July 9, 1997

Prepared for:

Industry Canada

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0	INTRODUCTION	1

2.0	EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT AND CHARACTERISTICS	3

2.1	Publicizing the Employment Opportunities	3

2.2	Student Qualifications	4

2.3	Satisfaction with Student Business Advisors	5

2.4	Employee Monitoring	6

2.5	Employee Support	7

2.6	The Successful Student Business Advisor	8

2.7	Teaching Student Business Advisors	10

3.0	MARKETING THE PROGRAM	13

3.1	Student Connection Materials	13

3.2	Successful Marketing Strategies	13

3.2.1	Partially Successful Marketing Strategies	15

3.3	Unsuccessful Marketing Strategies	15

3.4	Future Marketing Plans	16

4.0	CLIENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT	17

5.0	ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES	18

5.1	Industry Canada Headquarters	19

5.2	Local Industry Canada	19

5.3	The AUCC/ACCC	20

6.0	SPONSORSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS	22

6.1	Current Partnerships and Sponsorships	22

6.2	Developing Partnerships/Sponsorships	23

6.3	Barriers and Problems with Negotiation Associations	23

7.0	OTHER COMMENTS	24

7.1	Conflict of Interest	24

7.2	Overall Impressions of the Program	24

APPENDIX A	Letter of Introduction

APPENDIX B	Interview Script

1.0	INTRODUCTION

This report summarizes the results of a series of interviews with representatives from the Administrative Centres for the Student Connection program. This report forms part of the evaluation of the Student Connection program, as outlined in the evaluation framework. Prairie Research Associate's staff (PRA), initially interviewed representatives between June 4 and June 10, 1997. Individuals who failed to respond in the initial round of interviews were followed-up between June 26 and July 3, 1997 and their responses have been added to this report. All individuals listed as key Administrative Centre contacts on the Student Connections Web site were contacted for this round of interviews.

The interviews were designed to address six individual topics.

•	Employee Recruitment and Characteristics;

•	Program Marketing;

•	Client Needs Assessment;

•	Administrative Duties;

•	Sponsorships and Partnerships; and,

•	Other issues and items of concern.

Before telephoning each individual and asking for an interview, we faxed each key contact a letter (see appendix A) outlining;

•	The purpose of the program evaluation;

•	The importance of their participation;

•	Why PRA was conducting the interviews;

•	The outcome of the evaluation process; and,

•	A list of topics to be discussed in the interview.

An individual from PRA then attempted to contact each representative by telephone two days after the initial faxout to arrange an interview. We called each representative at least 4 times, and made arrangements for the interview to be conducted in either French or English, according to the representative's personal preference. We assured each respondent that all information they gave us would be kept confidential, and that any details used in the evaluation or in this report would be quoted anonymously.

Of the 20 individual Administrative Centres in the Student Connection program, we initially conducted interviews with representatives from 14 of the Administrative Centres. Respondents from the remaining six Administrative Centres were contacted in the second round of interviews. One of these respondents chose to complete the interview using e-mail. Several individuals that we talked with could not give details on the winter (1997) term, as the program had only really gotten underway in the summer term, or they had just recently taken the position of Administrative Centre co-ordinator. We asked them to answer the questions based on their experiences in the summer session to date.

2.0	EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT AND CHARACTERISTICS

2.1	Publicizing the Employment Opportunities

To get an idea of how the Administrative Centres were recruiting their Student Business Advisors (SBAs) we asked them how they publicized the employment opportunities available through the Student Connection Program.

All Administrative Centres (ACs), with one exception, posted information on the program at the employment centres (including co-op employment centres) of their local and sister campuses.

•	Nine of the 20 representatives interviewed said that this was the only way that they publicized the available positions.

•	One AC relied entirely on classroom presentations for their recruiting.

In addition to using student employment centres on campus, six ACs used provincial student employment centres, with four of these six relying entirely on these two forms of publicity.

The remaining ACs used a variety of other resources to promote the program opportunities for students, including:

•	Web pages, and Internet news group postings (4 Acs);

•	Department heads from Business and Computing (2 Acs);

•	Classroom presentations (1 AC);

•	Student Networking (1 AC); and,

•	First Nation's employment offices (1 AC).

One of the three respondents who used the Internet to publicise the employment opportunities in the Student Connection Program said:

The web provided us with the best form of program publicity. When someone responds to a web advertisement you know right away that they are familiar with the Internet and the web...

