ARCHIVED – Enhanced Language Training Initiative: Formative Evaluation

Interview Guide

Provincial Representatives for Provinces with Agreements

This interview is being undertaken as part of the evaluation of the Enhanced Language Training (ELT) Initiative. Goss Gilroy Inc. has been hired to carry out the evaluation over the period of January to April, 2007. Several methodologies are being used for the evaluation including a survey of service providers, focus groups with clients, case studies of funded projects, and interviews with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), provincial representatives, service providers, employers and other stakeholder representatives. It is as part of the interviews that you are being asked to participate. Please note that anything you say will be kept confidential. Your comments will not be associated to you but rather results will be aggregated and, as appropriate, reported by type of province/territory (i.e. those with settlement agreements with CIC and those without). This interview will take about 45 minutes to complete.

Introduction

1. Please describe your role in the management/administration of ELT. How long have you been involved with this initiative?

Program Delivery

2. In the context of the agreement signed between your province and CIC, to what extent do you believe that the roles and responsibilities are well understood by all players (i.e., CIC, province, SPOs)?

  1. How well are the program objectives understood by all players (i.e., CIC, province, SPOs)?
  2. Has the level of understanding changed since the initiative has become more decentralized in terms of the changes in the roles and responsibilities of CIC, the province, SPOs? How?

3. In your opinion, to what extent do development and delivery projects address the needs of your province?

4. How would you describe your partnership with CIC with respect to the ELT initiative?

5. How effective and/or appropriate are your communications with CIC?

  1. To what extent is information shared openly between parties? Is this information sharing timely?

6. How effective and/or appropriate are your communications with SPOs?

  1. To your knowledge, how effective and/or appropriate are the communications between CIC and SPOs?

7. Thinking now of the application process, to what extent is the province receiving high quality, timely applications?

  1. Are you satisfied with the number of applications the province has received? Why/why not?
  2. If you are not satisfied with the number, quality or timeliness of applications, what do you believe are the main reasons (e.g., insufficient promotion, requirement for cost-sharing, bottlenecks in the process)?
  3. Where applications are received by CIC, to what extent (to your knowledge) are those applications of high quality, timely and meeting targets? If applicable, why do you believe they may be experiencing difficulties in any of these areas?

8. Thinking now about the reporting process, how is data currently being collected and by whom?

  1. To what extent do the data currently being collected meet your needs to allow for appropriate management, monitoring and assessment of ELT?
  2. How could the data being collected be improved?
  3. How could the data collection process be improved?

9. In your opinion, to what extent do the development projects result in useful tools and/or information that support and improve the delivery projects? Can you provide some examples?

10. To what extent are materials developed as part of development projects in (name of province) funded with ELT funds currently shared? Do you know how to access materials developed by other SPOs? How could this be improved?

Success

11. Thinking generally, do you believe that ELT is on track to achieving its objectives? Why or why not?

  1. On what do you base your answers (e.g., feedback from clients, service providers)?

12. To your knowledge, is any model (of development or delivery) more successful than others? Why do you think this model is more successful? Can you provide some examples?

Effectiveness and Efficiency/Alternatives

13. To your knowledge, how does the design and operation of ELT compare to other programs (i.e., target audiences, delivery mechanisms, cost-effectiveness)?

  1. On what do you base your answers (e.g., feedback from clients, service providers)?

14. Are there other workforce integration programs available to immigrants in your province?

  1. Can you briefly describe them?
  2. Who delivers that program/those programs?

Program Rationale

15. To what extent is labour market integration of immigrants a challenge? Why do you believe this?

  1. Is it more of a challenge in relation to particular occupations, regions/cities?

16. Do you have any other comments you would like to make at this time?

Thank you very much for your time!

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