The BC Centre for Employment Excellence (CfEE) is pleased to release a new research paper, Environmental Scan of Employment Programs in BC. This study, undertaken by John Coward Consulting, inventories the current range of publicly-funded employment programs and services available to job seekers across British Columbia.

The objective of this research is to support career development practitioners in gaining a better understanding of the full range of employment programs and services available to their clients to ensure their effective participation in the programs and the workforce. It is hoped that the results from this study will promote a more effective utilization of the full continuum of labour market programs and services across the province.  It will also be useful for policy makers, program funders and researchers to gain a better understanding of the range of programs and services that are available to general job seekers, as well as specific client groups in every community of BC.

The research paper begins with a description of the recent changes to employment programming in the province, highlighting the transformation that occurred under the new Employment Program of BC that was introduced on April 2, 2012. It reviews other inventories that have been created in BC and elsewhere, highlighting best practices and issues that have been identified in compiling inventories of this nature. It then presents a comprehensive matrix of employment programs in BC, listing by target population every public-funded program that is available, the services that are offered, and the communities in which they are located.

The report concludes with a series of recommendations to the CfEE to create a one-stop website that provides an up-to-date inventory of publicly-funded employment programs in BC. The information provided on the website would support a more effective utilization of available labour market programs and services, with the potential of improving the employment outcomes of BC job seekers.

Click here to access the full report (not including appendices).

Click here to access the report appendices.

For queries about this project or other research activities being undertaken by the BC Centre for Employment Excellence, please contact Shawn de Raaf, the CfEE Research Coordinator.