Another respondent who used a news group to publicize the positions stated:

The news group did not work so well, it was only a local news group restricted to the school - no-one looked at it.

In most cases, the student recruitment process failed to generate significant applications from women or Status Indians.

•	With the exception of five ACs, less than half of the student applicants were female. Two ACs reported that no women submitted applications.

•	Only five ACs said that they received applications from Status Indians or Métis.

2.2	Student Qualifications

ACs received between 4 and 100 formal responses to the employment opportunity postings. According to ACs, the way in which the employment openings were advertised appeared not to have any noticeable effect across respondents on the number of formal applications received.

We asked each respondent what criteria they used for selecting their SBAs. In most cases, the ACs had developed their own procedures for choosing the students that they would hire. In four cases however, the ACs relied on the criteria and forms that were originally specified in the Industry Canada Program documentation.

Other ACs based their employment decisions on:

•	Computer and Internet knowledge (11)

•	Communication and presentation skills (11)

•	Experience in the sales or service industry or with marketing (7)

•	Academic programs and courses (2)

•	Personal motivation (2)

•	Ability to work in a team (2)

•	Spelling and appearance of resume (2)

•	Well rounded personality and interests (1)

•	Bilingual capacity (1)

•	Year of study (1)

One respondent indicated that they tried to balance the composition of the SBAs to reflect all the educational institutions that they represented. Another respondent said that they tended to look for students in their second year who would be likely to be employed in future terms.

The ACs reported using a two stage hiring process. Resumes and written application forms were collected, followed by a round of personal interviews. Some innovative approaches to employee selection included:

•	An information session with interested students where the requirements of the position and the program details were presented; and,

•	An interview process where students were given real life business scenarios to act out.

One respondent said that in their information sessions they stressed the experience that students would get from participating in the program. They felt that many qualified students did not apply because of the low wage, and that only by stressing the networking opportunities and work experience could they attract the good students.

Three respondents mentioned that it was harder to hire women because they were getting offers from other employers.

Respondents representing ACs in more rural settings stated that they had trouble getting representation from all the areas that they were responsible for.

I have to cover more territory... draw from more regions across the province...

2.3	Satisfaction with Student Business Advisors

Every respondent said that SBAs had met their expectations. Most said that they were very impressed with their students. Specific comments included:

Most exceeded my expectations...

The students I hired were very good...

A few respondents were less positive about their SBAs, but still generally happy with them.

They did not meet all my expectations, but I realize now that I had very high expectations for them...

Most of my SBAs were a success. However, I hired several with computer science backgrounds. The plain "teckies" did not have enough soft skills for the training...

There is a wide set of skills required for these positions. Some people cannot meet all of these requirements. Sometimes sales ability will be low...

Ten respondents said that they either had to fire a SBA, or take strong action to threaten firing. In each of these cases, there were only a few students involved in the disciplinary action (between 1 and 5). The reasons given for termination, or the threat of termination focussed on:

•	Poor attendance, lack of responsibility, and poor attitude;

•	Inability to work independently and inadequate performance;

•	Failure to learn required skills;

•	Falsified hours and tasks completed; and

•	Operating their own business using Student Connection's equipment and facilities.

2.4	Employee Monitoring

With only two exceptions, all respondents said that they monitored the every-day activities of their SBAs to some extent. One AC that did not have a formal monitoring process in place for the first term was implementing one for the remaining terms.

We tried to just talk about it at weekly meetings... it was not enough.

The other was uncertain of how they would monitor the students, as they were just starting-
up their program.

The monitoring process for all but three of the ACs consists, in part, of a weekly report that students are required to submit.

•	Ten of the respondents said that students were required to submit an informal weekly report, agenda, or schedule.

•	Five respondents stated that students are expected to fill out detailed time cards, time forms, or schedules.

Schedules and time sheets were generally filled-out and submitted electronically either by e-mail or, in one case, over a local network.

Other ways of checking on SBA's use of time included:

•	Group/Team leaders who report to the program coordinator;

•	Weekly program meetings either in-person or via conference call;

•	Client follow-up surveys with business clients;

•	Minimum weekly quotas that must be met; and

•	Spot-check follow-up calls with clients.

2.5	Employee Support

Many respondents stated that they provided scheduling and administrative support for their SBAs. There were three general degrees of scheduling support offered by the Administrative Centres.

