Directorates
·	Director General's Office
·	Data Development
·	Strategic Evaluations
·	Partnership and Continuous Evaluations
Publications
·	Evaluation Reports
·	Evaluation Briefs
·	Labour Market Development Agreement Series
·	Lessons Learned Series
·	Evaluation Tool Kit Series
·	Evaluation Forum Newsletter
·	From Theory To Practice

The overriding objective of the evaluation of the Support Measures (EAS and LLMP) is to provide relevant decision-making information for the LMDA Management Committee for use in formulating policies and providing direction as well as a decision-making tool for the regional LMDA managers. The report will also provide accurate information as input to the parliamentary monitoring and assessment report for fiscal 2000/01.

This conclusion provides a summary of the various perceptions collected through personal interviews with key informants, an extensive telephone survey with EAS clients, focus groups with EAS clients, EAS and LLMP case studies, and based on information provided in the body of the report.

4.1 EAS

Approximately 50 EAS offices provide full third party outreach services to the population of Newfoundland and Labrador. The majority of these offices provide employment-assisted services to the general unemployed public; some provide services to clients with special needs. In general, the outreach offices, as now constructed and administered, provide a valuable effective service to both rural and urban residents of Newfoundland and Labrador who are unemployed. The outreach counselors are knowledgeable, sympathetic and effective. Any shortcomings on their part, in general, are perceived to be a result of an inability to help the client achieve the end-result, a job, due to lack of employment opportunities in the region. In other words, these shortcomings are not a result of the means to help provide access to a variety of human resource services. The most commonly heard comments regarding EAS service was that the counselor had helped the client gain a sense of self-worth and was "there for the client every step of the way". While difficult to quantify, this positive attitude is critical in helping clients make difficult career and life decisions.

A number of observations regarding EAS can be made which may help in decision making and policy formulation.

• In general, the greater the distance and isolation from an urban centre, the more dependent is the client and community on the EAS outreach office. A corollary to this is the greater the distance and isolation from an urban centre, the broader the services of the EAS outreach office.
• Co-locating, where it exists, has broken down barriers among agencies, provided better "one-stop" human resource services and is more client focused.
• In general, sponsors in rural areas have little in common or little interaction with the EAS offices, which serve the general population, other than through their role as administrators of wages and benefits. Although EAS outreach staff, for the most part, do not see this as an issue, several commented on "the lack of synergy" between the sponsor and the outreach office. Opportunity may exist for the EAS outreach staff to be better managed or, at least, for the two parties to effectively interact on a more regular basis.
• Sponsors of EAS outreach offices directed at a client base with special needs have greater interaction with the EAS outreach offices and provide greater support to those offices than sponsors of EAS outreach offices, which serve the general population.
• Sponsors in urban areas have greater interaction with their EAS outreach offices and provide greater support than those in rural areas.
• Inconsistency exists as to the administrative identity and structure of EAS offices. This causes some confusion among EAS outreach workers and some of their clients as to the role and function of EAS outreach offices. Some offices are not associated with HRDC and have their own distinct identity. Others resemble a storefront version of HRDC and clients as well as employees have difficulty distinguishing between HRDC and EAS outreach offices. Other EAS outreach offices exist somewhere in between with no clear identity. This causes confusion for the client in terms of the types of services that can be provided by the EAS outreach office. For those offices that resemble HRDC offices, some clients assume that these offices deliver HRDC policies and programs.
• CATS is an effective management tool in terms of tracking quantitative information, but it has not been used for quantifying goals or objectives. Much of the success of EAS outreach offices is through its qualitative client services, which cannot be captured except through an evaluation such as this. Given that CATS is solely a tracking system, its effectiveness could be improved by sufficient training of officers to ensure consistency in interpreting CATS output. Assessment of single offices is possible using the system, but inter-office comparisons are difficult given the nature of the data. Longitudinal assessment of single offices may also be problematic since personnel changes over time could change the approach to entering data, thereby making comparisons difficult.
• Many contractors believe that CATS is of limited value in assessing the progress of all clients, but it is particularly inadequate in assessing the progress of the disabled. It is not designed with the challenges facing such individuals in mind. Furthermore, some contractors believe that any third-party reading of the data would be misinterpreted and, consequently, they do not use the system.
• Federal and provincial coordination in terms of regional priorities, policies and decision making has improved, although some provincial departments feel that their issues and concerns go unheeded.
• Those clients who favourably view the EAS outreach offices' approach of using action plans, see it as an effective tool in helping them start their decision making process.
• Most EAS outreach clients who were interviewed for this evaluation expressed satisfaction with the job search centres.
• Moderate need clients tended to have attained a higher educational level than case managed clients and more moderate need clients felt comfortable with and used computers more in their job search than did case managed clients. However, some case managed clients had become familiar with computers as a result of the EAS outreach office, which is a positive unintended outcome.
• Of the case managed clients who were surveyed, the services most frequently used, in order of usage, were information on financial assistance and post-secondary education/training programs, followed by job search/interview techniques, employment and career counseling and resume and cover letter application. Among this interview group, the top ranked services received were: information on training and education programs, career counseling and job bank kiosks/job postings. Of the moderate need clients, the services most frequently used, in order of usage, were information on financial assistance, resume and cover letter application, and job search/interview techniques. Among this interview group, the top ranked services received were: Internet job listings, career counseling and information on training and education programs.
• The least valuable services, as reported by the EAS clients who were surveyed, were workshops on job search skills and job finding clubs.
• Many clients viewed the location of the EAS outreach offices as positive stating that they would not have made the effort to drive/fly to a HRCC office unless it was critical. A corollary to this is that many EAS clients would not make the effort to drive/fly to a HRCC office because they felt unwelcome once there. Thus, EAS outreach clients said they are being more effectively and efficiently served by EAS outreach offices than previously because of its convenient location and quality of service.
• EAS outreach clients who attended the focus groups felt that the EAS offices were not properly marketed and, therefore, not penetrating the regions to the degree that they could or should be.
• Although the client base of many EAS outreach offices was originally fisheries related, it has changed during the last few years to capture a broader spectrum which includes services and construction. Although the information is qualitative, EAS outreach workers who were interviewed for this evaluation stated they are seeing a greater number of younger clients.
• The contracts between EAS outreach offices and the HRCCs appear to be fairly generic. If the focus of the EAS outreach offices is to change in any way, the contracts should perhaps specify the nature and extent of the services to be provided by the EAS outreach offices.
• Rural EAS outreach clients generally are being directed to activities which make them more employable. However, the big gap in rural Newfoundland and Labrador is employment opportunities. This results in EAS outreach clients securing skills that may provide them with a better chance of obtaining jobs elsewhere.

