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In–kind contribution of the costs of services, offices, travel, office supplies,
communications and computer equipment, aptitude testing were provided by:
- College of the North Atlantic (particularly the Happy Valley–Goose
Bay, Bay St. George, Baie Verte, Grand Falls, and Clarenville campuses and staff);
- Random North Development Association (The provincial sponsor)
- The regional sponsoring agencies: Southern Aurora Development Board,
Baie Verte Development Association, Burgeo Diversification
and Development Board; Random North Development Association and the Port
au Port Community Learning Network
- The five employment partners: Newfoundland Hardwoods (Clarenville);
Lethbridge Agricultural Co-operative; Coastal Growers (Burgeo); S & N
Sawmills and Strugnells Woodworks (both in Port Hope Simpson) and in
Triton Ocean Products.
While not within the scope of this evaluation,
there was additional funding for the provincial co-ordination and management
of the project received from the Office of Learning Technologies, Canada–Newfoundland
and Labrador Comprehensive Economic Development Agreement, Human Resources
Development Canada, Government of Canada.
1.6 Role of Evaluation
If the Bridging the Gap model is a valid approach to assist unemployed
and under employed people gain and retain employment through integrating
economic and social development, at least two things had to be tested
after the initial successful pilot in Catalina.:
Can it work outside of Zone 15? This concept needed to be taken to dramatically different
parts of Newfoundland and Labrador with differing economies, cultures,
geographic challenges and support structures and tested there.
Can it work in different sectors with different types of employment partners? Phase I was with a company expanding their current operations in the
sealing industry. In order to test whether this model can be replicated,
it needs to be tried using different sectors and different types of employment
partners.
The evaluation of Bridging the Gap, Pilot Phase II was to be
a formative evaluation to measure the social and economic impacts on
the affected individuals and if these interventions have positive/negative
outcomes on the identified communities and four partnering economic zones.
The evaluation was intended to be an ongoing process and the four Community
Learning Networks representing each zonal region played a major role
in this pan provincial evaluation.
The involvement of the Community Learning Networks bring a unique multi–disciplinary
and multi–sectorial perspective to the evaluation process gained
from experience on the "front lines" of program facilitation. They
provide an analysis which is well–grounded in the practicalities and
realities of implementing an initiative such as Bridging the Gap.
Each Community Learning Network worked collectively to implement each link of the model,
including the evaluation. The Community Learning Networks met monthly
to discuss how the initiative was progressing and evaluation and follow–up
issues were discussed at these meetings. This is considered an "organic"
approach to evaluation in that, as observations are made and verified by the
evaluator, changes are made to the operations based upon them.
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