•	Five respondents said that they provided little scheduling support for their SBAs.

Students control their own schedules pretty much entirely - they decide when they work....

They do their own scheduling as long as they work 8:30 - 5:00

•	Most respondents said that they provide a limited degree of scheduling and administrative support for the students.

At first we arrange meetings with the clients for them... later we receive calls and dispatch them to the SBAs they [the SBAs] handle it from there.

We let the students make the [client] bookings - but only after we confirm that the project is a go-ahead.

They are expected to do their own scheduling, but if they are not active they get things scheduled for them...

•	Two respondents stated that they had a very rigid scheduling procedure in place, and that this was coordinated by the students and the Administrative Centre.

This is a very structured training department. Schedules and schedule authorizations are done and filled out on the intranet. Every student knows where they are going every day.

When asked, all respondents indicated that they provided contractual and payment administrative services for their Student Business Advisors.

2.6	The Successful Student Business Advisor

We asked all the respondents whether they thought students required a strong background in computers, information systems, and the Internet prior to being accepted into the Student Connection Program.

•	All respondents said that students required some sort of computer knowledge prior to joining the program.

•	Sixteen of the 20 respondents said that students needed to have a basic knowledge and understanding of computers and the Internet before joining the program.

If they are computer literate, we can train them on the Internet... If they have no computer experience, we can't train them in time.

•	Four respondents agreed that students required a very strong background in computers and the Internet before they became Student Business Advisors.

The time we have [for training] does not permit for people who are not already strong in computers.

We asked the respondents if their most successful SBAs came from a business or a technical background, and which skills were most important to a successful SBA.

•	Seven respondents said that their best SBAs had a business background;

•	Two respondents said that the most successful SBAs had a technical background.

The majority of respondents (11 of 20) said that they could not say which type of SBA was more successful. According to this group of respondents, the ideal business advisor is well rounded. They must have a mix of skills, and the specific educational background of the students is not what matters. These respondents defined the attributes of a successful student advisor as:

•	A basic level of technical skills.

-	To be successful, students must have a basic knowledge of computers. Too much technical knowledge, and students tend to talk "tech" to the clients. Too little and they may not provide the required detail.

•	Some business experience or business skills.

-	Students must be able to recognize the specific needs of the client. Students must also be able to sell themselves and the program. To paraphrase respondents, "If you cannot sell the program, you will not be a successful SBA no matter how much you know."

•	Well developed communication and presentation skills.

-	The most successful SBAs are successful communicators. They can present the relevant information to the client in such a way that they understand it and how it applies to their specific situation. They can create professional presentations and provide clear and concise instruction to their clients. They relate to the clients not as they would to a professor, or another student, but as a professional.

•	Real life experience.

-	Students in the Student Connection program are going to face rejection or failure when marketing the program and selling to private clients. Students must also have experience with working on their own, taking initiative, and moving plans from the theoretical stage to the applied stage. There is a huge difference between the academic world and the applied business world; the successful SBA will know what these differences are and be able to accommodate them.

Four respondents stressed that the success of their program depended on forming a team of SBAs with different strengths and skills and teaching them to work together and support each other.

All [SBAs] should have some communication skills, all should have some technical and business knowledge. However, teckies will have less [communication and business skills], and this is fine. Teckies are a good resource, but they are not good at sales ... they provide reference and instruction to the other SBAs. Some people are good at selling, some at networking, some at instructing.

It is key to have a balance [of SBAs] on my team... the best strategy is building teams with a mix of people.

2.7	Teaching Student Business Advisors

We asked respondents from each Administrative Centre to describe the type of training that they provided for their SBAs. The length of the student training sessions varied. The shortest session provided to students was 2 days, and the longest was two weeks, with an average of about one week. One respondent said that they did not have any training program in place as they were still just "starting-up".

General topics of instruction included in the student training sessions were:

•	Introduction to the Student Connection Program;

•	Introduction to the Internet and its components;

•	Detailed instruction on the Internet;

•	Professionalism, consulting skills, time management and administrative skills;

•	How to teach, instruct, and communicate; and,

•	Marketing and selling the program.

Many ACs customized the training material provided by Industry Canada, or augmented it with other training resources. Specific training innovations that ACs used with success included:

•	Training in a "workshop" format where students worked and interacted together on hypothetical projects;

•	Training one group of students who then trained a second group;

•	Inviting satisfied business clients to come and talk to the students about how to sell the service to small and medium business clients;

•	Inviting students with high skill levels in certain areas to instruct the others; and,

•	Having SBAs from earlier terms instruct the new SBAs.

