ERIC Number: ED519659
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2004-May
Pages: 55
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: ISBN-0-6624-1296-6
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Youth Employment Strategy (YES) 1997-2002: Summary of Recent Summative Evaluation Results. Final Report
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
This report provides a summary of six summative evaluation studies that were implemented and completed between 1999 and 2002. The evaluations were conducted on three different streams of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES). The Youth Employment Strategy was introduced by the federal government in 1997 to address employment related challenges facing youth. Fourteen federal departments and agencies together with public, private and voluntary sector partners were involved in the delivery of YES during the 1997 to 2002 period. The main goal of the Strategy is to assist young Canadians to prepare for, obtain, and maintain employment and to make a successful transition from school to work. YES focuses on young Canadians aged 15-30 who are unemployed or underemployed. During the 1997-2002 period, there were approximately 35 programs arranged in five major streams in YES. Each of the six evaluation studies that are summarized in this report addresses one or several aspects of these streams. The evaluations' results are mixed. Generally, a majority of participants who responded to the surveys expressed a high level of satisfaction with key program elements. In addition, a majority of participants stated that participation in the program increased their employability and improved skills. Participants were also less likely to state that they were underemployed. However, many respondents did state that they would have found jobs even without the program, and many indicated that they had already had contact with their internship employer prior to the program. The econometric analysis on earnings, employment and unemployment suggests that programs had moderate employment-related gains for some youth. These tended to be the youth who participated in the programs that involved the more highly educated youth--the ones who participated in the Science and Technology, Youth International, and Youth Internship Canada streams. There were little to no gains for the group that participated in YSC before it was redesigned with greater focus on youth at risk. Overall, these results could support a reconsideration of selected aspects of the programs. Evaluation Issues and Questions are appended. (Contains 5 tables, 4 figures and 12 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Youth Employment, Underemployment, Summative Evaluation, Foreign Countries, Program Evaluation, Federal Programs, Equal Opportunities (Jobs), Agency Cooperation, Job Skills, Transitional Programs, Surveys, Employment Level, Economics, Unemployment, Wages, Youth Programs, Summer Programs, Labor Force, Participant Satisfaction, College Students, High School Students
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. Service Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0J9, Canada. Tel: 800-926-9105; Fax: 613-941-1827; Web site: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/home.shtml
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A