March 31, 1998

Prepared for:

Industry Canada

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0	INTRODUCTION	1

2.0	Overview	2

2.1	The transition to self-sufficiency	2

3.0	Employee Recruitment	4

3.1	Criteria for selecting SBAs	4

3.2	Recruiting SBAs	6

3.3	Quality of SBAs	6

3.4	Changing the selection process	7

4.0	Employee Support and Monitoring	8

4.1	Monitoring performance levels	8

4.2	Clerical and administrative support	9

4.3	Assessing SBA skills	9

4.4	Skill requirements	11

5.0	Program Marketing	13

5.1	Rating the overall success of Program marketing	13

5.2	Marketing strategies - successes and failures	14

5.3	Rating the national marketing program	15

6.0	Program Evolution	16

6.1	Changes to the Program	16

6.2	Move to self-sufficiency	17

7.0	Administrative Duties	18

7.1	Reporting and evaluation	19

7.2	Administrative supports	19

8.0	Commercial Viability	21

8.1	Assessing costs	21

8.2	Sponsorships and partnerships	21

8.3	Viability after funding ends	22

9.0	Other Comments	23

APPENDIX A	LETTER OF INTRODUCTION

APPENDIX B	INTERVIEW SCRIPT

1.0	INTRODUCTION

This report summarizes the series of interviews with Administrative Centre Coordinators, conducted by Prairie Research Associates (PRA) between February 27 and March 18, 1998. This task was undertaken as outlined in the Student Connection Program (SCP) evaluation framework.

The interviews addressed seven main topics.

Employee Recruitment

Employee Support and Monitoring

Program Marketing

Program Evolution

Administrative Duties

Commercial Viability

Other issues and items of concern.

Before telephoning each individual and requesting 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

A list of topics to be discussed in the interview.

An individual from PRA attempted to contact each representative by telephone two days after the initial faxout. We arranged 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 would be kept confidential, and that any details used in the evaluation or in this report would be quoted anonymously.

Interviews were conducted with representatives from 17 of the 18 Administrative Centres. We were unable to interview one Administrative Coordinator prior to the interim report deadline. A second could not give extensive details on the Winter 1998 term, as the individual had only recently taken the position of Administrative Centre Coordinator. We asked this respondent to answer based on experiences to date.

2.0	Overview

At the beginning of the interview, Administrative Centre Coordinators (ACs) identified the main concerns and challenges that they were currently facing. We designed these questions to draw out key concerns and issues at the outset of our analysis.

2.1	The transition to self-sufficiency

The end of government funding and the transition towards self-
sufficiency dominated most responses. Every Administrative Coordinator reported being busy adapting their program to meet the transition to self-sufficiency.

Table 1:	Overall, how would you rate your experiences with the SCP over the last few months?	What are the biggest issues and challenges that you are currently facing? How has the Program changed since your Administrative centre joined? (1.a.b.c.)
Issues	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
General

Observations	Responses varied from optimism and excitement to pessimism and frustration, depending upon how well ACs had adapted to decreased government funding and changes in Program design and delivery.

Respondents from financially successful Administrative Centres reported being excited about the future of the Program. For them, the Program was progressing towards self-sufficiency, providing excellent business and educational opportunities for those involved.

Those from less successful Programs expressed anxiousness about the Program's future. In some cases, Coordinators reported being frustrated that the SCP had not met all of its original goals, particularly the development of national sponsors.	The expectations of Industry Canada are out of whack. It seems as if the Program was designed by people who did not possess the proper business skills and did not do enough market research, as it is very hard to make the Program work given its existing framework.
Administration	Four ACs commented that communication links with the Program's administrators (ACCC/AUCC, Industry Canada, and the Administrative Centres) had improved significantly. From their perspective, the administrative structure was clearer, as many of the communication problems experienced earlier on in Program had been addressed.

Three respondents complained that communication was still a problem. These ACs needed greater lead time to make hiring decisions, and required more information of the Program's future direction before deciding whether they would continue to participate.	The SCP has great potential ...providing very defined roles for all.