No respondent said that they provided separate or unique training to SBAs with different skills or backgrounds. One respondent said that they had tried that approach in the past, and that it had not worked well.

We found the students did not do well in split basic and advanced Internet courses. Many students in the advanced should have been in the basic. If they were advanced there was nothing we could teach them... The advanced students provide a valuable resource for the less advanced students.

We asked respondents from each AC if they could successfully teach technical, business, and communication skills to the students in the time allotted. In almost every case, respondents said that the students had to have some aptitude or proficiency before coming into the program. If the students had this basic knowledge or experience, they could be taught the specific skills required in the allotted time frame.

One respondent indicated that there was not enough time to train SBAs adequately in the time allotted. They stated that there were many skills that students required, and that the employment terms were relatively short. They also said that there was not enough emphasis put on sales training.

Training them [on the Internet] is easy because of the resources available. I really have to pound home sales training. This is harder because there are no resources available. Something like the SCP on-line resource should be developed for this purpose.

Finally, instruction of the students was not restricted to the first few weeks of the program. When asked, all respondents said that they held additional training sessions or workshops, or individual instruction sessions for the SBAs if they felt they required it. Three respondents stressed that the key was teaching the SBAs that it was acceptable to request further instruction, because students have a tendency not to mention their shortcomings.

3.0	MARKETING THE PROGRAM

The various Administrative Centres have tried a large number of program marketing strategies with varying degrees of success.

3.1	Student Connection Materials

One respondent stated that the best way to improve the success of the marketing effort would be to change the program name.

Right now, businesses do not take the program very seriously because of the "student" in the name Student Connection. We are a very professional organization. The name "student" communicates the wrong idea to our Business Advisors and our clients. Student Connections is a bad name for the program.

Most respondents said that they used the Industry Canada material for some of their marketing. Five respondents said that the Industry Canada material was good, but that it arrived "too late." One respondent complained that the French material was poorly prepared.

Our customers have remarked that in the [French] information kit, everything is masculine.

One respondent said that national awareness needed to be enhanced.

There is relatively no national awareness... We call clients and they have no idea what the program is about. Right now people question our credibility when we call. There should be a national advertising campaign to increase awareness involving Business Publications, Radio, TV...

3.2	Successful Marketing Strategies

Some of the more successful marketing strategies that have been used by the Administrative Centres included presentations, networking, and media and news reports.

Several presentation/networking strategies were pursued by the Administrative Centres, including:

•	Presentations at Chambers of Commerce meetings;

•	Presentations and individual follow-up and demos for industry associations;

•	Special information breakfast/lunch meetings on the Student Connection program; and,

•	Reference calling (calling former clients and asking for names of colleagues who might benefit from the training).

One respondent cautioned that their attempt at a special information lunch meeting was a disaster because few people showed up when a third party organization was responsible for arranging the attendance. Another respondent, who said that their meetings were an incredible success, stated that:

...we put out word of the meeting to client groups and using newspaper ads. We said all attendance was RSVP, we telephoned clients, and made it sound formal so they would view it as an important session... with very good results.

Another very successful marketing strategy mentioned in the interviews was special media stories and news reports that were done on the local Student Connection Program (SCP). Media that reported on the program included:

•	Television (local news);

•	Radio; and

•	Newspapers, both community and city.

These reports provided free publicity, as there was no charge for the publication, and according to one respondent:

...they contain much more information than a newspaper ad. You have to run a newspaper ad several times to get a response, but a favourable report or story on the program is very effective.

Another respondent was so impressed with the results of this type of publicity, that they assigned one student to pursue "media relations".

3.2.1	Partially Successful Marketing Strategies

There was mixed success when people used "warm" calling strategies, information booths, and direct mail campaigns to publicize the program.

•	"Warm" calling consisted of sending out a letter to an individual in a specific firm; generally from an industry database, or listing of firms. The letter would then be followed up by a telephone call.

•	Information booths were set-up at trade shows and fairs, and although this provided an opportunity for personal contact with potential clients. As one respondent stated, "It was not nearly as effective as holding information sessions for businesses."

•	Three respondents indicated they had "some success" with their direct mail campaigns, but also indicated that this method of advertising should be used in conjunction with a networking strategy for best results.

