The Canadian Assessment, Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Society (CAVEWAS), was initially incorporated in June 1989, under Federal government charter. In  1999 CAVEWAS amalgamated as a national society under the umbrella of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada (VRAC), and as such holds a seat on the national board. CAVEWAS is a separate society member of VRAC. CAVEWAS is governed by a national board of directors, comprised of elected members from across Canada.

CAVEWAS’ mission from day one, and to this day, continues to be dedicated to promoting throughout Canada that Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment/Placement practitioners are both unique as well as significant contributors to the Vocational Rehabilitation process. We are indeed a differentiated profession to others who provide vocational rehabilitation service.

CAVEWAS is dedicated to communicating developments and changes in the professions of Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment/Placement, to its members, clients, service purchasers, and the public at large. The recent launching of this web-site is a testament to our out-reach process.

CAVEWAS promotes professional development through sponsorship/provision of programs such as the Vocational Evaluation Certificate program, available through a partnership arrangement with the University of Calgary, Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies. Workshops and educational sessions are offered at the annual CARP National Conference. The CAVEWAS Professional Development Committee is mandated to explore, recommend as well as offer continuing education programming for members of our profession. This is both a developmental and on-going process. Feedback and ideas for professional development opportunities are always welcome.

Certified Vocational Evaluator (CVE)
CAVEWAS supports the certification of Vocational Evaluators in Canada. The CVE (Certified Vocational Evaluator), is an international designation which is available through the Commission on the Certification of Work Adjustment and Vocational Evaluation Specialists (CCWAVES). There are specific requirements and credentials as well as an examination involved in order to qualify for this certification. Information on the CVE designation is available in the Credential section and/or at www.ccwaves.org. CAVEWAS considers the CVE designation to represent the highest echelon of professional achievement and recognition in the field of Vocational Evaluation and Transferable Skills Analysis.

Registered Vocational Professional (RVP)
In 2004 CAVEWAS launched the Registered Vocational Professional (RVP) designation, this under cooperative agreement and the active support of VRAC. The RVP was developed to recognize those individuals who provide vocational/employment services within the vocational rehabilitation field, but who would not qualify for the CVE or where the CVE designation would not be required relative to their service mandate. The RVP designation is designed for those individuals providing services such as vocational/employment counsellors, job placement and job development specialists, supported employment counsellors/coordinators, return-to-work coordinators, transition specialists, those who administer pre-employment/job readiness programs, and those who direct/manage/supervise individuals providing vocational/employment services. For more information about the RVP please refer to the Credentials section of this web-site.

What is Vocational Evaluation
Vocational Evaluation is a comprehensive process which assists individuals* with labour-market challenges to learn more about their abilities, skills, talents, interests and potentialities and how these characteristics can correspond to the labour-market. The end result of such a process should be the identification of realistic vocational goals, and the outlining of a road-map of how the individual can achieve such an outcome.

Vocational Evaluation uses work, real or simulated, along with a myriad of achievement, skills based and other testing formats, this to appraise the characteristics of the individual in an objective manner as corresponds to the characteristics of the labour-market. The Vocational Evaluation should, where applicable, also incorporate a Transferable Skills Analysis (as defined below), this for taking into account the individual's training, experience and education. Into this process the professional Vocational Evaluator must take into account information related to the individual's impairment status (should one exist), such as medical, functional, psychological, social, cultural, economic and labour-market factors pertinent to the Vocational Rehabilitation planning process. Finally, Vocational Evaluation should be a process focused upon "doing with", this where discussion and counsel is provided to the individual to promote their better understanding of the Vocational Evaluation results.

What is Transferable Skills Analysis:
Transferable skills are defined as those occupationally relevant characteristics not directly affected nor eliminated by the individual's* physical, cognitive or emotional impairment. Transferable skills can be viewed as learned work behaviours which may be usable in more than one occupation based upon a work methods, work tools and equipment, work materials and vocational/avocational knowledge analysis. Moreover, a person is considered to possess skills which can be re-deployed in jobs other than those performed previously when the skilled or semi-skilled work activities from past jobs can be used to meet the requirements of skilled or semi-skilled work activities of alternative work.

*Typically clients of such services are persons who experience barriers to employment for a variety of reasons, including physical, emotional, cognitive as well as arising from work-force transition factors.