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·	From Theory To Practice

The Canada and Saskatchewan Labour Force Development Agreement was signed in November, 1994, as part of an effort to revitalize Canada's social security system by eliminating barriers to labour force participation. In January 1996, the Canada/Saskatchewan Strategic Initiatives Agreement was signed outlining cooperative arrangements for the design, funding, implementation, and evaluation of three pilot areas or streams within the guidelines of the Strategic Initiatives (SI) program. Career Services (CS), Labour Market Information (LMI), and Work/Study (W/S), were identified as priority areas to pilot innovative projects.

The impetus behind the Labour Force Development Agreement (LFDA) was to establish a framework for Strategic Initiatives, which were "activities and initiatives [designed] to improve services to clients and enhance their employability"¹ . The Labour Market Information (LMI) Strategic Initiative was a joint approach undertaken by the federal and provincial governments. The LMI project was an attempt to improve the effectiveness of efforts at developing a skilled labour force and increasing access to training and jobs in Saskatchewan.

The purpose of the LMI initiative was "to develop and test an automated province-wide labour market information network to gather, analyze and use labour market information to better meet the needs of Saskatchewan people." The objectives of the LMI initiative, as stated in the program guidelines (January 1996), were as follows²:

• to identify information gaps concerning employment demand and supply and skill requirement by industry and occupation;
• to establish a partnership among major labour market stakeholders in data collection, database development, information dissemination, and access to information; and
• to develop LMI products and access and delivery methods.

Three broad phases were identified for the LMI initiative.

1. Development of LMI Data and Network: develop a coordinated approach to data collection, database development, and access to databases.
2. LMI Product Development: develop and pilot test LMI products that meet the needs of users.
3. Dissemination of LMI Products: develop and pilot test a variety of access methods for database sharing and dissemination of LMI products.

The LFDA Evaluation Framework (1996) outlines the LMI Strategic Initiative as progressing through the three phases, with specific tasks and activities to be completed in each phase. The following is a detailed description of the three phases and activities completed to date.

1.1 The Three Phases of LMI

Phase One: Development of LMI Data and Network

Objectives

• To establish a comprehensive, automated LMI network that will enable and encourage communication and information sharing among a variety of partners.
• To establish a partnership among interested organizations to collectively identify and prioritize LMI needs for product development and dissemination.
• To develop LMI databases and information, and create access to existing information, to meet the LMI partners' needs.

Projects and Activities

• Development of a local area network/wide-area network (LAN/WAN) for the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (SIAST) campuses, the regional colleges, Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training (PSEST), Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), Saskatchewan Labour, Saskatchewan Economic and Co-operative Development, Métis Employment and Training of Saskatchewan Inc. (METSI), and Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT).
• Establishment of a Working Group to identify and prioritize LMI needs and guide the development of the LMI databases, products and dissemination mechanisms.
• Industry and sector consultation and employer surveys to identify industry and sector trends in occupations, skills and education; and training needs for Saskatchewan's growth sectors.
• Needs assessment, by occupation and industry, involving emerging opportunities for the Métis Employment Strategy.
• Development of a Saskatchewan First Nations client tracking system.
• Development of a provincial industry and occupational forecasting partnership and methodology.
• Employer survey and data collection for occupational identification of skill shortages for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for immigration purposes.
• Development of a comprehensive union wage rate database.
• Purchase of 1991 and 1996 Census wage, demographic and labour market small area data.
• Test the Citrix solution to assess partners access to HRDC's National Labour Market Information System and Ivision databases, through the wide-area network (WAN).
• Creation of geographic area files for partners' specific geo-areas (e.g., regional colleges).
• Preliminary research and analysis of the relationship between education and employment, based on the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID).
• Study of French Immersion high school students' intentions toward post-secondary education and training.

Phase Two: LMI Product Development

Objective

• To develop and test client service oriented LMI products to support counselling, training, career planning, labour adjustment and employment services; and planning-oriented LMI products for program and policy planning and development.

Target Groups

Students, job seekers, educators and training professionals, employers, economic and community developers, and government agencies and partners.

