved curriculum.
- Take The Course: CCE
3. Counseling and Career Development (M.A.) (Colorado State University)
The program emphasizes practical skills, theoretical knowledge, hands-on experience in individual and group counseling, career assessment, and professional ethics.
Graduates are equipped to work in diverse settings, including schools, community agencies, and private practice.
- Who It’s For: Graduate students
- Topics Covered:
- Counseling techniques
- Career development theories
- Practicum experience
- Online, In-Person, or Both? In-Person
- Exam Required? Yes
- Duration: 2 to 3 years
- How Many Hours Of Instruction:
- A core curriculum consisting of 48 credit hours
- Specialization curriculum totaling 12 credit hours
- 100-hour clinical practicum experience
- 600-hour internship in a field related to the specialization
- Eligibility Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Price: Varies
- Take The Course: Colorado State University
4. Goodwill® Career Coach and Navigator Professional Certificate (Goodwill)
This course focuses on building competencies in career guidance, including developing personalized career maps and providing practical support for career transitions.
The course also emphasizes understanding and addressing the needs of diverse populations in various career development contexts.
- Who It’s For: Aspiring career coaches
- Topics Covered:
- Career coaching techniques
- Job search strategies
- Client assessment
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 6 months
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 3 to 4 hours per week
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $49 per month
- Take The Course: Coursera
5. Career Development Practitioner (CDP) (Career Professionals of Canada)
This course covers topics such as career assessment methods, counseling techniques, and client management. It aims to equip participants with the core skills needed to support individuals in their career planning and development.
- Who It’s For: Career development practitioners
- Topics Covered:
- Career counseling
- Job search strategies
- Labor market trends
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? Yes
- Duration: 3 weeks
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 45 hours
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price:
- Non-members: $1100 per course
- CPC members: $550 per course
- Take The Course: Career Professionals of Canada
6. Career Development Professional (Conestoga College)
This course is designed to prepare participants with the skills necessary to guide clients through future proofing their career journeys and help them reach their professional objectives.
- Who It’s For: Career development professionals
- Topics Covered:
- Career counseling
- Job search techniques
- Labor market information
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Both
- Exam Required? Yes
- Duration: 1 year
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Take The Course: Conestoga College
7. Overview of Career Development Theories (Career Coaching and Training)
The online course offers a comprehensive exploration of foundational theories in career development. It covers vital frameworks such as Super’s Life-Span Theory, Holland’s Theory of Career Choice, and Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory.
The course aims to give participants a deep understanding of these theories so that they can be applied effectively in career counseling and coaching practices.
- Who It’s For: Career coaches and counselors
- Topics Covered:
- Career development theories
- Application of theories
- Case studies
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $249
- Take The Course: Career Coaching and Training
8. Executive Leadership Coaching: Mastery Session (Harvard University)
The course looks at advanced coaching methods, such as improving executive presence, handling complex organizational issues, and promoting transformational leadership.
Participants work on detailed case studies and practical exercises to boost their skills and become more effective coaches for senior leaders.
- Who It’s For: Experienced leadership coaches
- Topics Covered:
- Advanced coaching techniques
- Leadership development
- Case studies
- Online, In-Person, or Both? In-person
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 2 days
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $2,990
- Take The Course: Harvard University
9. Leadership Coaching Strategies (Harvard University)
The course offers an extensive training program on coaching leaders effectively, focusing on essential skills such as giving constructive feedback, building leadership skills, and encouraging professional development along a defined career path.
It integrates human resources principles, critical thinking, and mentoring techniques, allowing learners to participate in practical exercises and case studies to hone their coaching strategies and drive successful leadership transformations.
- Who It’s For: Leadership coaches
- Topics Covered:
- Coaching frameworks
- Leadership development
- Feedback techniques
- Online, In-Person, or Both? In-person
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 2 days
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $2,990
- Take The Course: Harvard University
10. People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization (IBM)
The course provides comprehensive training in soft skills, such as negotiation, empathy, and problem-solving, focusing on the job market.
Its goal is to help learners develop effective strategies for better communication, interview skills, time management, and collaboration, enhancing their overall effectiveness in career and personal endeavors.
- Who It’s For: Professionals seeking to improve soft skills
- Topics Covered:
- Communication skills
- Emotional intelligence
- Conflict resolution
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 6 months
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 2 to 3 hours per week
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: $39 per month
- Take The Course: Coursera
11. Introduction to Career Coaching (Alison)
The course covers key aspects of career coaching, such as evaluating career options, setting achievable goals, and working with clients to enhance their career prospects.
It provides practical training on the fundamentals of coaching, including building professional relationships, goal setting, and useful techniques to support individuals in their career development.
- Who It’s For: Aspiring career coaches
- Topics Covered:
- Basics of career coaching
- Coaching techniques
- Client assessment
- Online, In-Person, or Both? Online
- Exam Required? No
- Duration: 3 to 4 hours
- How Many Hours Of Instruction: 1 to 2 hours
- Eligibility Requirements: None
- Price: Free
- Take The Course: Alison
Join For More Insights
To remain updated on the latest in people management, subscribe to our newsletter for leaders and managers. In your inbox, you'll receive insights and offerings tailored to leaders and HR professionals.
