6.2 Co-Facilitating Career Exploration: Engaging with Students as Partners for Transformative, Human-Centered Learning

Nicole  Birch-Bayley, Educational Developer, Career Learning, Career Exploration & Education, Student Life, Kelci Archibald, Lead Coordinator, Career Education, Career Exploration & Education, Student Life, Jon Bray, Career Educator, Career Exploration & Education, Student Life

In a time of rapid change and socioeconomic uncertainty, engaging students as partners in conversations about career development—both within and outside of the university classroom—is more crucial than ever before to fostering well-being and hope (Piotti, DeFelice, & Jackson, 2022). While there is growing scholarship on the Students as Partners (SaP) model in higher education, the application of this framework within the context of career development remains underexplored (Cook-Sather, Bovill, & Felten, 2014). This session will explore how career educators from the University of Toronto's Career Exploration & Education (CxED) center have adopted the SaP model by collaborating with student co-facilitators to build transformative career learning opportunities. Recent work in this field highlights the potential of student partnerships to enhance career readiness and redefine success beyond traditional job paradigms (Drake, 2024).

The workshop will briefly address the values and benefits of the SaP model, along with examples of how CxED's staff have partnered with students through a peer advising program, staff working groups, and a recent Indigenous bullet note journaling series. While engaging with examples of collaborative community building and co-learning, participants will be invited to reflect on how they can empower students in their own contexts to co-design learning, redefine career success, and build supportive communities of practice.  

By the end of the workshop, attendees will gain insights into how they can implement student-centered career education practices, reflect on their role as leaders in a time of disruption, and develop actionable strategies for creating inclusive and human-centered career development opportunities. This session is ideal for faculty, staff, and career educators seeking to empower students and strengthen communities within their institutional contexts, while fostering hope in uncertain times.