Projects and Activities

• Internet products are accessible to the general public, whereas Extranet products have a firewall in place and require a password for access. Please refer to Phase Three for a description of the corresponding target groups.
• Saskatchewan Job Futures provides detailed Occupational Outlooks on more than 200 occupations. Information components include: a description of the nature of the work; sample job titles; Saskatchewan-specific training paths with education, training, skill and experience requirements, and required certification; occupational trends and outlooks including growth prospects to 2005; and Saskatchewan wage and salary ranges. (Internet)
• Training Available by Occupation provides a list of current training courses offered in Saskatchewan that are searchable by occupation. (Internet)
• Wages by Occupation provides current wage ranges for occupations, including union wage rates for Saskatchewan, Regina, Saskatoon, and other areas in the province. The database has the capability to search alphabetically, or by National Occupation Code (NOC), skill type or skill level. (Internet)
• Saskatchewan Economic and Labour Market Overview provides information about Saskatchewan's economy, statistics on employment, growth trends in various employment sectors, aboriginal employment, and other employment-related information. The overview also features information on labour force issues, such as regional changes in social assistance, youth unemployment and employment. (Internet)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) on Workplace Rules and Regulations for Saskatchewan's Labour Standards, Occupational Health and Safety, and Trade Union Act. (Internet)
• Saskatchewan Tourism Education Council (STEC) Skill Profiles provides guidelines for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are required to achieve competent, professional performance in a number of key service occupations. The standards were developed with the cooperation of tourism-related industry professionals. (Internet)
• Training Outcomes for SIAST Graduates is based on the training outcomes of SIAST graduate employment survey statistics. The database has a search capability by program, occupation, industry, location and salary. (Internet)
• Saskatchewan Sector Study Reports identify current and future human resource issues and needs, and provide an assessment of current and future demand for employees and their associated skills training and development needs for nine strategic growth sectors. (Extranet)
• Saskatchewan Sector Study Summary Report provides an overview of the sector study reports for the nine industrial sectors in Saskatchewan, including agri-value; energy; tourism; information technology and communication; construction; fabricated metal manufacturing; business services; forestry; and mining. (Internet)
• Regional Profiles was developed to meet the regional planning needs of SIAST, the regional colleges, PSEST and HRDC. (Extranet)
• First Nation Client Tracking System provides an electronic link to an Aboriginal Citizen database that tracks First Nations clients of the Saskatchewan Indian Training Assessment Group Inc. (SITAG) who take training. Tracking continues until the client first makes contact with employment. (Extranet)
• Métis Employment Strategies for Saskatchewan's twelve Métis regions and an overall provincial strategy. The strategies are intended to promote self-sufficiency among Saskatchewan Métis, defining barriers to employment (both social and economic) and discussing training and business opportunities to better meet the needs of Métis. (Extranet)

Phase Three: Dissemination of LMI Products

Objective

To test a variety of ways to access the LMI databases and products developed in Phases One and Two. The mechanisms for access being tested are the WAN, CD-ROM technology, and the Internet.

Target Groups

Extranet — SIAST, regional colleges, PSEST, HRDC, Saskatchewan Labour, Saskatchewan Economic and Co-operative Development, METSI, and SIIT; Internet — students, job seekers, educators and training professionals, employers, economic and community developers, and government agencies and partners.

Projects and Activities

• Development of the SaskNetWork website (www.SaskNetWork.gov.sk.ca), a partnership Internet website to provide "one-stop shopping" a single access point for communicating and disseminating timely and relevant career, employment and labour market information to the people of Saskatchewan.
• Development of an Extranet website (http://extranet.lmi.gov.sk.ca) with an assigned username and password. The site provides access to current and relevant detailed regional and provincial labour market data and information in a convenient and accessible format for planners and analysts.

The LMI initiative is currently in the third phase of testing LMI products and ways of accessing the databases.

1.2 LMI Projects

LMI projects vary in type and scope, and include projects targeted towards First Nations and Métis clients; information-gathering projects; regional profile projects; forecasts; skills shortages and profiles; employment occupational profile projects; and access projects. Please refer to Appendix 4 for the Description of Projects Chart.

