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4.1 OverviewIn this chapter, findings pertaining to program design and delivery are presented, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative evidence. Numerous issues related to the design and delivery of the Employment Benefits and Support Measures (EBSMs) were examined in order to determine if the programs are sufficiently responsive to client needs and if they are being delivered as intended and in a satisfactory manner. Findings from the key informant interviews, focus groups and survey of clients indicate the following:
4.2 Flexibility and Responsiveness to Local and Client NeedsManagers with both the federal and provincial governments perceived that the LMDA and EBSMs are reasonably flexible and responsive to the needs of clients and communities. The wide range of benefits and measures, which has a significant degree of flexibility built into them, have been utilized to fund a variety of initiatives considered to be worthwhile. Moreover, the citizen-centred approach to service delivery through the five HRCCs, coupled with the fact that HRCC managers in each local area have spending authority up to $75,000, helps to ensure that the EBSMs are responsive to local needs. Similarly positive results regarding the local-level flexibility of programs across the country were obtained in the 1998 national EBSM evaluation. These key informants also expressed some reservations, however. For instance, provincial officials argued that better harmonization between LMDA programming and the provincial Social Assistance programming is needed to improve responsiveness to local needs. They also observed that programming through the five HRCCs, while responsive locally, is inconsistent from one region of Prince Edward Island to another and this causes confusion for clients (a problem also identified in the national EBSM evaluation). Of course, it must be recognized that there are trade-offs — the more local flexibility and responsiveness, the less consistency in program delivery from one local area to another. Stakeholders representing industry and education felt that LMDA projects such as those under Job Creation Partnerships would be more beneficial to clients if they moved beyond short-term assistance/job experiences and adopted a longer-term focus whereby clients would be helped to develop job skills that would serve them well over the long run. On the positive side, stakeholders identified literacy programs and Targeted Wage Subsidies as highly responsive to client needs. Most of the employers consulted in focus groups expressed positive views about the responsiveness of the EBSMs. For instance, participants were satisfied with the Targeted Wage Subsidies (TWS) because they enable employers in seasonal industries to extend their season. This also began to satisfy client needs for additional weeks of work. Involuntary part-time workers (i.e., those who would prefer to work full-time) on PEI were more likely to have looked for full-time work than involuntary part-time workers in all the other provinces (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Update, Catalogue No. 71-0005-XPB, p. 19-20). In addition, the Self-Employment benefit was viewed as relevant and responsive to needs, as long as the clients start their business in an industry where there is not too much competition. Some employers argued, however, that the EBSMs could be better adapted to the needs of individual clients. For example, older clients who have worked in the same industry for decades but who now find themselves needing to be retrained for a new type of work have difficulty making this transition. The EBSMs need to be flexible enough to accommodate such unique needs. In focus group discussions, many clients complained about inadequate promotion of the LMDA programs and the fact that some HRCC staff could be unwelcoming and lacking in empathy. Some clients also argued that insufficient funds are available to help cover travel costs to attend training programs. On the other hand, a minority of clients noted that their expectations for service and for LMDA-related training programs had been met. 4.3 Adequacy of Available Labour Market/Labour Force InformationSimilar to the findings pertaining to information monitoring systems (see Section 3.6), both federal and provincial senior managers felt that the currently available information on the PEI labour market and labour force is inadequate and of limited use for LMDA planning and management. At the client service level, although a great deal of labour market information (LMI) is collected and available at the HRCCs, the retrieval of useful, focused information and analysis to address clients' questions appears to be a problem. In the view of some HRCC managers, the available LMI is adequate but it is not being well utilized at present because it is difficult to keep staff trained and current in the optimal use of these data (e.g., how to retrieve LMI from the Internet). 4.4 HRDC Delivery Approach4.4.1 Perceived StrengthsSenior management with both the federal and provincial governments observed that a strength of the EBSM delivery to date has been the positive outlook and cooperative effort of all involved, including front-line HRCC staff who are highly experienced in delivering these sorts of programs. There has been a productive focus on searching for the best ways to deliver and improve client service through the EBSMs. Stakeholders consulted in interviews and focus groups identified a number of strengths of EBSM delivery: the emphasis on skills training; simplified application procedures for Local Labour Market Partnerships (LLMP) funding; a reasonable amount of paperwork involved in HRDC programming and follow-up; and decentralized service delivery through the five HRCCs, with much productive activity at the local community level. In the group discussions, some employers also noted an appropriate amount of paperwork (e.g., in Targeted Wage Subsidies). In addition, employers expressed satisfaction with the flexibility in the EBSMs to accommodate the realities of seasonal employment and business cycles, as well as flexibility in the number of hours employees must work to qualify for wage subsidies. Moreover, some employers praised a few exceptional HRDC staff who have exhibited creativity in their LMDA programming. Although the clients in focus group discussions tended to concentrate on their complaints about service, a few respondents did express satisfaction with the service provided by employment counsellors and case managers. 