Assessing the Impact of Labour Market Information: Progress and Challenges A Model and Sample Research Design Kris Magnusson Lynne Bezanson Reginald Savard

LMI Impact Assessment2 A Challenge by Canadian Policy Makers: “You haven’t made the case for the impact and value of career development services” A research team formed in 2004 to follow-up on recommendations from “Working Connections”: –The Canadian Research Working Group for Evidence- Based Practice in Career Development

LMI Impact Assessment3 What is the CRWG? A pan-Canadian group of researchers (8 researchers; 6 universities; coordinated by CCDF) Formed as a recommendation from the pan- Canadian Symposium on Career Development, Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development Working on projects which advance the evidence base for career development practice Part of an international network on evidence based practice

LMI Impact Assessment4 First Project: State of Practice Survey What is the impact of career services? What evidence do we have of that impact?

LMI Impact Assessment5 A Problem with Terminology Funders, including governments, often act as if they are measuring job placement as the only measure of career accomplishments Most practitioners believe in and provide services for career development Example: Let’s measure the impact of libraries in our school system

LMI Impact Assessment6 Challenge The general goal of career services is client change There are a multitude of factors that may be related to client change Very few of those factors are ever directly measured

LMI Impact Assessment7 What outcomes are being achieved that are going unreported or unmeasured? –Client empowerment –Client skill development (e.g., personal self- management skills), –Client increased self-esteem, –Client changes in attitudes (e.g., about their future, or about the nature of the workforce), –Client knowledge gains –Financial independence –Creation of support networks –More opportunities for clients and marginally: –Community benefits; –Client satisfaction; Increased queries; –Political lobbying (agency)

LMI Impact Assessment8 What Did We Learn? 1.Agencies, practitioners, policy makers and employers agree: –Impact assessment is important –Current evaluation practices are inadequate –Important outcomes are not measured and reported –Want sophisticated evaluation procedures 2.The importance of evaluation is related to the type of organization providing services

LMI Impact Assessment9 Key question for LMI … What role does LMI play in attaining the “measured” outcomes, and also in influencing all of the “unreported” or “unmeasured” outcomes?

CRWG Response 1: Create a Framework for Evaluation

LMI Impact Assessment11 General Approach to Evidence-Based Practice Input  Process  Outcome Context

LMI Impact Assessment12 General Approach to Evidence-Based Practice Input  Process  Outcome Indicators of client change 1. Learning outcomes 2. Personal attribute outcomes 3. Impact outcomes

LMI Impact Assessment13 General Approach to Evidence-Based Practice Input  Process  Outcome Indicators of client change 1. Learning outcomes Knowledge and skills linked to the intervention 2. Personal attribute outcomes Changes in attitudes, Intrapersonal variables (self-esteem, motivation), 3. Impact outcomes Impact of #1 & #2 on client’s life, e.g., employment status, enrolled in training, etc. Social and relational impact Economic impact

LMI Impact Assessment14 General Approach to Evidence-Based Practice Input  Process  Outcome Resources available 1. Staff number of staff, level of training, type of training 2. Funding Budget, 3. Service guidelines Agency mandate.

LMI Impact Assessment15 General Approach to Evidence-Based Practice Input  Process  Outcome Activities that link to outputs or deliverables 1. Programs offered by agency Number of staff, Level of training, Type of training 2. Interventions used by service providers Skills used by service providers Home practice completed by clients, 3. Involvement by 3 rd parties 4. Quality of service indicators Stakeholder satisfaction.

LMI Impact Assessment16 General Approach to Evidence-Based Practice Input  Process  Outcome Intervention = Process + Outcome

LMI Impact Assessment17 General Approach to Evidence-Based Practice Input  Process  Outcome Impact = Quality of Input + Effectiveness of Implementation

CRWG Response #2: Sample Project that Implements the Framework: LMI Impact Research Design

LMI Impact Assessment19 Background to CRWG Involvement in LMI Project Evaluation of HRSDC LMI Products and Services (HRSDC, January, 05) Impact of LMI on the Career Decision- Making Process Literature Review (Université de Sherbrooke, September, 05) Specific recommendations from the Literature Review Meeting of two members of FLMM LMI Working Group and the CRWG (Calgary, February, 06)

LMI Impact Assessment20 CRWG General Research Question: What clients, under what circumstances, use and/or benefit from what LMI? Who seeks and why? How is LMI converted into personally relevant information? How is personalized information used? What are the impacts (learning, attitudinal, behavioural) of applied personalized information?

LMI Impact Assessment21 Research Focus: Known: –Unassisted LMI (computer assisted excepted) appears to have minimal impact on career decision making –LMI accompanied by counsellor intervention (computer assisted included) appears to have significant impact on career decision making Unknown: –What is the winning combination of LMI and counsellor intervention (both quality and quantity) which results in significant positive impact on career decision making and gives the best return on investment?

LMI Impact Assessment22 Three Core Research Constructs: 1.Identify employability dimensions What is a working framework that can be used to identify and sort client needs and what LMI resources are available to meet each need (inputs)? 2.Apply Evaluation Framework What specific outcomes can be used as measures of “success”? 3.Process of Intervention: Continuum of Assistance What impact does level of help provided to clients have?