The two Aboriginal projects are the First Nations Client Tracking System and Saskatchewan Métis Employment Strategies. The first is intended for use as an LMI planning tool, while the Métis Employment Strategies project is intended to provide training and employment services to Métis people within one of 12 regions. The intent is to promote economic self-sufficiency and to assist in the development of long-term human resource development plans for the Métis by identifying barriers to employment, including social and economic barriers and opportunities for employment, training, or business that meet the needs of the Métis. Both projects are available on the LMI Extranet only.

Many projects were designed to capture specific labour market information for dissemination, and include wage and salary survey projects (three in total); training outcomes via SIAST's Graduate Employment Surveys; development of questions and answers regarding Labour Legislation and the Occupational Health and Safety Act; and research on the relationship between education and labour market mobility within Saskatchewan, based on Statistic Canada's Survey of Labour Income Dynamics (SLID), data from the Labour Force Survey, and the 1996 Census. Two projects (Wage and Salary Products and Frequently Asked Questions) will be available on both the LMI Extranet and on the SaskNetWork websites. SLID information will be available on the LMI Extranet. The results of SIAST's Graduate Employment Survey will be available on the SaskNetWork website.

Several projects were designed to capture comprehensive labour market information by area on a local, provincial, national, and international level and/or by industry. These projects included Regional Profiles; Regional Labour Market Planning Areas; Geographic Area Files; the Saskatchewan Sector Studies; the Saskatchewan Economic and Labour Market Overview; and Wage and Salary Surveys/Products. The Regional Profiles are based on detailed community 1996 Census data purchased from Statistics Canada. The profiles have eight theme topics including demographics, education, and employment, and are accessible on the LMI Extranet. The Regional Labour Market Planning Areas, available on the LMI Extranet, are based on research of community trading patterns and trends in Saskatchewan. The Geographic Area Files were created for use under the NLMIS to correspond with the partners' sub-provincial areas, and were used as the basis for configuring regional information products.

The Saskatchewan Sector Study project identifies and examines current and future human resource issues and needs within nine sectors, and includes an assessment of current and future demand for employees and their associated skills training and developmental needs. The Saskatchewan Sector Study Summary Report provides an overview of the main research findings from the nine studies. The report has been distributed to key stakeholders and is also available on the LMI Extranet. The overview is available on the SaskNetWork website. The Saskatchewan Sector Profiles Internet Product is available on both the LMI Extranet and the SaskNetWork websites, and profiles the main research findings from the nine Sector Studies. The Saskatchewan Economic and Labour Market Overview project provides a general overview of economic and labour market characteristics, including international and national economic outlook, provincial economic and labour market overview, and provincial sector overviews, based on the Sector Study project. Both the Saskatchewan Economic and Labour Market Overview project and the Sector Study projects are available on both the LMI Extranet and the SaskNetWork websites.

There were two Wage & Salary Surveys conducted, in 1996 and 1998, by Statistics Canada. The surveys provided data on occupations using the NOC occupation-based codes and the SIC industry-based codes, and is composed of six categories for both full-time and part-time workers according to employment experience and union or non-union status. The Union Wage Rate Database project extracts wage and salary information from all occupations in the province and is a wage component of Saskatchewan Job Futures. It is available on the LMI Extranet in the Wage Rates section. The Wage and Salary Database incorporates information from the Statistics Canada wage surveys, the Union Wage Rate Database project, and census data. It is available on the LMI Extranet and on the SaskNetWork website as a component of Saskatchewan Job Futures.

Employment forecasts, skills shortages and profiles, and occupational profile projects were also developed under LMI. These include projects such as Skills Shortages, Skill Profiles for Tourism Occupations, Saskatchewan Job Futures, and the SI Forecast (purchase of PREMOS). Based on survey findings, the Skills Shortages project provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of current and future higher skilled job shortages in Saskatchewan within priority sectors of the economy. Distribution of the report was internal to the LMI SI Working Group partners involved in the project, due to the inclusion of employer-specific information. The Skill Profiles for Tourism Occupations was a joint undertaking of Saskatchewan Tourism Education Council (STEC) and the Saskatchewan tourism industry to develop standards for various tourism-specific occupations to provide professional development and certification of tourism professions. STEC has agreed to the skill profiles being incorporated into the SaskNetWork and LMI Extranet websites.

