Who We Are
Established in 1960, the Canadian Vocational Association, or CVA for short, is a not-for-profit, bilingual (English-French) organization.
We support the Global Community by helping shape skills, education and employment best practice. We enable learning organizations to drive change and help to build an inclusive skilled sector.
Since its creation, the CVA has had a membership of individuals from various sectors interested in vocational education, workplace training and lifelong learning.
The CVA community is typically drawn from post-secondary and secondary education, business and industry and government officials across Canada as well as internationally.
What We Do
The CVA provides expert assistance through a growing network of national and international DACUM experts, with advice and guidance to ensure the best support for coordinating and facilitating DACUM-based occupational analyses.
Where We Work
CVA works worldwide. It aims to make every individual and organization self-reliant in facilitating state-of-the-art DACUM occupational analyses, and in developing and delivering competency-based management and training programs.
The CVA has provided DACUM training to more than 3000 individuals around the world.
History & Evolution of the CVA
| 1960 | Creation of the Canadian Vocational Association-Association canadienne de la formation professionnelle (CVA-ACFP). |
| 1961 | First national conference; the CVA National Conference became, until 2002, a major event held each year in a different Canadian city and attended by TVET practitioners and stakeholders from education and training, government, and business and industry; |
| 1965 | Creation of the CVA Journal; this bilingual quarterly was Canada’s most prestigious periodical dedicated to TVET, The CVA Journal was published for nearly four decades. |
| 1970s | From 1970 to 1990, the CVA operated as Canada’s largest and most dynamic not-for-profit TVET association. |
| 1993 | Creation of the CVA DACUM Training Program; this training program – available in both English and French – rapidly became popular particularly among trainers, instructors, curriculum developers, TVET managers and occupational analysis specialists. |
| 1994 | The Government of Canada commissions the CVA to coordinate the development and experimentation of a pan-Canadian competency-based education model at the secondary level (Canadian Restructured School Plan); |
| 1995 | From 1995 to 1998, CVA’s national DACUM workshops are augmented by CVA’s first DACUM Training international ventures (Argentina, Chile, Israel and Mexico); |
| 1998 | The Government of Canada redirects its priorities to favor the development of Sector councils. As a result, it ceases to fund TVET related projects through the CVA and to finance the salary of the CVA’s part-time Executive Director. These decisions will have a significant impact on the association’s ability to pursue its activities and research projects, which, since then, with the exception of the CVA DACUM Training Program, essentially rely on the work of volunteers; |
| 1999 | The Federal Government of Brazil selects the DACUM methodology to revise and update Brazil”s national occupational standards. To this end, the Government of Brazil – via Capra International Inc. – retains the services of the CVA to train DACUM analysis facilitators and competency-based curriculum developers. This Capra-CVA partnership in Brazil lasted 15 years until 2014. |
| 2000s | From 2000 to 2001, The CVA conducts DACUM training workshops in Burkina Faso (2000) and in Mali (2001) through a contractual agreement with Swisscontact, a Swiss foundation for technical cooperation. The goal is to enable a group of training engineering specialists and subject matter experts to develop competency-based training programs dedicated to various occupations in the utility craft sector. |
| 2003 | The CVA pursues its collaboration with Swisscontact in Benin; the CVA DACUM Trainers are invited by the Helsinki Business College (Finland) to conduct a seminar on the DACUM methodology. |
| 2005 | At Swisscontact’s invitation, the CVA returns to Burkina Faso to conduct a DACUM skills consolidation seminar involving individuals from the cohorts trained in Bénin, Mali and Burkina Faso. |
| 2006 | From 2006 to 2020, In addition to holding several public and in-house DACUM training workshops yearly in Canada, the CVA also delivers similar training internationally via partnership agreements with organizations such as NAIT (Cuba), Colleges and Institutes Canada (Caribbean countries), ILO (Lebanon), GIZ (Togo), Agriteam Canada (Vietnam). |
| 2012 | The CVA creates a bi-monthly bulletin proposing a series of TVET and Competence Based Education and Training (CBET) related readings to the international TVET community. |
| 2015 | CVA registers its DACUM Plus trademark and plans for expansion of its DACUM training and other related services. |
| 2016 | The CVA Board holds a Strategy Summit that generates a 3-year Strategic Plan. |
| 2018 | The CVA hosts a delegation from Togo’s ministry of TVET; |
| 2020 | The CVA elaborates a new Strategic Plan. |
Board of Directors
Dr. Tim Loblaw
President
Dr. Tim Loblaw brings expertise in educational development, technical and vocational education and training, and competency-based education and training, which features 20+ years' experience in facilitation, instructional strategies, and curriculum design and development. He has a Doctor of Education from the University of Nottingham (UK) where his research focused on the professional identity and professional development practices of technical and vocational education and training instructors. Tim is a Fellow of the Society for Education and Training (UK). Tim has the privilege of learning, teaching, working and living on traditional First Nations territories. He is currently the President of CVA.