3.3	Unsuccessful Marketing Strategies

Marketing strategies that met with the least success included newspaper ads, cold calling, and radio/television spots.

Sixteen of the 20 respondents said that they tried using either newspaper, radio, or television ads to publicize the program. None of the respondents said they were happy with the results of this strategy.

Given the cost of the advertisement, we had a very poor response. It was certainly not a cost effective way of advertising.

Limited newspaper success was reported by one AC that placed the ads in local or community newspapers. Another respondent stated that they had consulted with a market research company and discovered that newspaper ads have to be repeated for several weeks to be effective.

Seven respondents said that they tried cold calls. Of the seven, one respondent said that they were "pleased" with the results. The others said that, considering the required effort, the results of cold calling were poor. Another drawback to cold calling observed by one respondent was the negative effect that it had on morale.

You get rejected again and again. Students are not used to rejection, school generally affirms them and tells them they are right... this is a very hard thing for students to do.

3.4	Future Marketing Plans

Most of the changes to the marketing strategies mentioned by the respondents had to do with increasing the networking and one-on-one components.

•	Five respondents said they would increase the amount of networking, reference selling, and personal contact that they used.

•	Five respondents said that they would hold more special information sessions and presentations for business.

•	One respondent said that they were going to implement a new direct-mail campaign.

•	One respondent stated that they would look for more "free" advertising.

4.0	CLIENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Many of the individuals that we talked with viewed the client needs assessment process as a key component of a successful training project.

The biggest benefit to the client is the individual, customized training tailored to their needs... these have to be properly assessed.

The right questions have to be asked to determine the client's needs and level of computer literacy.

Most Administrative Centres reported a fairly structured process to assess the needs and requirements of clients before a Student Business Advisor designs their training session.

•	Four respondents said that there was really no firm procedure in place for assessing the clients needs.

•	Two respondents said that their SBAs would conduct a site visit with their business clients prior to their instruction session to assess their needs and competencies.

•	Fourteen respondents had a needs assessment form developed for this assessment procedure, or used the one provided by Industry Canada.

The needs assessment forms developed by the ACs were designed to capture information such as:

•	What industry the client company is in;

•	Company demographics;

•	What kind of computer hardware they have;

•	What operating system they are running;

•	What Internet functions and utilities they are currently using;

•	The position of the person (people) to be trained; and,

•	Areas of interest for the Internet training (trade information, competitors, electronic commerce, etc.).

In two cases, respondents said that their needs assessment form was not getting accurate information on the client's computer knowledge and their hardware. They said that they were in the process of making the forms more formal and more specific.

On occasion we got inaccurate information... If the information is not accurate, the wrong lesson plan would be developed by the SBA.

5.0	ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

We asked each respondent what their opinion was of the overall program support they were receiving, and then specifically about the performance of Industry Canada and the AUCC/ACCC.

There were mixed views on the quality of the overall program administration. Four respondents said that they felt that the program administration was too ambiguous and hands-
off, and six mentioned that communication was poor.

There is a lack of administrative support for the program... the administrative roles are ambiguous.

Being informed about what is going on would help a lot... we feel isolated.

Although almost every respondent had a complaint or two about the way the program was run, most were understanding and that, all things considered, things were not done too badly overall.

They could do a better job of setting up an administrative network. Sometimes project developments are announced before they are ready, but because of the nature of the projects, they may have not gotten underway had they waited until they were ready.

It takes a long time to get things done. They [program management] are very naïve in some areas. They have no concept of how to sell.

They seem to come up with things two to three months too late. They are more reactionary than anything else. But given the circumstances [the nature of the program] things have gone amazingly well... the people have been great to deal with.

The specific roles of IC, AUCC, and ACCC were hard to isolate. Most ACs do not perceive the distinction.

5.1	Industry Canada Headquarters

Respondents offered a variety of views on the role that Industry Canada in Ottawa has played in administering the program.

Many respondents admitted they were not certain who they were to talk to, and what the role of the National Industry Canada office was.

Industry Canada (in Ottawa) has been great to deal with... they are helpful, friendly, and easy to approach, but we have been told that we are not to contact them, and that we have to go through the AUCC/ACCC.

They do not get information out to everyone. I can usually get the most accurate information from the head office, but we are told not to contact them.

What is Ottawa supposed to do? What are the regional offices supposed to do? These things are really unclear.

