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The purpose of this chapter is to present our summary observations and conclusions derived from the information collected during the formative evaluation of SPI.

4.1 Rationale

Relevance to Sectoral Needs

The rationale for the SPI is still valid and relevant to sectoral HR issues. The flexible, national, labour-management partnership approach is considered effective by both the private and public sector. The joint labour-management approach is also supported by existing research on HR practices. The flexible approach, which allows each sector to define its HR needs and the appropriate actions to be taken, implies that not all of SPI's objectives or priorities may be addressed or even relevant in each sector council. Overall, however, there is a good match between the sector council needs and government priorities for human resources development practices.

Adapting to Change

Generally, the sector councils are very willing to respond to new government initiatives. Not all sector councils have been able to respond to changing government priorities and the new initiatives launched under the SPI. Introducing new initiatives can interfere with meeting original plans and timetables of sector councils. The sector councils emphasised the need for the government to be flexible, allowing each sector council to respond to new government priorities according to each sector's needs and resources. SPI management stated that the intention of SPI is only to pursue new initiatives when there is a match between the sector council's needs and SPI.

Match Between SPI and Sector Council Objectives

There appears to be a good match between the objectives of the sectoral agreements and the SPI. Except for the process and delivery results, however, the linkages between the goals and objectives of SPI and the sector councils are not specified in the agreements. There should be a statement of intent regarding employability and firm level impacts in the agreements to clarify expectations for meeting SPI's broader objectives.

Public Support

SPI resonates well with the public agenda of a non-politicized approach to human resource programs and practices. Surveys of the general public reveal that public support for lifelong learning and the partnership approach is high. The public are less concerned about who is responsible for training and more concerned about getting something done.

4.2 Delivery Results

The SPI Process

There is some frustration with administration of the SPI, however, sector councils' opinions about SPI management and staff are very positive. SPI representatives were viewed as very efficient, professional and helpful. Sector councils would like to see even more services provided by SPI representatives, including information on lessons learned and a simplified methodology for updating HR studies.

From the standpoint of sector councils, there are a number of possible changes in the administration of the SPI that would either benefit the sector councils or improve the process, including:

• providing a clear understanding of SPI policies and procedures, particularly at the developmental stage;
• providing a clear statement of SPI objectives and expectations for each sector council in the agreements;
• providing a precise statement of the self-sufficiency requirement in the sector council agreements;
• in some instances, developing a transition period between the HR study and the developmental agreement to formalize partnerships, prepare potential strategies etc., early in the process; and
• developing a better match between the financial cash flow and expenditures of the sector councils and the (currently declining) payment schedule, although core self-sufficiency must be attained.

SPI management noted that the lack of guidelines and definitions stemmed from the fact that the program itself was evolving and it was a learning situation for the sector councils and program management. SPI management also intends to keep SPI flexible, even if it means some degree of ambiguity persists.

Design and Delivery

There is a wide diversity of and innovation in programs and delivery mechanisms as a result of the sectoral partnership approach. It is unlikely that a single traditional government program could have yielded such diversity and innovation. This diversity reflects the different perceived needs within each sector. The diversity will provide an opportunity to explore how different types of programs and services meet the needs of labour and management in a variety of labour markets. This diversity could also lead to possible duplication of effort. Therefore, it is important for the sector councils to maintain their lines of communication and for SPI to provide information on the lessons learned. This does not imply that the sector councils will become homogeneous in their approach to HR issues and the programs and services they develop.

One of the most important characteristics of the delivery is the joint labour-management design and delivery of the programs and services. The joint labour-management process has worked exceptionally well in many sectors considering the different objectives of these stakeholders and the often long history of an adversarial relationship in their labour-management negotiations. In some cases, however, differences between labour and management continue to hamper progress.

Significant progress was found in product development and firm-level take-up. These results vary substantially by sector councils, although progress consistently lags behind original plans. The sectoral partnership approach is a complex process and should not be viewed as a quick fix.

One area of improvement could be in the marketing efforts for the sector councils' products and services. Sometimes so much effort is required to develop the products and services that, excluding the initial needs assessment, not much effort is expended on developing marketing plans and strategies until after the products are near completion. Leaving a large gap in the marketing activities, between the time the needs assessment is completed and the product development, can create another lag in the take-up of programs and services in the sector. HRDC is currently exploring HRDC's and sectors' needs regarding communications strategies.

Equity Issues

In some sector councils, there has been increased training activity which has benefited workers who traditionally received the least training. If the programs and services sponsored by the sector councils have high take-up rates, then all segments of labour markets, including equity groups, should benefit from these activities. Few sector councils, however, have implemented any specific employment equity initiatives despite the requirement in the sector council agreements to address employment equity issues. Although more equity initiatives are also being developed in conjunction with the Youth Initiatives, more resources should be devoted to identifying opportunities to incorporate employment equity initiatives during program design. In order to increase employment equity activity undertaken by the national sectoral organizations, an employment equity committee has been formed within the Human Resources Partnerships Directorate at HRDC.

Systemic Change

There is evidence of systemic change in HR practices as a result of the SPI initiative. The joint participation of labour and management in the sectoral initiatives is a profound shift in the way in which HR practices have been developed and implemented in the past. In some cases, educational institutions have become more responsive to the needs of the sectors, changing long standing approaches to the design of courses and the awarding of credits. Many of the stakeholders believe that jurisdictional boundaries are being broken down because programs and services delivered by sector councils are industry driven and are not designed by any level of government.

Self-Sufficiency

There is a strong rationale for promoting self-sufficiency among the sector councils. Some sector councils have achieved core operational self-sufficiency and the evidence suggests that most sector councils could achieve core operational self-sufficiency, although most will not meet their original cash flow projections. Several factors contribute to the deviations from the original cash flow projections for the sector councils, including delays in implementing programs and services and responding to new government initiatives. The ability to design and implement products and services and the ability to become self-sufficient are two different measures of success. If a sector council has had difficulty designing and implementing programs and services, this is not a self-sufficiency issue, it is a delivery or relevance issue.