Pierre Morin
Director & DACUM Coordinator
Pierre is a competence management specialist. His main areas of expertise are competency analysis, competency-based program development and performance management from an organizational, team and individual perspective. He is the Canadian Vocational Association’s (CVA) DACUM Training Coordinator and a CVA certified DACUM Master Trainer. Since 1995, Pierre has performed numerous training and consulting mandates both in Canada and internationally.
John Avery
Vice-President
With over 45 years in the production entertainment industry, John has produced opera, drama and dance in Banff, North America and Europe. Each opportunity allowed John to observe industry production practices and examine theatre training facilities. John spearheaded the development of the competency profiles for all theatre production occupations at the Banff Centre; now a recognized model of best practice for the theatre industry and education.Served on the Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC), Opera America Education Committee, various Theatre Design Build Committees, Canadian Standards Association.
Anna Kae Todd
Director
Anna Kae has extensive experience in post-secondary leadership, international education, and teaching. She served as Vice-President, Academic and Chief Learning Officer at Bow Valley College for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, a graduate Diploma of Education and a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialty in language and learning theory. A long-time advocate of technical and vocational education, and adult learning, Anna Kae has many years of professional and community service. Anna Kae has served on the board of Directors of a number of organizations, among them the Canadian Vocational Association (past-president); CanLearn, the Calgary Learning Centre, (past chairperson); COPIAN (NALD), the National Adult Learning Network (past chairperson).
Kevin P. Quinlan
Secretary
Kevin Quinlan is a Red Seal Steamfitter/Pipe-fitter and 4th Class Power Engineer with 10 years of industrial experience, and 40+ years of experience in adult vocational-technical education and training in colleges and universities.After starting a career as a trades instructor, Kevin completed an undergraduate degree (MUN), a graduate degree (UNB), and a doctorate degree (UofT/OISE). Internationally, Kevin has worked in Chile and Costa Rica, Chiriquí, Panama. After serving for 14 years as Principal, Nova Scotia Community College Truro Campus, Kevin retired in January 2014. Today, he is a Volunteer/Advisor with the Canadian Executive Service Organization where he completes assignments on a global basis, and he is a board member of the CVA.
Elaine McNeil
Director
With a Master’s Degree in Education (Curriculum and Instruction), and over
30 years experience working in international development projects world-wide, Elaine has expertise in project development and management, curriculum design/development, monitoring and evaluation, and gender analysis. Elaine worked as a Project Officer in the International Office at the Saskatchewan Polytechnic for nearly 20 years during which time she employed the DACUM methodology and the training of DACUM facilitators in diverse countries and cultures from Ukraine to Jordan, sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Central America. Since 2006, as a private consultant, Elaine participates in international and local development projects from her home in Regina, SK. She is currently on the Board of the CVA since 2021.
30 years experience working in international development projects world-wide, Elaine has expertise in project development and management, curriculum design/development, monitoring and evaluation, and gender analysis. Elaine worked as a Project Officer in the International Office at the Saskatchewan Polytechnic for nearly 20 years during which time she employed the DACUM methodology and the training of DACUM facilitators in diverse countries and cultures from Ukraine to Jordan, sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Central America. Since 2006, as a private consultant, Elaine participates in international and local development projects from her home in Regina, SK. She is currently on the Board of the CVA since 2021.