It seems there is a lot of confusion between Ottawa, and the other large centres. I keep getting conflicting information.

We also asked the respondents what they thought of the reporting mechanism currently in place for the SCP. Although all respondents said that the current reporting mechanism did not give a good indication of the activity going on in their centres, only two respondents were willing to put up with the extra administration that more detailed reporting would require. One respondent was very disappointed in the data collection mechanism devised by the SCP head office.

They designed the program very poorly. This is supposed to be a high-tech program leading our small and medium sized businesses into electronic business technology, and they are telling us to submit our reports to them on fax paper! This is ridiculous!

5.2	Local Industry Canada

The support provided by the regional Industry Canada offices differed from province to province. As with the comments on the head office, most criticisms dealt with communication and ambiguous roles and responsibilities.

I could never contact staff at our local office... I always had to deal with a student there. The student was very good, but [they] were still a student...

They were a disappointment. They never met their obligations... they said they would provide us with a client list, and they never did.

For what they know they have been very helpful, but they do not know what is going on.

Very friendly, very easy to approach.

5.3	The AUCC/ACCC

Most respondents had very strong feelings one way or another regarding the quality of support given by the AUCC/ACCC. Some of the more positive comments included:

They [AUCC] are very helpful... very clear to deal with, very quick and responsive. They know their responsibilities.

They [AUCC] are only a phone call or an e-mail away. They are very prompt.

The help from ACCC has been satisfactory... The ACCC has been good.

The ACCC is great. Initially things were a little confusing, about who to contact with questions and issues. Now things are mostly OK. We mostly just go to the ACCC.

The criticisms of the AUCC/ACCC support were more diverse and detailed than the praise given by the respondents. Specific comments include:

The ACCC has not given enough support. They could give us some direction... they give us none. The ACCC is simply reactionary when a problem arises, they are never pro-active.

Industry Canada should have more staff, and shut ACCC out of the loop. They are always trying to make themselves look good, and they never want to help. When there is a problem they send it by e-mail, when something is good they call me in person. When I have a problem and contact them, they never give me a solution, they just restate the problem back to me... it's like pulling teeth to get any help from them.

I don't think they know what they are doing... I am always getting conflicting information from them.

The ACCC has low credibility with me. They do not communicate. Once they advertised a program and never told me about it. I was getting calls from clients before the ACCC ever got around to telling me about the program.

They [ACCC] are a headache to deal with... they are apathetic.

The AUCC dictates what we should do to us. They are not flexible or polite. They have a bad attitude, as if they were saying "Thou Shalt do..." They do not communicate with us. They did not tell us about national advertising campaigns. I think they have a mental pecking order in mind. If they would consult us instead of ordering us, it would be a great change.

6.0	SPONSORSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS

There is a large disparity between Administrative Centres regarding sponsorships and partnerships with public and private organizations.

•	Four respondents have no partnerships or sponsorships, and are not in the process of developing this portion of the SCP.

•	Six of the individuals that we interviewed said they do not currently have any sponsorships or partnerships, but they are currently negotiating partnerships with other organizations.

•	Ten of the ACs currently have one or more partnership or sponsorship arrangements with other organizations.

6.1	Current Partnerships and Sponsorships

All of the ten ACs that have current partnerships/sponsorships have at least one with a firm in the private sector. Three of these ACs also have partnerships with public sector organizations. There are 21 individual private firms that have formed affiliations with these ACs, as compared to 11 public sector organizations.

The private sector sponsorships can be broken down by the industry of the sponsoring firms.

•	9 of the firms are in media or telecommunications industries;

•	9 of the firms were computer or Internet related;

•	1 firm offers financial services;

•	1 firm offers training and education courses; and,

•	1 firm is in the retail industry.

Most of the support offered by these organizations is non-financial. In six cases the affiliations are solely for the purposes of mutual publicity. Other arrangements include a commission for any sales generated from the activities of the SBAs (in 4 cases), and general support in the form of equipment and services.

The public sector affiliations are generally not sponsorships but partnerships that either use the services of the SBAs, or provide promotional opportunities for them at public functions.

•	Eight of the partnerships are with educational organizations.

•	Three of the partnerships are with government departments (such as Revenue Canada and Public Works), and concentrate on promotional opportunities.