4.4.2 Perceived WeaknessesSome weaknesses or problems with HRDC's delivery of the EBSMs were also identified in the key informant interviews and focus groups. Federal respondents felt that the difficult adjustment required of some HRDC delivery staff (e.g., having to do EBSM-related jobs that would not have been their first choice), coupled with staff anxiety over the possibility of EBSM delivery eventually being devolved to the Province and the associated threat to their job security has been a problem to date. Provincial key informants identified the inconsistency in service delivery among the five HRCCs on the Island, the apparent poor communications between HRDC senior management and front-line delivery staff, and the negative impression some clients have of the HRCCs (e.g., that HRCC staff are unreceptive and reluctant to provide continuing support to unemployed Islanders) as problem areas. Also, they observed that the EBSMs are not yet fully compatible with provincial objectives because they came as pre-existing programs designed and run by HRDC, and because HRDC staff who were experienced with the programs may be having some difficulty making the switch to the new LMDA approach. Front-line delivery staff acknowledged that there is some inconsistency from one HRCC to another and that the EBSMs need to be better adapted to the particular needs of PEI. Stakeholders perceived some weaknesses with EBSM delivery too. These respondents criticized the lack of face-to-face contact with HRDC staff, the unwelcoming atmosphere in some HRCCs, the delays in processing some applications, and a lack of transparency in the decision-making such that applicants for EBSMs are not always given an adequate explanation for why some projects are accepted while others are rejected. Some stakeholder organizations had particular concerns. A representative of an organization for persons with disabilities argued that there are not enough employment counsellors in regional HRCCs to handle the volume of clients. In addition, representatives of industry associations expressed concern about the lack of continuity in the HRCC staff with whom they deal (which may be due partially to HRDC downsizing). Like the other stakeholders, employers felt that the EBSMs are not adequately promoted. They observed that many clients and established businesses have poor awareness of available programs, though new businesses may be better informed because they tend to search for information on programs to help them get established. Employers also suggested that some HRDC employees might adopt a more proactive approach and develop a better understanding of the labour market in PEI so that good opportunities are not missed. Finally, some employers expressed dissatisfaction with the limited eligibility criteria and with the business hours of the HRCCs (e.g., it can be difficult to get service late in the day). The clients who participated in focus groups appeared to be quite dissatisfied with several aspects of service delivery. In all five regions, clients' most common complaint was that they have been inadequately informed by HRCC staff of the range of benefits and measures available to them. As one participant put it, it is like "pulling teeth" to get any information out of HRCC staff. Clients consulted in the 1998 national formative evaluation were similarly frustrated about the lack of information on EBSMs. Another frequent criticism heard in the present evaluation was that some HRCC staff can be inconsiderate and lacking in empathy. Additional client concerns included the following: there is not enough follow-up from HRCC staff; funding provided under the EBSMs such as Skills Development is inconsistent from one region to another and even from different HRCC staff; there is too long a wait at reception; and some HRCCs have an excessive number of security features, creating a cold and unwelcoming ambiance. 4.5 Transition to Skills DevelopmentIn the view of many key informants, the transition from Purchase of Training, which was formally terminated on June 30, 1999, to the new Skills Development program (initially called Skills Loans and Grants) has been difficult. Both provincial and federal managers as well as front-line delivery staff felt that the process of implementing Skills Development has been slow and frustrating, with much resistance to change. Both advantages and disadvantages of the new program were identified. On the positive side, federal and provincial key informants observed that the termination of Purchase of Training (and the introduction of competition from private training organizations) will probably force provincial educational institutions to improve the design and marketing of their courses, which will ultimately benefit clients. In addition, some stakeholders noted that Skills Development has the potential to be a positive and flexible approach for highly motivated clients with clear career goals, though they cautioned that the repayable loan portion may deter clients with limited job prospects beyond seasonal work. Also, stakeholders from the francophone community felt that Skills Development will help to improve the opportunities for clients to find courses in their preferred language. They felt that the former Purchase of Training approach had favoured community colleges that offer courses in English. On the other hand, numerous difficulties were identified, including the following:
4.6 Use of Programs and ServicesEBSM participants who responded to the survey were asked to indicate what resources or services they used on their own at a Human Resource Centre of Canada. As shown in Exhibit 4.1, respondents were most likely to indicate having used job bank kiosks or job board listings (64 percent) and information on training and education programs (36 percent). Respondents were least likely to have asked for resumé writing assistance or assessment services (14 and nine percent respectively). 
