Panel Paper:
Manitoba Works: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a New Workforce Development Program for Social Assistance Clients with Multiple Barriers
Saturday, November 5, 2016
:
2:45 PM
Jay (Washington Hilton)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
This paper will present experimental evidence of the effectiveness of Manitoba Works, an innovative workforce development program. Manitoba Works is a hybrid model that combines the most promising elements of ‘work-first’ and ‘human capital development’ models with a new demand-informed approach in which service providers work closely with employers to understand their needs and prepare jobseekers to meet these needs. The program is designed for individuals who are in receipt of social assistance and have multiple barriers to employment, including street-involved youth, Aboriginal jobseekers, and unattached males. The evaluation uses a randomized control trial design and tracks program and control group social assistance usage using provincial administrative data. Early results (N = 131) show that social assistance usage rates for the program group were 28 percentage points lower than in the control group twelve months after entering the study. Finalized results, including a cost-benefit analysis, will be available in the summer of 2016 and will be included in our conference submission.