4.2 LLMP

Of the more than 500 projects that have been funded through LLMP, 52 were profiled for this evaluation. Activities undertaken as part of the LLMP vary widely. This is partially a result of the flexibility of the LLMP criteria. Therefore, it is difficult to judge individual LLMPs using a standardized format. However, in general, LLMP project proponents cited flexible guidelines as the most positive feature of the program. Projects and programs previously ineligible for funding by government programs, but necessary in achieving long term economic development goals, were eligible under the LLMP guidelines.

A number of observations about LLMP projects can be made which may help in decision making and policy formulation:

• Generally, pan provincial projects provide direct and immediate short-term employment.
• By and large, pan provincial projects are better focused, coordinated and skills enhancing than previous "make work" type projects.
• Many pan provincial projects tie communities together, but because of the diverse and large geographic area that these projects cover, they take longer to start up and implement than regional projects and, therefore, need more time, guidance, flexibility and long-term funding.
• The need in rural Newfoundland and Labrador is for long-term community economic development initiatives and the creation of a positive economic climate, both of which generally take eight to ten years to plan, implement and generate results. Therefore, many regional project initiatives are not likely to create immediate employment.
• Projects are generally based on established zonal board strategic plans and HRCC business plans and are coordinated through the LMDA partners' meetings. This helps ensure that projects meet regional economic development interests. However, there appears to be an imbalance in favour of long-term economic development needs to immediate employment creation. This, however, may be due to the relative infancy of zonal boards or, more likely, the state of the economy or the business sector in a region.
• An effective balance is needed between pan provincial and regional initiatives in order to address and integrate different economic development approaches (e.g. projects resulting in short-term as well as long term employment opportunities).
• Zonal boards have extensively used LLMP to obtain resources, primarily staff, to undertake projects that are outside of their normal capacity. Depending on the size of the board and its activities, there is a concern that a dependency on LLMP could be created as a result.
• Some zonal boards have minimal staff and projects, thereby creating inconsistency in regional development. This may be a result of some boards being more energetic than others in pursuing initiatives or it may be a result of fewer genuine opportunities within some regions.
• The flexibility of LLMP criteria allows for extra funding beyond the zonal boards' core funding. Without that funding, zonal boards would have difficulty providing their present level of service as many volunteers have neither the time nor expertise to carry out the duties of key zonal board personnel.
• Because of the greater geographic scope of zonal boards compared with previous development associations, economic development is being undertaken on a sector approach rather than on a more generic community development approach. This has resulted in zonal boards hiring technical experts rather than community development generalists. In general, this has been seen as a positive direction by the zonal boards and demonstrates a maturation process in economic development throughout rural Newfoundland and Labrador. However, depending on the region and its state of maturation, there still may be a need for on-going basic community economic development.
• Many project sponsors and zonal board executive directors remarked on the changing economic development approach in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Previously, organizations and individuals looked to government for money, now they are looking for technical support and strengthening partnerships to undertake projects together.
• Little recognition exists by LLMP project proponents at the delivery level that HRE and other provincial government departments are partners with HRDC. HRE has a low to non-existent profile.
• The partner approach works well in terms of coordinating regional and provincial priorities. However, a trade-off sometimes occurs between coordination and fast and efficient client service. Coordination takes time and effort, which sometimes diminishes the partners' ability to provide fast efficient service.
• A number of regional economic development projects are tourism related. It may be questionable as to whether all regions can support the degree of infrastructure and effort that is now being directed at this sector. Greater emphasis should perhaps be placed on identifying other sectors of growth.
• Although regional autonomy is important, effort needs to be directed at communicating regional strategies that are linked together so as to avoid unnecessary duplication of infrastructure or projects among regions.
• A majority of LLMP case studies used best practices as they relate to training, strategic plans and appropriate economic development activities for a region. However, only a few of the case studies used best practices as they relate to specific measurable goals, a developmental strategy or stakeholder consultation. A slightly better balance may be warranted.
• A significant number of LLMP case studies concerned projects that were directed at economic development activities. Very few of the project types identified the strengths of the community, built or supported a self-sufficient community or developed a local continuum of service. Given the economic development nature of LLMPs, this imbalance is neither surprising nor cause for concern.

Respectfully Submitted,

AMEC Earth & Environmental Limited

Prepared by:

Susan Sherk
Senior Human
Environmental Consultant