When asked if they had spoken to HRCC staff to help them plan their strategy to return to work, roughly two in five participant respondents indicated that they had (42 percent), and 43 percent of these respondents indicated having developed an action plan with an employment counsellor. When asked if they had completed the activities in their action plan, fully 85 percent of these respondents indicated that they had. The most common reasons for non-completion of action plan activities among the remaining 15 percent of these participants (n=31) were that they found a job (37 percent), their action plan was currently in progress (21 percent) or they changed direction and were no longer interested in pursuing the action plan (10 percent). No clear pattern was observed with respect to subgroup differences by program type or by respondents' socio-demographic characteristics. 4.7 Satisfaction with ServicesParticipant survey respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of the programs and services they received. As shown in Exhibit 4.2, program participants were most likely to indicate that they were satisfied (responded with a 5, 6 or 7 on a 7-point scale) with the quality of education or training (88 percent) and the knowledge of the employment counsellors (87 percent). Participants were least satisfied with the quality of referral services (68 percent) and the information available to choose programs (69 percent). These latter results are consistent with the findings from client focus groups. As discussed in Section 4.4, clients' most common complaint about service delivery was that HRCC staff did not inform them adequately about the full range of available benefits and measures. 
The following subgroup differences were observed:
4.8 Bilingual ServicesAn important evaluation issue involved the degree to which LMDA programs and services are being delivered in both official languages. Evidence from the formative evaluation suggests that this requirement has been very well met. All LMDA program participants in the survey were asked if they had been able to receive information about employment programs in the official language that they prefer, and only three percent of respondents indicated that they had not (n=28). Of these respondents, 58 percent had been unable to receive information in French and 26 percent in English (sixteen percent n=5] did not or could not respond to the question.)27 4.9 Use of Other ServicesRespondents to the participant survey were asked if they had used employment-related services from an organization other than a HRCC, and just less than one third of participant respondents indicated that they had (68 percent indicated they had not used any such services). Respondents were most likely to indicate that they received job search or resumé writing assistance (12 percent), used job bank kiosks or listings (9 percent), had access to a computer (9 percent), and received information on training and education programs (9 percent) from the other organization (Exhibit 4.3). Subgroup differences are presented in Appendix E. 
Of those respondents who used services from another organization, they were most likely to have received these services through friends or personal resources (40 percent), a community college or university (21 percent), or the provincial or federal government (12 percent) (Exhibit 4.4). No clear pattern was observed with respect to subgroup differences by program type or respondent socio-demographic variables. 
