Career Development Services - Lester B. Pearson School Board

What Career Development Services - Lester B. Pearson School Board does

Career Development Services (CDS) is the career-development department of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, a public English-language school board in Quebec, Canada. CDS delivers three core service lines: (1) Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC), a process for officially certifying skills acquired through life and work experience, for which CDS holds the exclusive designation as the only English-language Centre of Expertise for RAC (CERAC) from the Ministère de l'Éducation du Québec; (2) a Testing Centre offering standardized government-recognized exams including TEF (for Canadian, Quebec, and French immigration), DELF/DALF, software certifications, and high school equivalency tests; and (3) Services to Businesses, which provides custom-designed compliance certificate training (ASP construction safety, PDSP patient handling, Bill 90 medication administration, APRPA senior care) and professional development, including a DALF C1 preparatory course. The organization serves both individuals seeking certification for employability or immigration and enterprises requiring workforce compliance training.

The underlying technology is primarily standardized assessment infrastructure and in-person/online training delivery, not a software platform. RAC involves custom assessment tool creation—CDS is tasked by MEQ with creating tools, training other school boards, and sharing best practices. Testing Centre operations use established government test formats (TEF, DELF/DALF) administered at fixed physical locations and online. There is no proprietary software product, no app, and no API; the organization operates a WordPress-based website (careerds.ca) for registration and information. Core technology differentiation lies in domain specialization (regulated assessment processes) and the CERAC designation rather than in technology IP.

The business model combines per-unit fee-for-service (one-time license/pay-as-you-go) for individual certification and exam programs, and professional services revenue for RAC assessment. Enterprise training is delivered through direct sales to organizations. The organization is not venture-backed; it is a department within a government-funded school board, with the parent entity serving over 19,000 youth-sector and 6,000 adult-sector students across 36 elementary, 12 secondary, 2 adult education, and 5 vocational training centres. CDS itself has approximately 12 employees.

Name

Career Development Services - Lester B. Pearson School Board

Legal name

Career Development Services - Lester B. Pearson School Board

Website

https://careerds.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Career Development Services is a department of the Lester B. Pearson School Board in Quebec that delivers the only English-language Recognition of Acquired Competencies (CERAC) program, a testing centre for TEF/DELF/DALF exams, and compliance and professional development training for individuals and businesses in healthcare, construction, and regulated sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Training and Certification Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services (EDAAAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH), Language Proficiency Exam Prep (CEFR, TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, PTE) (EDANACAD)

Keywords

• Vocational certification training
• Language proficiency testing
• Skills recognition services
• Compliance certificate programs
• Professional development courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Verdun

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Development and Compliance Training: Course fees for professional development, software courses, and compliance certificate training for businesses and individuals.
2. Language Testing Services: TEF exam fees including oral comprehension ($140), oral expression, written expression ($75), and written comprehension components for immigration and certification purposes.
3. DALF C1 Preparatory Course: Online French language preparation course offered Tuesday evenings, includes course materials. Cost $265 excluding exam fees.
4. RAC Assessment Services: Skills assessment and evaluation services for recognizing competencies acquired through work and life experience to obtain official diplomas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Career Development Services delivers three interconnected lines of service: (1) Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC) to formally certify skills acquired through life and work experience; (2) standardized language and diagnostic testing including TEF, TEFAQ, and DELF/DALF for immigration, study, and professional purposes; and (3) compliance and professional development training for organizations covering construction safety (ASP), patient handling (PDSP), Bill 90 medication administration, senior care (APRPA), and DALF C1 French preparation. Services are offered in English, online and in-person, to both individuals and businesses across Quebec.

