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·	From Theory To Practice

The evaluation is a formative one, in that this is the method of choice for "...improving a specific program, policy, group or staff (in a personnel evaluation), or product."² The evaluation research draws on five main categories of data, with appropriate data collection methods. These data sources and collection strategies are:

1. Case Studies (8):³ An intensive, on-site program of interviews with the CSC manager, staff, current trainees where available, board chair and members, other community stakeholders (i.e., business, labour, community economic development groups, First Nations, representatives from relevant ministries, municipal government; average of 15 individuals interviewed)

2. Non-Case Studies (13): All remaining CSCs, with phone interviews with: Manager, board chair and/or selected members, key community stakeholders (as suggested by Manager/board chair; often the local Human Resources Centre manager, Ministry of Education, Skills and Training Skills Now area manager, or key business representative), approximately 4 in total for each.

3. Key Respondents at Province-and Program-wide Levels (13): Eight occupy senior positions in Human Resources Development Canada and the Ministry of Education, Skills and Training, the federal and provincial government ministries involved in the CSC. One is a Resources Jobs Commissioner, and four are individuals at the director level from the College-Institute Educators' Association of B.C., the Advanced Education Council of B.C., the labour co-chair of the B.C. Labour Force Development Board, and the Open Learning Agency.

4. Document/Administrative Data Review at the Program-wide Level: Review of program-wide and project-specific documents and administrative data provided by the individual CSCs and by the Evaluation Working Group/Ministry program directors. Includes business and training plans, contracts with MoEST, correspondence, activity reports, etc. These findings appear at the beginning of each case study and in Appendix A for the non-case study CSCs.

5. Telephone Survey of Past Participants: 306 completed interviews, respondents drawn from the eight case study CSCs.

In all, 222 key respondents and 306 past participants were interviewed. The results were analyzed, using content analysis of both interview and administrative/document data. The draft report was then prepared, and subsequently this overview report was developed.

Footnotes

2	Patton, Michael, Designing Qualitative Studies, Sage Publications, 1990, pg.156.
3	These are: North Island (Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Port Alice), North Cariboo (Quesnel), North Coast (Prince Rupert), Sparwood, Revelstoke, Vancouver East, Prince George, Peace (Dawson Creek)