4.10 Respondents' Suggestions for Improvement4.10.1 Federal and Provincial ManagersIn commenting upon future challenges and directions for the LMDA, senior managers with the federal government stressed the need to address the problem of relatively low literacy (and computer literacy) among the PEI labour force, including both EI clients and currently employed Islanders; the need to regularly re-assess the highest priority industry sectors for development; and the ongoing challenge of achieving seamless service delivery — whether through the current co-managed approach or through the eventual devolution of service delivery to the Province (should this option be selected in the future). Some provincial senior managers suggested that an apprenticeship or internship program for PEI youth, coupled with a wage subsidy to introduce youth interns to jobs in targeted sectors, would facilitate the development of a skilled labour force while at the same time helping to reduce the migration of young people away from the Island. Provincial key informants added that the ultimate success of the LMDA must be assessed over the long term because it is unrealistic to expect the Agreement's objectives to be fully realized within a five-year period. At the middle management level, key informants with HRDC made a number of suggestions for improving the LMDA: the Operations Committee's decision-making criteria for evaluating local projects should be more transparent and the turn-around time for project approvals should be reduced;28 the LMDA business plan should be better adapted to local community needs while ensuring that realistic expectations are communicated; information systems, connectivity and information exchange (i.e., between HRDC, the Province and third-party delivery organizations) need to be improved; LMDA roles and responsibilities need to be clarified and assigned for all HRDC staff; there is a need for public communications regarding HRDC's new role under the LMDA; and the federal and provincial governments need to become better informed about each other's mandates and parameters for implementing the co-managed LMDA. Provincial middle managers repeated the same suggestions regarding the need to improve information systems and performance monitoring and to better adapt the EBSMs to local community needs. They also suggested that programs (and the associated federal and provincial dollars) should be better harmonized to ensure the seamless delivery of services that address the needs of EI clients as well as currently employed Islanders, such as has been done with the adult basic education/literacy initiative. Others argued, however, that it is most productive at this point to accept the fact that the LMDA is intended to serve EI clients and that the needs of employed Islanders are best met through other program vehicles, either by themselves or in combination with LMDA funds. 4.10.2 Federal and Provincial Front-Line Delivery StaffIn focus groups, front-line delivery staff reiterated some of the suggestions made by management. For example, they expressed a need for better LMDA information systems and for the sharing of information between federal and provincial staff. In addition, they identified a need to better coordinate the secondary educational system with the needs of the labour market so that PEI youth are encouraged to remain in school, receive high school education of relevance to the labour market, and gain some exposure to the working world (e.g., through field trips to businesses). 4.10.3 Stakeholders and EmployersRepresentatives of stakeholder organizations made a number of suggestions. The most common suggestion was to better promote the LMDA and EBSMs (e.g., through the delivery of presentations to the public and the distribution of promotional materials to high schools, colleges and universities) so that the public as well as community partner organizations are better informed. Industry associations also expressed a wish to be informed about the LMDA evaluation results. In addition, the following suggestions were made:
In focus group discussions, employers also identified a need for better promotion of the EBSMs to both clients and employers (e.g., through public presentations and employer association bulletins). In addition, employers expressed a need for HRCC staff to make themselves more available to clients, for more relevant training programs that are clearly linked to needs in the PEI labour market, and for more flexibility in the Targeted Wage Subsidies (e.g., offering an extended subsidized period with a diminishing percentage of wages subsidized and offering wage subsidies to help employed persons in establishing or changing careers). 4.10.4 ClientsSimilar to other key informants, the clients consulted in focus groups suggested that they would like to be better informed about the EBSMs. Additional suggestions from clients included the following:
4.11 SummaryThe evaluation findings indicate that, although the EBSMs were generally regarded as flexible and responsive to local and client needs, some reservations were expressed. In particular, respondents identified a need to further refine and adapt the programs to the unique needs of PEI (e.g., many seasonal industries, relatively high unemployment and low annual earnings), to harmonize LMDA and Social Assistance programming, and to better serve and inform clients about available programs. Also, as discussed earlier, the EI eligibility criteria imposed by the EI Act and delays in project approvals were thought to limit the responsiveness of EBSMs. The perceived strengths of HRDC's approach to delivering the EBSMs include a cooperative and positive effort on the part of highly experienced HRCC staff, flexible and decentralized program delivery, and a reasonable amount of paper work for clients/funding recipients. On the other hand, some clients and stakeholders perceived the service from HRCC staff (and the HRCC environment as a whole) to be unwelcoming and lacking in empathy. In addition, clients did not feel they were adequately informed about all available programs. Also, the transition to the Skills Development program was perceived to be difficult, with much resistance to change. Turning to the survey results, clients indicated being most satisfied with the quality of education or training they received and with the knowledge of employment counsellors, but least satisfied with the quality of referral services and with the information available to help them choose suitable programs. In addition, LMDA programs and services are being successfully delivered in both official languages as intended, though a small minority of survey respondents (three percent) indicated not receiving program information in their preferred language.
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