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In addition to the Strategic Initiatives which provided direct programming support to clients to increase their access to employment and economic independence, a number of Initiatives provided indirect support for the achievement of these objectives. They provided supporting services which increased access to labour market information, improved counselling and referral services for clients and increased access to quality, affordable child care. The more direct service Initiatives — particularly those for clients facing multiple barriers to self-sufficiency — provided a range of support services for clients on an individual basis. The Initiatives covered in this chapter focus on building the infrastructure at a system-wide, as opposed to the individual, level. 3.1 Improved Labour Market Information Having access to high quality labour market information (LMI) is key to improving employment prospects. Two Strategic Initiatives focussed on improving such access:
The evaluation of the British Columbia initiative highlighted a range of constraints which clients face in accessing adequate LMI. These included the lack of time to search for information or to explore the resources to determine their suitability and how they could be used, the lack of comfort with computers, the lack of knowledge about where to find the resources, and information overload. Particular problems were highlighted regarding access to information that is appropriate for secondary school audiences. There is an increasing need to provide more hands-on resources, information at lower literacy levels, assistance in learning how to use complex LMI, and information on realistic job opportunities at entry level and vocational employment, and information targeted for specific audiences such as aboriginal people and women.
The key feature in the achievements of both Initiatives has been the strong partnerships, not only between the federal and provincial governments, but also involving other developers and users of LMI. The evaluations reflected the importance of these partnerships In the Labour Market Initiative in Saskatchewan, federal and provincial governments are working together as equal partners through joint decision-making, planning, communication, and overall involvement in LMI project development and implementation. However, partnerships have extended beyond these two levels of government to include LMI users and the general public as well. The benefits associated with partnerships have been achieved by successfully handling challenges through the involvement of partners in all stages of the program, and through effective communication that incorporates meaningful consultation, feedback of information, and follow-up. Considerable time and effort have been expended to develop the partnerships and substantial opportunities exist to realise continued benefits by working together. Working in partnership was a positive key feature of the way the Labour Market Initiative in British Columbia operated. Representatives of the federal and provincial governments co-chaired the Initiative. Other partners included people from other provincial ministries, other Strategic Initiatives, government agencies and career practitioner organisations. However, there was a recognition that lessons could be learned about these partnerships. Appropriate partnerships should include business, industry, and labour.
The factors which contribute to, or detract from, these partnership arrangements will be discussed in greater detail in Chapter 4.0. 3.2 Improved Career Services Four Strategic Initiatives focussed on improving access to, and the quality of, career services (counselling, assessment and referral services) for those seeking employment opportunities. Two Initiatives were designed to address specifically the needs of people on income support:
Two other Initiatives were designed to meet the needs of the population, as a whole, rather than those of a specific target group:
As with the improvements to the provision of LMI services, the projects to improve career services focussed largely on strengthening partnerships between the federal and provincial levels of government and with other community organisations. Some reflected more successes than others.
The Career Services program (Saskatchewan) involved partnerships with the two levels of governments as well as partnerships with community stakeholders. Federal and provincial governments are working together as equal partners through joint decision-making, planning, communication and overall involvement in development and implementation. Considerable time and effort were also expended to develop the partnerships with community stakeholders. Diverse organisations involved in labour market development and career service delivery, which previously worked independently, are working together, sharing information, and jointly developing career services and training programs. The Assessment, Counselling and Referral program effectively produced enhanced results from combined efforts made by the various government organisations. There was joint planning, design, service delivery and accountability to government partners with equal opportunity for input from each partner. The partnership was developed to bring together more collective knowledge, experience and wisdom from the direct service delivery level of all levels of government and the community. Community Skills Centres staff (British Columbia) were very good at creating partnerships and collaborating with community stakeholders. As a group, the staff possessed a combination of expertise in business, training, and community economic development. Some Community Skills Centres have been very effective because of the private sector focus to management or the business/industry base that was receptive to the Community Skills Centres’ training services. Those that are less effective tend to be early in their development, lacking local industry leaders on their board, or not fully committed to the partnership idea. The Community Skills Centres’ partnerships have reinforced the efforts of community leaders, educators, and government offices to create more awareness of the importance of lifelong educational and skills upgrading.
The evaluation of the Ontario jobLink (Ontario) program noted that partnerships between the federal and provincial/local officials and community agencies serving SARs offers potential benefits due to the expertise which each brings to the partnership. The Resource Centres established under the program were intended to pool the resources of three levels of government and community organisations, but the evaluation found that the extent of success varied depending on the planning process. Addressing overlaps and gaps in service at an operational level requires a clear identification of overlaps and gaps at the outset, an active planning process, and continuing involvement and commitment of all parties. Reduction in the funding/services of the partners during the pilot has limited achievements of the partnerships in this program.