LMI Impact Assessment23 Construct #1: Employability Dimensions and Client Needs Client needs for LMI can be identified by using a framework that includes: –Career Exploration and Decision Making –Skill Enhancement –Job/Work Search Enhancement –Employment Maintenance

LMI Impact Assessment24 LMI Alignment to Needs: Career Decision Making and Career Exploration: – Know Yourself Quiz – On-line career counsellor – 10 Steps to better decision-making – OCCInfo: Information on over 530 occupations – Information on occupations requiring post-secondary education other than university Skill Enhancement: –www15.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca: Essential Skills: Case Studies for over 150 occupations – Programs Search; Schools Search Job/Work Search: – : Jobs Site – Job Banks and Job Tips – Guides to interviews, resume preparation Employment Maintenance: – : Career Centre: Managing your Career articles – Circuit Coach Modules: Tips on job maintenance; Adding value to your employer; Workability Skills; How to stay employed.

LMI Impact Assessment25 Construct 2: Apply These Dimensions to the Evaluation Model For each dimension, what are the outcomes that should be/could be measured?

LMI Impact Assessment26 Linking Outcomes for Each Dimension: Career Decision Making: –Establish priorities and preferences and use past experience to inform current decisions (K) –Identify transferable skills (K) –Recognize and accurately assess work opportunities (B) –Understand personal strengths and skills and make connections to work choices (K+A) Job Search: –Demonstrate knowledge and skills in a number of job seeking strategies (K+B) –Demonstrate skills to identify job openings and work opportunities (K+B) –Cope with stress of job/work seeking (A)

LMI Impact Assessment27 Linking Outcomes (cont.): Skills Enhancement: –Understand requirements and how to qualify for and access specific skill training (K) –Explore and undertake learning activities to support learning and increased employability (K+B) –Explore and identify skills and knowledge which are transferable from one work role to another (K+B) Employment Maintenance: –Demonstrate ways to deal effectively with stress (A+B) –Understand how changes (technology, demand) influence requirements for work success (K+A) –Demonstrate self-management skills in times of transition (job shifts, unexpected unemployment) (B)

LMI Impact Assessment28 Construct 3: Process of Intervention Two categories of service: –Non- or minimally assisted LMI; and –Assisted LMI Self-serve clients not included in design LMI is not treated as an isolated variable; rather, the experimental factor is the “treatment” of LMI

LMI Impact Assessment29 Variables: Psychosocial and sociodemographic variables (e.g., educational levels, work attachment, reasons for seeking assistance, level of decidedness, optimism, skills with information) Employability needs (e.g., from dimensions) Criteria variables (e.g., outcome measures)

LMI Impact Assessment30 General Experimental Design Repeated pre-test post-test (Impact over time of using LMI) Within group and between group (assisted vs non-assisted) differences Tests of relationship between demographic/need variables and criteria variables Large N (400 to 600)

LMI Impact Assessment31 Data Collection and Intervention: Both Groups Questionnaire: to capture psychosocial and sociodemographic variables to provide indicators of cognitive complexity (i.e. educational levels, work attachment, reasons for seeking assistance, level of decidedness, optimism, skills with information) Employability Needs Assessment to determine LMI needs Random assignment to non-assisted or assisted group Take-home booklet with specific LMI websites/resources highlighted according to identified needs Orientation to using the self-serve information services Semi-structured telephone interview 72 hours after orientation (first data collection on outcome measures)

LMI Impact Assessment32 Data Collection and Intervention: Non-Assisted Group Follow-up (one month and 3 months after first telephone interview) semi-structured interviews to gather information on client change - processes and outcomes (e.g., how clients are using LMI websites/resources; impact of LMI; what else clients are doing in addition to specific LMI usage; learning, attitudinal, behavioural changes, progress on specific employability dimensions, progress towards career/educational/employment goals)

LMI Impact Assessment33 Data Collection and Intervention: Assisted Group Within one month of initial interview, conduct 2 follow- up interventions with counsellor –to continue to work towards goal, –make best use of LMI matched to employability dimensions, and –problem-solve/coach on issues related to making best use of LMI resources Follow-up (one month and 3 months after first telephone interview) semi-structured interviews to gather information on client change - processes and outcomes

LMI Impact Assessment34 Research Design Summary LMI Needs Assessment LMI Treatment Outcomes T1 (72 hrs) Outcomes T2 (1 mth) Outcomes T2 (3 mth) QuestionnaireBooklet of LMI to Needs Interview Random Assignment Non- assisted Decision, Skills, Work Search Maintenance Counsellor Assisted Decision, Skills, Work Search Maintenance

LMI Impact Assessment35 Inferences may be made about: Impacts of client variables including level of cognitive skills on use and usefulness of LMI; Information on the reasons why individuals seek out LMI; Information about how adults use LMI; Specific information on the ways in which assisted and non- assisted LMI users actually use LMI; Impacts of two levels of assisted and unassisted LMI on different employability dimensions; Impacts of LMI on client learning, attitudinal and behavioural outcomes including short term (one and three months) specified economic and social indicators (e.g., time spent on work-search; training enrolment/completion; employment; time on benefits).

Thank you! Kris Magnusson