1. Social Program Evaluation
Background and Context :
The program that I would
like to evaluate is the Youth Job Link, which is a new program, developed in
2016 to address the employment and career planning needs of Ontario’s youth. It was developed in response to the Ontario
Youth Job Strategy recommendations, which lead to two programs for youth.
The major distinction
between the two programs is the level of barriers experienced by the Ontario
youth demographic. Some youth are
complex in that they are mutli-barriered when it comes to planning for and
securing employment. The idea is to
provide these youth with intensive services.
But that program is not what I have chosen to study. Instead, I am focusing on the program that
has caused issues and concerns in my professional context- the program for
non-barriered youth- Youth Job Link.
The Youth Job Link program
is different in that the youth being serviced are considered to have no
barriers to work, and thus the services are considered “light-touch”. While the term “light-touch” would seem to
indicate a lack of complexity, my team and the teams across the province are
wrestling with the complexity and sharing our frustration with the challenges
the program structure, the resources given, the measurement of success and the
general goals of the program.
Because the program is so
vexing, it makes me want to look at it under a new lens, and so I swill set out
to conduct program inquiry and evaluation.
My goal would be to better articulate the issues of the program to move
our professional concerns from whining about how hard the program is to deliver
to a more productive, evidence-based presentation of the data of our experience
with implementation and outcomes.
Consumers/Stakeholders:
-youth 15-19
-youth 20-29
-parents of youth under 18
-local employers
-high school guidance
counselors and administrators
Focus of the Program:
I would normally not present
the focus of a program in the words of a third party, but I think it is very
important to do so in this case to show that the program is firmly planted in set
policy. The guidelines are set out for
us, as Employment Ontario Service Providers and, while Employment Ontario is a
very good system with built-in mechanism of program feedback and consultation,
the ability to change programs is not within immediate grasp and not based on our
individual agency experience.
In provincial implementation
of program, program inquiry must begin with programs, as-is, with the
evaluation of the program being a collective of service providers. But, every drop in the bucket has the
potential to create a wave of change, and with that in mind, I am providing the
focus and vision of the program, as seen by Employment Ontario.
Using the source: http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/eopg/programs/yjl.html
See the Employment Ontario
vision for the Youth Job Link program:
“Youth Job Link is designed
to help youth, including students, aged 15 to 29, who do not face significant
barriers to employment, but who could benefit from some extra help to plan
their careers and transition to the labour market.
Youth Job Link is
integrated into the Employment Service (ES) Resource and Information component,
but features expanded, youth-focused offerings.
Youth Job Link provides
three categories of non-intensive employment services, each of which is
available year-round. They are:
·
Career
exploration services to increase knowledge of career options and support career
decision-making;
·
Career
management services to improve readiness for the labour market; and,
·
Job search,
readiness and matching assistance to connect youth with employers offering
employment opportunities, including summer jobs.
All Employment Ontario Service
Providers, at over 320 locations across the province, are delivering this new
program.
Youth Job Link is part of a
new, more comprehensive and targeted suite of employment programs and services
the Ontario government is implementing to more effectively help young people
across a broader spectrum of needs improve their skills and find work. This
includes Youth Job Connection, Youth Job Link and the existing Employment
Service.
Youth Job Link was
developed as part of the Ontario government’s renewed Youth Jobs Strategy, as
well as our initiative to modernize and transform employment and training
programs and services to make them evidence-based, better coordinated, more
targeted and more effective for people across the province, including young
people.”
Size of Staff:
While over 320 agencies
within the provincial network have this program as part of their delivery
contracts, our community has 3 agencies delivering the program. This smaller, more intimate networks provides
the “community flavor” of service delivery within the more broad provincial
scope.
My agency has one part time
staff member and one full time staff member dedicated to servicing ne needs of
this program, although, because it is considered a “light-touch” program, the
staff members in the service delivery team have other responsibilities and
cannot simply focus on this program. So,
the staff resources are actually less than 1.5 staff commitment.
