The Career Professionals Development Institute (CPDI) is a training programme for Talent & Careers professionals to acquire state-of-the-art competencies and remain up-to-date with the latest trends relevant to their professional work.
Participants learn how to deploy learning resources and development tools to help students and alumni improve their career aspirations and manage their career trajectories. The Institute allows the participants to develop a greater understanding of how to align the hiring needs of corporate partners with the profiles of graduate cohorts.
Peer-to-peer interactions with colleagues from leading academic institutions around the globe are an essential part of the programme and will enable the participants to share best practices and build their own supportive network of peers.
The Institute targets Talent & Careers professionals in business schools. It has been designed to meet the needs of the EFMD Global member schools around the globe. If you are affiliated with a non-member school or another university faculty/school, you are encouraged to apply as well.
A limited number of participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis in order to facilitate interaction during the programme.
The programme is thoughtfully divided into five modules, covering the most essential topics for career professionals:
These are the basic modules, and the programme may change.
After successful completion of the programme, you will receive a virtual badge.
08:30 – 09:00
Registration
09:00 – 09:05
Welcome & Setting the Scene
9:05 -10:35
Module 1: Leadership module part 1
This session highlights leadership as an essential tool for career development. It is one of the most crucial elements in launching students’ careers and a fundamental focus of our business school’s corporate partners. However, leadership and leadership development are complex. Consequently, in the first instance, we will examine the complexity in order to develop a practical and applicable model. Secondly, we will explore how talent and career departments can become strategic partners for the school. Finally, we will focus on understanding and addressing our own leadership within the department. Within the safe space of the talent and careers community, we will address our own challenges and strengths based on a confidential leadership scan.
10:35 -10:55
Coffee Break
10:55-11:05
Welcome
11:05 -12:35
Module 1: Leadership module part 2
12:35-13:30
Lunch
13:30-15:00
Module 2: Careers Education Module Part 1 – Adopting Approaches to Career Education – Inner Development for Career Success
15:00-15:30
Coffee Break
15:30-17:00
Module 2: Careers Education Module Part 2
18:00-19:00
Social program
19:00 – 21:00
Welcome dinner
9:05 – 10:35
Module 3: Career Advising, Part 1
Why does the same career situation energise one person and overwhelm another? This workshop explores how personality psychology, using the Ten Aspects framework, can be integrated with established career counselling strategies such as strengths-based practice, cognitive career counselling, and behavioural activation to form a coherent, flexible framework for effective practice. The format emphasises interaction through discussion and applied exercises, with post-workshop materials provided to support ongoing application.
10:35 – 11:00
Networking coffee break
11:00– 12:30
Module 3: Career Advising, Part 2
12:30 – 13:30
Lunch
13:30 – 15:00
Module 4: Recruiter Relations
This session explores how employer relations must evolve in response to the changing talent landscape. Participants will examine the shift from job postings to talent ecosystems, understand what global employers truly value, and identify common gaps between business schools and companies. The discussion will then focus on building a company-centric value proposition through effective employer segmentation, alignment with business KPIs, and innovative engagement formats beyond traditional career fairs. Through a practical deep dive into strategic account management, participants will learn how to track and strengthen company relationships, identify key stakeholders, and apply a consultative approach to uncover employer priorities. A hands-on case study will enable participants to translate insights into action. The session concludes with a forward-looking perspective on using data and digital tools to enhance partnerships and future-proof business school–company collaboration.
15:00 – 15:30
Networking Coffee Break
15:30 – 17:00
Module 4: Recruiter Relations, Part 2
19:00 – 21:00
Networking dinner
09:00 – 10:30
Module 5: AI, Talent Analytics & the Future of Hiring, Part 1
This module prepares Career Services professionals to support students in an AI-enabled hiring environment by examining how AI, talent analytics, and emerging recruitment practices are reshaping career pathways, assessment, and employer expectations. It introduces key technologies and includes demonstrations and a workshop using AI tools for career exploration, job search, applications, interviews, and salary negotiation. The module also reviews European graduate expectations for 2025, the influence of AI across the recruitment cycle, and how to assess ethical risks, bias, and overstated claims. Participants gain practical skills to identify credible technologies, apply AI in advising, interpret shifting expectations, and develop a responsible integration plan for Career Services.
10:30 – 11:00
Networking coffee break
11:00 – 12:30
Module 5: AI, Talent Analytics & the Future of Hiring, Part 2
12:30 – 12:40
Conclusion & wrap up
12:40-13:15
Light lunch
Early bird fee until 27 February 2026 included
Registration fee as of 1 March 2026
The tuition fee excludes travel expenses, local accommodation, and VAT.
Participants of the 2026 edition of CPDI can benefit from a 10% discount on the fee for the 2026 EFMD Careers Conference.
Cancellations must be confirmed in writing. If EFMD is notified of your withdrawal by 21 March 2026, an administrative cancellation fee of 75€ will apply. After this date, we regret that no refunds can be issued. However, substitutions are allowed at no additional cost, provided EFMD is informed of the substitute’s name, title, and address. Event fees are not transferable to other EFMD events.
IESEG School of Management – Bâtiment Vauban
27 Bd Vauban
59800 Lille, France
To travel to the destination, the closest airport is in Lille: https://www.lille.aeroport.fr/
The second option would be an airport in Paris, which is about 1-hours train from Paris to Lille. Another nearby airport is in Brussels.
There are also trains coming into the center of Lille, such as the Eurostar from the UK.