Saskatchewan Job Futures profiles approximately 250 occupations, which are accessed through its occupational search capabilities. Included are components such as nature of work, employment requirements, education/training paths, average wage range, and prospects for future growth by occupation. It also includes occupational search capabilities. The Internet is used as the medium for information dissemination, and a Saskatchewan Job Futures web product has been developed that is available on the SaskNetWork website.

The SI Forecast involved the purchase of the Provincial Economic Model of Saskatchewan (PREMOS), a macro-economic model used to forecast a variety of macro-economic variables, including employment. Employment forecasts for trade, manufacturing, services, and others can be produced using scenario forecasts as required, with base forecasts to account for rapidly changing local conditions. The project is intended to enable government, training institutes, and industry to foresee areas of potential employment growth by occupation and develop policies to address these areas. Although the PREMOS model was purchased, it was later determined that economic and industry forecasting should be provided by Saskatchewan Finance's economic model, and a July 1998 SI Forecast has been developed and made available on the LMI Extranet.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, access projects were developed under the LMI stream for the communication and dissemination of labour market information. The four projects/products were as follows: Partnership Access to the National Labour Market Information System (NLMIS); LMI Wide-Area Network (LAN/WAN); LMI Extranet website; and the SaskNetWork website. The NLMIS is operating in a WAN environment, and partners are able to access it through the WAN using Citrix WinFrame. It is currently available through the LMI Extranet; however, the development of a client server has been postponed for up to two years because of technical difficulties.

The LMI LAN/WAN has been developed to connect SI partners such as SIAST, New Careers Corporation (NCC), Regional Colleges, and Saskatchewan PSEST to facilitate the dissemination of information and to provide access to information such as the NLMIS at HRDC. The LMI Extranet website houses databases and other LMI products, and provides partners with access to a server, communication opportunities, a help component, and a list of LMI and Career Services contact people and other tools. It is accessible through a password and has a firewall in place.

The SaskNetWork website is a joint LMI and Career Services project in which a partnership website has been developed. The website provides electronic single-point access for communicating and disseminating timely and relevant career, employment, and labour market information to Saskatchewan people. The website integrates PSEST's SUCCESS website, the former NCC and Regina Career Linx websites, and links to a network of other provincial and national career and labour market information websites. Information is provided for such areas as; job/work seeking, finding workers, career planning, education and training, labour market information, self-employment, financial help, and the workplace. The website has been designed and will be operational in January 1999. It is a priority project because the LMI Internet products being developed require a website so that a wide target audience can access them. The target audience includes students, job seekers, educators and training professionals, employers, economic and community developers, and government agencies and partners. A SaskNetWork Communications Strategy is being developed, and includes the design and production of promotional materials to market the SaskNetWork website. The Strategy is complementary to the regional Canada-Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services (CSCES) communication strategy, as the SaskNetWork is an integral component of CSCES self-help features.

As of February 4, 1999, a total of 28 projects were developed under the LMI stream, costing $2,078,613. The remaining four projects are scheduled for completion by March 1999. Two projects, Compatible Information Database and Events Affecting the Labour Market Database, were discontinued. The Compatible Information Database project was discontinued because it was too time consuming and resource-intensive for completion within the LMI project timeframe. The Events Affecting the Labour Market Database was discontinued because the project was very labour-intensive and the dedicated human resources needed to undertake and complete the project were not available.

Footnotes

1	A Framework for the Evaluation of the Joint Planning Arrangements, Co-Location Projects and Strategic Initiatives Under the Canada-Saskatchewan Labour Force Development Agreement and the Canada-Saskatchewan Contribution Agreement Concerning Labour Market Initiatives Under the Strategic Initiatives Program. 1996.
2	LMI was also associated with the broader LFDA principles for Strategic Initiatives. See Appendix Two for LFDA principles and their linkages with LMI.