To synthesize the goals of
the program from the more lengthy description above, the program’s aim is to
provide “light-touch” services to barrier-free youth within Peterborough and
the surrounding area.
The funding supports 15 job
placements and 40 workshops, as well as outreach and promotion to the target
groups.
The long term goal would be
to make job-ready youth more prepared for the expectation of the world of work,
and to assist them with community support, connections to employers and short
and long term planning assistance.
Resources:
The financial supports for
community employment placements is $4500, to be spread across 15 job
matches. These job matches have tight
controls on which youth can access them, but the primary issue is that these
resources must go to clients who have never worked before. This funding can alternately go to buy work
related supplies and gear or can be provided to employers as an incentive to
hire job-ready youth involved in the program.
The program also comes with
operational funds and staff costs, which allow for one part time employee for a
period of 4 months. The other staff
compliment is provided in the economy of scale of the operations of the
Employment Ontario Service Providers.
Community Demographics:
Our community is
medium-sized Ontario city, with just under a population of just 118,000, with
the city and county being put into consideration.
Stats Can data (source: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-cma-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CMA&GC=529 )
paints a picture of having a
greater than average age, with a median of 44.6 years, well over the average,
which points to what anyone would notice if they spent any time here: Peterborough is a retirement town.
While it would be temping to
consider that there are far fewer candidates to participate in the program, the
same data sources shows that about 20% of the population is within the age
scope of the program, being between 15-29 years old.
The unemployment data is
also highly relevant. In this regard,
Peterborough’s demographics are all over the map with reports of being among
the highest and among the lowest rates of unemployment in Canada within the
last 5 short years. What this means for
service providers, like us, is that the landscape of employment is ever
changing and impossible to predict.
Other Details:
The program has been
particularly difficult to administer for many reasons, including the age
restrictions, how to sort out which youth are barriered and which are not, what
employers needs are in the current climate and rules embedded in program
process.
Service Providers involved
in program delivery are well aware of their need to show capacity, efficiency,
effectiveness and customer service, as their very existence is dependent on
program outcomes, evaluated on a continuous basis and in microscopic
detail. Ours is an environment of
achievement, so the program stakes are high in order to achieve the goals of
the funder. This leaves little time for
program inquiry review and evaluation beyond the funder’s collection and is the
reason for my program inquiry focus.
2. Purpose and
Questions:
Purpose of Evaluation:
Stakeholder Perceptions, at the local level of program
delivery:
Impact Evaluation:
a) To identify if program goals and targets are
being met, as per the program guidelines.
b) To evaluate the impact “light touch” services
are having on the youth involved.
c) To evaluate the perceived impact that parents
see, as a result of participation.
d) To identify any needs, as identified by youth
or their parents, that is not being addressed through “light touch” services.
Process Evaluation:
a) To identify if the pre and post employment
status of youth has changed as a result of participation in the intervention.
b) To identify if employer partnerships pre and
post program have been impacted by the intervention.
c) To determine if the provision of employer
incentives to hire is necessary to achieve the program outcomes.
d) To determine if client supports are addressing
a real client need by using qualitative data and stakeholder feedback.
Outcome Evaluation:
a) To conduct a narrative relaying the
cost/benefit balance of the program.
b) To determine if the program helped youth to
achieve career exploration, career knowledge and career decision making.
c) To determine if youth readiness for and
employment and the labour market has had the desired impact.
d) To determine if the job matches were
successful from the perspectives of the participating youth and employers.
e) To compile suggestions and recommendation for
program improvements and areas of strength.
Specific Questions Guide
Evaluation Design:
a)
Is the program designed to
achieve the outcomes of the Youth Employment Strategy?
b)
Did the program lead to
satisfaction for youth, parents, educational partners and staff?
c)
What needs were not addressed to
align youth to the needs of the workplace?
d)
Did the program achieve its goals
and targets?
e)
Are the goals and targets of the
program aligned with true needs?
f)
How can the program improve to
better meet needs?
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