6.2	Developing Partnerships/Sponsorships

Of the ACs that did not have any current partnerships or sponsorships, all but four said that they were in the process of negotiating several potential affiliations. Further, among those who already had a sponsorship or partnership, four said that they were actively pursuing additional affiliations.

Potential sponsorships that respondents mentioned were diverse, and included:

•	Computer and Internet companies;

•	Clothing companies;

•	Photography companies;

•	Telecommunication companies

•	Newspapers;

•	Chambers of Commerce;

•	Automobile companies; and,

•	Software developers.

6.3	Barriers and Problems with Negotiation Associations

We asked all respondents what problems and barriers prevented them from negotiating sponsorships and partnerships with other organizations. Respondents named time constraints, restrictions on solicitations by colleges and universities, and the bureaucratic nature of corporate organizational structures as the largest barriers and constraints.

Time is the big factor, we haven't had a chance to concentrate on it yet.

We are a college, not a business. There are certain things we feel uncomfortable doing as a result... People are always being asked to donate to the schools - our fundraising conflicts with the school's.

The organizational structure of businesses are hard to deal with. It is hard to find the right person to deal with, to work with the corporate bureaucracy. Getting through to them in the first place is hard... initial contact is hard .

Two respondents also indicated that they were in the process of negotiating with national partners, and that they found this hard to accomplish without national support from the Student Connection program.

We need a national OK from Industry Canada head office to set up a national partnership... there should be more coordination nationally.

7.0	OTHER COMMENTS

At the end of the interviews, we asked respondents if they had any further comments or concerns.

7.1	Conflict of Interest

One respondent said that the program needed to have more accountability. They stated that there had been a resignation in their department because of several conflicts of interest that a director had committed.

They were working [for their own interests] on a couple of projects... there was nothing to be done about it... the program needs to have more accountability. [Someone] resigned from the program over this issue.

This suggests the ACs may be on their own with relatively weak administrative control by the AUCC/ACCC or IC. This is an aspect of the program that bears careful monitoring.

7.2	Overall Impressions of the Program

Several respondents gave us their overall impressions and opinions of the program at this point in the interviews. The following quotations are a representative sample of the final comments made by the respondents.

This program gives one-on-one training tailored to the needs of business clients in a directed, non-threatening, time and cost effective environment.

Students in this program get work experience, skills, and confidence. They learn how to define problems, they create networks, they learn interpersonal skills. They get hands-on knowledge of Canadian business, and they get to meet potential employers.

The program is great for all parties, but the administrative and project management is a pain. Working with the administrative set-up is a pain. Things change, there is no direction, no clear roles, no responsibility and no co-ordination... The government should maintain the program. It is money well spent - if managed properly.

The person who thought of this program had a lot of vision. There is not a better, more efficient way of fulfilling this vision.

It is a wonderful program. I am concerned about the program losing the funding. We will have trouble being self-sufficient because of the small market we are in. Perhaps making it part of a course and giving students credit for it would help?

CordName1

CoordTitle1

AdministrativeCentre1

CoordAddress1

CoordCity1, CoordProv1 CoordPostalCode1

BY FACSIMILE: CoordFax1

Dear CordName1:

In accordance with Treasury Board requirements, Industry Canada is required to implement an evaluation of the Student Connection Program by March 31, 1999. Prairie Research Associates (PRA) has been contracted by Industry Canada to conduct this evaluation. The evaluation will help management improve the program, and ensure that the program meets its goals as well as the needs of students and business. An important part of this evaluation process consists of telephone interviews with representatives from Administrative Centres, such as yourself.

We would like to request the opportunity for a half-hour telephone interview with you concerning your experiences with the Student Connection Program to date. We will be talking with at least one representative from each of the Administrative Centres. Once all the interviews have been completed, we will summarize the results in a short report for the purpose of the evaluation. In this report we will not attribute any of the statements you make to you or to your Administrative Centre. All information will be anonymous.

The attached document is a short summary of the topics we will discuss with you in the interview. Naturally, if there are any other items of concern or interest which we have omitted, we will be happy to extend the list to fit your needs.

As a follow-up to this interview, we plan to contact you again in the spring of 1998 to see if your items of concern were addressed, how the program has changed, and to contrast your opinions and impressions of the program after a full year of operation.

A representative from PRA will contact you shortly to formally request an interview, and to arrange for a suitable interview time. If you have any questions concerning this project, please feel free to call me at (204) 987-2030. Thank you very much for your cooperation with this important project.