The evaluations of the two programs designed specifically to address the needs of clients on long term social assistance — Ontario jobLink and Assessment, Counselling and Referral programs — concluded that the programs provided highly relevant services for this population. However, it is too early to assess their impact. The evaluation of the British Columbia Assessment, Counselling and Referral program confirmed that, as was suggested in the previous chapter, clients facing multiple barriers to self-sufficiency need a continuous package of services. In addition, employment-related programs for this target group need to be linked to local community economic needs. Services provided by this British Columbia program were specifically designed to meet the needs of the client group and reflect the importance of providing a range of individualised services. They included:
The Assessment, Counselling and Referral evaluation noted also that the provision of services to individuals on income support was highly dependent upon both private and institutional service providers in the community. Employers and agencies involved with community economic development were viewed as critical stakeholders in the success of training and employability programs to individuals on income support. They could also provide key information inputs such as local labour market data. In spite of positive achievements, the Assessment, Counselling and Referral evaluation reflects uncertainty about whether the motivational effects of the program will last, since the sustainability of the outcomes appears to depend on whether the expectations for follow-up programs and other outcomes were actually met.
3.3 Improved Access to Child Care Among the logistic barriers to accessing employment opportunities, the lack of affordable, high quality child care was identified in a number of Strategic Initiatives. For example, the evaluation of the Investing in People program (Northwest Territories) noted that over half the participants did not complete the program. For some, the reason was their family responsibilities and the lack of child care options. The Taking Charge! program (Manitoba) recognised the need to make services convenient for participants and provided access to a day care facility for short-term use. The Compass program evaluation also noted that the lack of subsidised child care was one of the disincentives faced by SAR clients in the program, particularly single parents.
Two specific community-based initiatives were undertaken in British Columbia to strengthen access to high quality, affordable child care services:
The key lesson learned from these projects is the importance of early and in-depth consultation with communities in order to assess needs accurately, provide adequate information and build “buy-in”. Without this consultation it was difficult to reach consensus with communities on needs and project activities were difficult to implement. The evaluation of the Improved Child Care Access project notes that, in those projects in which there was inadequate community consultation, it was difficult to reach consensus with communities on needs. As a result, project activities were difficult to implement. Similarly, the critical nature of community consultation was also highlighted in the evaluation of the Supported Child Care project. The evaluation noted that although community development is a time-consuming process, it is recognised as the best approach for this type of initiative. It is also a big challenge to implement well.
3.4 Non-Employment Support for Specific Target Groups Although many Strategic Initiatives focussed on addressing the employment-related needs of specific target groups, only one addressed non-employment needs. The Choice and Opportunities program in Prince Edward Island was created to redesign existing programs and delivery mechanisms to increase the opportunity for individuals with intellectual disabilities to make decisions about how they want to receive supports and services. The project was also to assist agencies and community organisations to be inclusive of persons with an intellectual disability. There were few lessons in the formative evaluation pertaining to the objectives of the initiative. The evaluation did provide some interesting findings with respect to process, specifically the role of partnerships. The program involved a partnership between four parties including the Canadian Association for Community Living, the Prince Edward Island Association for Community Living and the federal and the provincial governments. This partnership was key to the implementation of the program. Yet the evaluation noted that there are critical elements to an effective partnership. These include sharing visions, responsibility, power, and resources; respectful, open, trusting, honest and equitable relations; and processes which are creative and supportive and building teams and addressing conflicts. These elements of an effective partnership will be considered again in the following chapter in the review of the extent to which all the Strategic Initiatives reflected effectiveness partnerships. 3.5 Conclusions Nine Strategic Initiatives focussed on providing support services, primarily to clients on long term social assistance. All but one was focussed on the provision of supports necessary to facilitate attachment to the labour force. There is a common theme to the lessons learned from these projects: partnerships are important for achieving program objectives. Whatever support is required — whether it be information, counselling/assessment or child care services — effective design and delivery of these services include public, private and non-profit sector partnerships. Information is a key element to improving employment prospects. The two Initiatives which sought to strengthen processes of identification and dissemination of labour market information benefited particularly from strengthened partnerships. Both Initiatives involved partnerships with federal and provincial governments as well as community organisations (including users). Contributions of the federal government included resources, information and systems expertise. Provincial governments and communities contributed a greater awareness and understanding of local needs to the design and delivery of the LMI initiatives. The support which those facing multiple barriers to labour market attachment require goes beyond access to labour market information to include other support services, such as counselling, assessment and referral services. Four Initiatives provided these services — two specifically for clients on government assistance. These initiatives recognised the importance of partnerships, particularly with community-level organisations and service deliverers, in achieving their objectives. Two Strategic Initiatives focussed on addressing one specific barrier to employment — the lack of accessible, affordable child care. The evaluations of these Initiatives reflected the importance of strong community partnership in the design and delivery of services. Early and in-depth consultation with communities is necessary to assess needs accurately, provide adequate information and build “buy-in”. The provision of improved labour market information and other support services may achieve short-term positive results for clients. However, it is too early to assess the longer-term impact on reducing reliance on government assistance. Potentially this assessment of impact will be available from the Strategic Initiatives summative evaluations.
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