Formative Evaluator's Report: Bridging the Gap, Phase II (Appendices)
  • The instructors require ample time initially to prepare before training actually begins. The instructors need time to learn about the industry. Also, the instructors need to spend time throughout the program viewing the practical component to be better able to integrate the practical processes and academic concepts.
  • Important to take an holistic approach to designing the skill set component. Engage all partners from the Community Learning Network who will be directly involved with facilitating and implementing the academic and practical component of the Bridging the Gap model.
  • Have a two–three day orientation session which includes mapping out skill sets that meet the needs of the participants and employment partners, ensure that the academic instructors have a good understanding of delivering holistic education programs, discuss measurements and indicators of success as it relates to the participants and the impacts this program has made on their personal growth, and ensure all partners have a comfort level with the integration of academic and practical components. It is essential that the academic instructor take all practical learning pieces applied and teaches them academically to participants
  • One suggestion is to have a draft of the curriculum complete before doing the budget. In our case the budget was done before the draft of the curriculum was complete and we did not factor in enough money for resource people. Now, in order to accommodate the external courses, that the employment partners would like to see, we have to scrimp on some areas and request that dollar figures be moved from different accounts to the resource persons account. We are unsure at this point if there is enough money in the budget to be able to accommodate the requested external courses.