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·	From Theory To Practice

Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES), announced by the Minister of Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) in February 1997, marked a new way for the government to provide young people with the necessary skills and work experience they need to be better prepared to make a transition into the labour market. Twelve departments and agencies, led by HRDC, were allocated $315M over the three years of the strategy. Following the announcement, the interdepartmental committees were created and implemented. They formed the creation of a horizontal approach and the commitment of the Government of Canada to youth and youth issues.

HRDC integrated youth programs within the YES by creating new programs and by modifying existing programs. The new programs created were Youth International, Internships in Science and Technology, and information and Awareness. Modifications were made to Youth Service Canada (YSC), Youth internship Canada (YIC), and Summer Student Job Action.

This formative evaluation provided an opportunity for HRDC to look at the program design and content; the delivery processes; interest; and, uptake of several of these programs including Youth Internship Canada and lnternships in Science and Technology. It also provided an opportunity to review the interdepartmental process.

The evaluation's findings demonstrate the importance that participants attach to the work experience they received. Employers and sponsors felt the experience provided interns with new skills and valuable work experience. The three main implications of the evaluation and comments and action taken by the Youth Initiatives Directorate (YID) are noted below:

(1) Guidelines about participation and eligibility criteria for Youth Programs should be more specific.

Comments by YID: The program terms and conditions were developed with wide flexibility to enable the strategy to respond to youth frequently trapped in the job-experience paradox. The program operational guidelines support this approach, however it is recognized that more focused eligibility criteria may be required to increase program effectiveness. During the 1999-00 fiscal year, YID will explore the feasibility of developing more specific eligibility criteria to assist in identifying clients truly in need of youth programs.

The 1996 Ministerial Task Force on Youth report Take on the Future found the current federal youth employment programs — YSC, YIC, and the government's summer programs — were successful. However, the report acknowledged that there were additional initiatives needed to help youth gain experience in the areas of technology and the international marketplace. ln addition, it was clear that there were initiatives needed to assist those youth who face multiple barriers to gain access to the labour market.

The Government of Canada's response was to make the terms and conditions of existing programs more flexible by allowing youth normally between the ages of 15 and 30 to participate and ensuring that the needs identified by youth, employers, non-governmental organizations and other partners were addressed. Although not directly part of the YES, the February 1998 Federal Budget announced a comprehensive Canadian Opportunities Strategy in which incremental funding was announced specifically for initiatives targeted to youth facing multiple barriers to employment. Through the available programs and services, all unemployed youth will have an opportunity to benefit.

(2) The clients tracking systems used to collect information on participants and interventions and the capacity to monitor HRDC internship programs require significant improvement.

Comments by YID: The implementation of client tracking systems is an ongoing concern not only for HRDC internship programs, but for all areas involved in the delivery of active labour market programs. There are a number of issues that contribute to the situation and steps have been taken to address the issues.

Overall, the systems issues are tied to the capacity to deliver programs for youth and other interventions (within the directorates of the Human Resource Investment Branch). The legacy systems (NESS and Contact IV) have been enhanced to reflect youth requirements. As such the Department has greatly improved its capacity to collect information on participants. With the renewal of the YES, the capacity issues were addressed with additional resources being made available to Regions and NHQ. As program delivery is highly decentralised the responsibility for monitoring and tracking rests primarily with the regional and local offices. YIP however will continue to provide national support in addressing monitoring resource requirements and assisting regions with the implementation of their client tracking and monitoring activities.

YID is also committed to regularly scheduled conference calls with the Regions, and the further development and implementation of the On-Line Data Information Network (ODIN). This system ensures consistency of program delivery, monitoring of program and project activity, and sharing of best practices. NHQ is also committed to helping the Regions with capacity issues through staff training, hosting regional workshops and jointly developing additional tools to facilitate the effective delivery, monitoring and tracking of youth programs.

(3) Concerning the Interdepartmental Process: The delivery of the Youth lnternational (Yl) component of YES should be reviewed to ensure a coordinated approach between departments and to avoid unnecessary overlap and duplication in terms of clientele and program implementation.

Comments and action taken by YID: HRDC is the lead department responsible for interdepartmental coordination of YES. The work experiences and programs provided are centered on three themes: International; Science and Technology; and Summer. The formative evaluation has offered an opportunity to adjust the horizontal approach and coordination of the interdepartmental process.

In December 1998, YES was renewed. The two existing interdepartmental committees — Science and Technology and International — have since agreed to meet monthly to discuss operational delivery issues. The committees provide an opportunity to discuss operational policy issues such as eligibility of clients and sponsors, duration of internships and repeat clients. This information-sharing forum highlights best practices, enables the sharing of products and tools, and coordinates accountability and financial tracking of sponsors, clients and departments. The mid-year re-allocation and review of funds process will continue to be a responsibility of these committees.

Two other interdepartmental committees have been established — a Communications committee and an Evaluation committee. Plans are in place to establish a senior level (Director General) interdepartmental policy committee to provide strategic leadership to the departments involved with YES.

In conclusion, the formative evaluation has provided an early opportunity to review key components of YES, notably HRDC’s youth internship programs. It also provided an opportunity to adjust programs, to review the horizontal process, and to respond to issues and concerns in the early stages of the YES delivery.