Sincerely,

Clint Skibitzky

Associate

Interview Protocol

For Interviews With Administrative Centre Coordinators

Hello, I am calling from PRA (Prairie Research Associates) in Winnipeg.

Do you recall receiving a fax from us earlier this week?

YES -	Proceed

NO -	May I have your fax number so that I can send you a letter. In this letter we explain our role in evaluating the Student Connections Program (Schedule call back now).

As we explained in the letter we sent you recently, we have been contracted by Industry Canada to conduct an on-going evaluation of the Student Connection Program, in accordance with Government policy. This evaluation will help management improve the program, to ensure that the program meets its goals as well as the needs of students and business. An important part of this evaluation is input from Administrative Centre Coordinators like yourself.

All information is strictly confidential and no information you provide will be revealed to anyone outside PRA.

We would like to talk with you concerning your experiences with the Student Connection Program. This will take between fifteen and twenty minutes. May I proceed? (Schedule call back if necessary)

The following information is obtained from the database It should be verified by the interviewer.
I would like to verify the following information:
Contact Name:
Contact School and Province
Contact Telephone Number
Date Interview Completed

STUDENT CONNECTION PROGRAM INTERVIEW TOPICS

Section 1	Employee Recruitment

a)	These first questions are about how you recruited Student Business Advisors (SBAs). How did you publicize the program?

What criteria did you use for the selection of Student Business Advisors?

b)	In this last round of program activity (1997 Winter Term) approximately how many formal written applications or resumes did you receive?

How many positions were filled? What proportion of applicants met the job requirements?

c)	Have the students that you selected met your expectations thus far?

YES

NO (Please Explain)

Have you ever had to terminate any SBAs?

NO

YES (For what reasons?)

d)	How many applications from women did you receive?

How many were hired?

e)	How many applications from Status Indians did you receive?

How many were hired?

f)	What changes to the recruitment and selection process, if any, are you considering for next term?

Section 2	Employee Support and Monitoring

a)	Until now, how have you monitored SBAs to ensure that they completed their required tasks?

How did the system work?

b)	Did you arrange schedules on behalf of the SBAs, or provide any other forms of clerical or administrative support to your SBAs?

YES

NO

What kinds of support did you provide?

What changes are you planning for next term?

c)	In your view, do SBAs need a strong background in computers and information systems (e.g., Internet) before being accepted into the program?

d)	On balance, did your more successful SBAs have a technical background or a business background?

e)	Which is easier to train - technical or the business orientation?

f)	How important are technical skills to the position? Are they very, somewhat, or not essential to the position of SBA?

Can these skills be trained in the time available?

g)	How important are a business background and business skills to the position? Are they very, somewhat, or not essential to the position of SBA?

Can these be trained in the time available?

h)	How important are communications - people skills - to the position? Are they very, somewhat, or not essential to the position of SBA?

Can these be trained in the time available?

i)	Please describe the training that your SBAs received prior to actively advising business clients.

Did everyone receive the same training? What changes are planned for the training program next term?	YES	NO (Why not)

Section 3	Program Marketing

a)	What strategies did you use to market the program?

What worked? What did not?

b)	Will you change your marketing strategy in the future? How?

c)	What changes, if any, are needed to the overall marketing of the program?

Section 4	Client Needs Assessment

a)	How many business clients did you have in the last session?

How were their needs assessed?

What criteria did you include in the assessment?

How accurate do you think the assessments were?

b)	What changes will you implement for the next term?

Section 5	Administrative Duties

a)	What kind of reports are you required to submit to Industry Canada and the Associations?

b)	In your view, do these reports accurately convey the activity in your Centre?

c)	Have you received sufficient support from Industry Canada Regional Offices, the AUCC/ACCC, and your own institution?

d)	What would you change, if anything, in the reporting mechanism?

Section 6	Private Sponsorship and Partnership

a)	How many sponsorship/partnerships with private firms have you developed?

What organizations have become partners?

What is the nature of their assistance?

b)	How many sponsorship/partnerships with public sector organizations have you developed?

What organizations have become partners?

What is the nature of their assistance?

c)	What barriers exist in recruiting these partnerships?

Is this a worthwhile activity?

Section 7	Other Comments

a)	What main benefits does the Student Connections Program offer to students...

and businesses?

b)	On balance, is this program making a difference for students...

and businesses?

c)	What final comments do you have on the program?