6.6 Participant Assessment and Selection Process

• At least 25 candidates should be forwarded to the College for assessments.
• A one-on-one interview combined with the TABE results would be sufficient to make an informed selection.
• Participants should be monitored on an ongoing basis and assessed in the first four weeks of the Program by the participant selection sub-committee.
• We should have asked them for a medical certificate for a clean bill of health and physically capable of completing the work tasks.
• Need to better judge the work ethic and initiative and working under pressure is a key component.
• Most of the College counsellors thought there was too much testing in some areas and need other, different screening processes for: learning disabilities, physical fitness, vision, and manual dexterity.
• The College can go in and do an inventory of skills and aptitudes and test for that the same way as they can go in and determine what is the curriculum involved. The two can be done together.
• Open it up to more people who have their high school and are still unemployed

6.7 Design and Adjust the Training Component

• More clarity surrounding the expectations and role of the College. It is crucial the College understand the instructor is responsible for curriculum design in addition to curriculum delivery.
• The instructors at each site should work together.
• 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.
• They should have done their field trips in more of the employment partners down times.
• The time to get permission for field trips is way too long. Have the funding built in for others.