James Pelton
Treasurer
James Pelton has spent 26 years working in competency-based training, primarily but not exclusively focused on trades and language skills. After working in education in Japan during the 90's, he returned to Canada and joined SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, AB where he was responsible for developing trades training and Continuing Education programs for non-apprentices, First Nations, Corporations and International students. In 2010 he joined the Industry Training Authority in BC and was responsible for managing the provincial trades apprenticeship budget for post-secondary and high school trades programs across the province. Subsequently, he joined Kwantlen Polytechnic University as Executive Director of Continuing Education. James retired in 2017 and joined the CVA shortly afterwards. He believes that there is huge value in competency-based training and that DACUM is a superb approach to CBT program development.
David Freckelton
Director
David Freckelton has over 43 years in the field of adult learning, primarily at the post- secondary level as a Faculty Member, Academic Chair, and Principal within the Nova Scotia Vocational and Community College system (NSCC). His experience primarily has been both in teaching and administration of the trades and technology, health and human services access, and business programs. David has also been the lead facilitator in the NSCC Community College Education Program for the Facilitating the Adult Learning Course for over 15 years. He has delivered this course for NSCC in both Granada and Barbados as well. David completed a BA and B.Ed. at Dalhousie University and a Master of Education in Administration at St. Mary’s University. He also graduated from both the Foundation and Advanced Leadership Programs at The Chair Academy. David retired in February 2019 and is currently volunteering his time as a Board Member for Adult Literacy and the Airfield Engineering Flight Unit (for engineers and tradespeople) in Pictou County, NS. David currently sits as a Board Member on the CVA since 2021.
Administration
Fanny Laitem
Administrative Officer
Fanny is a French second language teacher, Fitness instructor and Administrator officer. Originally from Belgium, She has always loved travelling and discovering new cultures. This is why she came to Canada. Fanny truly values the wonders the world has to offer. As the CVA Administration Officer, Fanny is responsible for the organisation of the DACUM training workshops, communication with board members and CVA membership, accounting operations of the association and for updating the CVA website.
Madeleine Decker
Information Manager
Madeleine is a reporting and knowledge management specialist. Since the mid-1990s, she was deployed to cover humanitarian crises in 9 countries in Africa, Haiti, Italy and Switzerland with United Nations institutions (WHO, WFP and UNICEF). She joined the CVA team in 2011 as information and knowledge management specialist. She produces our bi-monthly newsletter and is our social media manager.
DACUM Trainers
John Avery
With over 45 years in the production entertainment industry, John has produced opera, drama and dance in Banff, North America and Europe. Each opportunity allowed John to observe industry production practices and examine theatre training facilities. John spearheaded the development of the competency profiles for all theatre production occupations at the Banff Centre; now a recognized model of best practice for the theatre industry and education.Served on the Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC), Opera America Education Committee, various Theatre Design Build Committees, Canadian Standards Association.
Koos Landman
Koos Landman is the only South African certified by the Canadian Vocational Association as a DACUM facilitator and a DACUM trainer. He has been trained in Canada and in South Africa and has conducted numerous workplace skills analyses within different contexts both nationally and internationally. He has successfully implemented the DACUM process in tertiary institutions and also selected organisations across a range of industries in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Rwanda, Ghana, Botswana, Tanzania and Swaziland. Koos has worked in higher education and training for more than 38 years and served on the Standards Generating Body for Surveying in South Africa.
Pierre Morin
Pierre is a competence management specialist. His main areas of expertise are competency analysis, competency-based program development and performance management from an organizational, team and individual perspective. He is the Canadian Vocational Association’s (CVA) DACUM Training Coordinator and a CVA certified DACUM Master Trainer. Since 1995, Pierre has performed numerous training and consulting mandates both in Canada and internationally.
Boubakar Savadogo
Boubakar Savadogo is a consultant since 2004 at Akilia, an international firm located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. He is specialized in Training Engineering, Train-the-Trainer and TVET Funding. Over the last 20 years, Boubakar has performed mandates in numerous countries, mostly on the African continent. He holds a doctorate degree in Engineering (Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, France), is a member of the CVA Board of Directors and a CVA certified DACUM trainer.