Product overview

Career Development Services is an educational and training services organization operated by the Lester B. Pearson School Board. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected services organized around three core pillars: (1) Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC) – the organization's flagship offering as the only English-language CERAC designated by MEQ; (2) Testing Centre – providing standardized and diagnostic testing including TEF French language exams; and (3) Services to Businesses – compliance and professional development training including ASP construction safety, PDSP patient handling, Bill 90 medication administration, APRPA senior care, and DALF C1 French test preparation. The organization also provides SARCA academic advising and financial aid assistance through government programs. Services are delivered online and in-person at multiple centres across the territory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC) Official process to identify, assess, and recognize skills and competencies acquired throughout life or work experience, identifying any missing training components needed for a diploma. Designated by the Ministère de l'Éducation du Québec as the only English-language Centre of Expertise for RAC (CERAC).
• Testing Centre Standardized and diagnostic testing services delivering internationally recognized certificates including TEF Canada, TEFAQ, DELF/DALF language proficiency tests, software tests, and high school equivalency exams at the Lachine testing centre.
• Services to Businesses Custom-designed corporate training offering professional development, software courses, and compliance certificate training tailored to organizational workforce needs, delivered in-person at client sites or CDS offices.
• DALF C1 Preparatory Course Online French language preparation course for the DALF C1 exam, held Tuesday evenings from 6-9 pm, costing $265 including course materials (exam fee not included).
• ASP – Health and Safety on Construction Sites 30-hour mandatory course on construction site health and safety leading to ASP Construction certification, available online (7 days, 4.5 hours/day) or in-person (4 days, 7.5 hours/day), taught by an ASP-certified instructor; English only.
• PDSP – Moving Patients Safely Training 10-hour course designed to prevent injury to healthcare workers who move patients, accredited by ASSTSAS and leading to PDSP certification upon passing the mandatory exam.
• Competency 6 Medications and Invasive Assistive Care Services (Bill 90) 15-hour training course covering medications and invasive assistive care services under Bill 90, mandatory for Private Senior Resident attendants; delivered online (4 sessions) and in person (1 session).
• APRPA – Personal Assistance in Private Residences for Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous Seniors Study program preparing students to work as attendants in private residences for seniors, covering daily living activities, hygiene care, dressing, eating, hydration, elimination, and regulated care.
• TEF – Test d'Évaluation de Français French language proficiency exam available in five versions — TEF Études (France study), TEF Naturalisation (French nationality), TEF Carte de résident (French resident card), TEF Canada (Canadian immigration), and TEF Québec/TEFAQ (Quebec immigration).
• SARCA – Academic and Career Development Services Information service for adults considering returning to school, evaluating academic files, identifying goals, and developing action plans with ongoing support, available online or in-person at 8 centres across the territory.
• Financial Aid Financial assistance program through Aide Financière aux Études for students in full-time recognized programs, including those with disabilities or adult students with special needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully created training solutions for Lester B. Pearson School Board, McGill University Health Centre, West Montreal Readaptation Centre, Cree Health Board, Witron, and more organizations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Herzing College: Private career college with Montreal operations delivering diploma programs in healthcare, technology, and trades — overlaps with CDS's compliance and professional development segments.
• Collège CDI: National private career college with Quebec campuses providing vocational training, diplomas, and professional development across multiple trades — competes with CDS's Services to Businesses offerings.
• Collège LaSalle: Large Montreal-based private career college offering vocational, professional, and language programs — competes with CDS for adult learners seeking credentials and language certification.

Direct peers

• Centre de services scolaire Marie-Victorin: Quebec public school board on Montreal's south shore providing adult education, vocational training, and workforce certification programs alongside school-board-operated testing centres.
• Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSDM): Montreal-area public school board (formerly Commission scolaire de Montréal) offering adult education, RAC services, and standardized testing comparable to CDS, serving the same linguistic and geographic community.
• Centre de services scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île: Quebec public school board operating adult education centres and vocational training centres in the Montreal region, offering comparable RAC and continuing education services.

Others

• France Éducation International: French public agency that designs and administers DELF/DALF and related French proficiency certifications — comparable as the certifying counterpart whose exams CDS delivers through its Testing Centre.

Broad incumbents

• ASP Construction: Quebec-sector body that issues the ASP Construction health and safety certificate — CDS is an authorized training provider for this certification, making ASP a key counterpart in CDS's training value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LBPCareerDevelopmentServices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/career-development-services-lester-b-pearson-school-board

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Career Development Services - Lester B. Pearson School Board