Industry Canada's constant evaluation of the Program creates a lot of stress at the student administration and SBA level.
Program design	Recent modifications to the Program such as:

modular Program design

greater pricing flexibility

development of national marketing/sponsorship program

the transition towards additional software offerings.

were reported to have contributed to the adaptation process.

ACs that implemented these changes prior to the official modification, commented that they were better prepared for the transition towards self-sufficiency.

Those who had not already made these changes, have found it hard to catch up. Five Coordinators reported having difficulty finding new clients or re-training old clients as they required new services to do so.	The addition of national sponsors has been a positive for the Program.

No one cares about e-mail anymore.

Industry Canada keeps "changing the Program every few months." They keep trying to "reinvent the wheel."
Program delivery	With two years experience behind them, three Administrative Centre Coordinators reported reaping the benefits of early Program marketing. In some markets, name recognition is on the rise, and the Program is well known within the business community. Increased cross-
promotion through sponsorships has helped lower individual marketing costs, which often consumes a large portion of the budget.

Two ACs complained that the SCP lacked an effective national marketing campaign, which was promised early on in the Program but not delivered. The introduction of a national program may have helped offset regional marketing costs, and significantly improved name recognition nationally, if it was undertaken earlier in the Program.

No national marketing of the Program has been a distinct disadvantage.

Benefit to students	Regardless of the Program's economic successes and failures, ACs from across the country agreed that the SCP has provided an excellent training program for students.

The SCP "addresses the gap between what students get in school and what is expected of them in the business world".

3.0	Employee Recruitment

Over the past two years, the type of employee recruited by ACs has changed notably. Administrative centre Coordinators reported hiring fewer students from a purely "technical" background. Instead, they have placed greater emphasis on those who are excellent communicators and motivated, with established business and marketing skills.

According to one Administrative Coordinator, most applicants have the basic computer and Internet skills prior to becoming SBAs, but not all have the ability to communicate effectively and market themselves and the Program to the business community. Those who possess all these attributes have been the most successful SBAs.

3.1	Criteria for selecting SBAs

Nine Administrative Centre Coordinators reported that it was difficult to recruit students with the array of skills required to be successful. Not only did students need the basic technical, communication, and business skills which the position requires as a minimum, they also had to be responsible, motivated, and highly independent. Students with these qualities are currently in high demand by other programs and businesses. According to two Coordinators, the SCP has difficulty attracting such high-quality students as its wages are too low.

Table 2:	What criteria have you used for the selection of Student Business Advisors? (2.a.)
Issue	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
SCP guidelines	Two ACs reported using Industry Canada's hiring guidelines as the basis of personnel decisions, with the remainder mentioning criteria which were included in these guidelines.

Two Administrative Coordinators complained that these guidelines were too stringent. One felt that students from non-ACCC/AUCC affiliated schools should be eligible. The other wished he could hire students who had been graduates for more than two years.
Skills	Every Coordinator sought students with some mixture of communication, technical, and business skills. Less tangible skills included self-motivation, independence and accountability - skills which the best SBAs tended to possess.	The most important thing is for students to be self-
starters...the rest can usually follow if they are.
Educational background	Twelve ACs placed a strong emphasis on communication skills, regardless of the students' educational background.

Administrative Centres offering more advanced programming packages (such as web page design or HTML programming) in conjunction with the SCP Internet package, required computer science students or those skilled at programming. These students were usually employed by both the SCP and a linked student run computer business which operated both within and outside the SCP mandate.	We don't recruit students who are solely 'techies'.
Employability condition	Three ACs reported using co-op programs for their students. This led to some hiring problems, as not all ACs felt they had access to the most qualified students due to delays in receiving their budgets.

3.2	Recruiting SBAs

On average, 50% of the students who applied for jobs were reported to be qualified for the position. The number of applications received varied greatly with region and according to the recruitment process (co-op versus non co-op). Results may also vary from one Administrative Centre to the next, as not all ACs have the same hiring requirements.

Table 3:	In this last round of Program activity (1998 Winter Term), approximately how many formal or written applications did you receive? (2.b) What proportion of applicants met the job requirements? (2.c)
Administrative Centres

Total
A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M
Number of applications	1

4	6	10	10	15	23	25	35	55	60	60	100	404
Number meeting job requirements	1

1	3	9	3	4	12	12	13	4	50	30	60	202
Proportion meeting job requirements	100%	25%	50%	90%	30%	27%	52%	48%	37%	7%	83%	50%	60%	50%

3.3	Quality of SBAs

Unlike the previous round of interviews, only twelve of the seventeen Coordinators reported being pleased with their students (in the previous case, approval was unanimous). Although the approval rating was somewhat lower, performance expectations had increased.

Table 4:	Have the students you selected generally met your expectations? Have you ever had to terminate any SBAs? (2.c.)
Issue	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
Observations	Thirteen of the seventeen ACs reported being either very satisfied or generally satisfied with their SBAs performance. Successful SBAs need to possess a wide range of skills. They must be highly entrepreneurial, good communicators and technically skilled - a combination of characteristics which is often hard to find. Two ACs noted that there were fewer "high quality" applicants in the most recent round, as there are less students applying for positions during the Fall and Winter semesters.	The range of skills required is very wide. In reality it is hard to find this range of skills.
Terminations	ACs fired 10 employees this past semester, usually citing poor performance as the cause. Two Coordinators commented that the SCP should move towards a system in which SBAs rely more heavily on commissions to subsidize salaries. If this occurs, only students who are capable of generating new clients on a regular basis will likely last.	Most did not possess the sale and business background to be successful.

3.4	Changing the selection process

Most ACs had tailored the recruiting process to suit their own needs, and thus had few recommendations for altering the Program's SBA selection procedure.

Table 5:	What changes to the recruitment and selection process, if any, would you recommend?
Issue	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
Observations	Four ACs, relying predominantly (if not exclusively) on co-op students for their staff, complained that the hiring and training period was too narrow. With greater lead times, these ACs believed that more time could be spent on professional development and more qualified students would apply for the positions. This problem may actually be indicative of a larger issue - uncertainty about the future direction of the Program. It was hard for some ACs to know who to hire, when the Program, and the rules guiding it keep changing.	Our co-op centre won't post the position until it is 'real', so the money needs to be guaranteed well in advance.

4.0	Employee Support and Monitoring

ACs play an important role training and monitoring SBA development. The ability to recruit students with the correct mix of skills and attributes, is integral to the development of the Program.

4.1	Monitoring performance levels

ACs used a variety of techniques to monitor SBAs and the clients they have trained. Only 4 ACs mentioned having client tracking and follow-up procedures in place, a technique which they believed would enhance quality control and promote repeat business through better client contact. The more popular monitoring methods included log books and weekly or biweekly group meetings.

Table 6:	How do you monitor SBAs to ensure they completed their required tasks at a satisfactory level? (3.a)
Method	Times ACs reported using	Method	Times ACs reported using
Face to face contact	3	E-mail	4
Group meetings	9	Client surveys	5
Time cards	1	Client follow-ups	4
Log books / reports	8

4.2	Clerical and administrative support

Clerical and administrative support varied across Administrative Centres. Eight ACs said they provided invoicing and payroll services. Three ACs reported assigning one or more of their SBAs to handle filing and reporting duties for the entire staff, as it was a more effective way of allocating their resources.

Table 7:	What forms of clerical and administrative support do you provide to your SBAs? (3.b.)
Method	Services ACs provided	Method	Services ACs provided
Internal administration	8	Payroll	8
Invoicing	7	File reports / paperwork	13
Supplies / purchasing	6	Technical support	5

4.3	Assessing SBA skills

As in the previous interviews, the majority of students needed to have a basic knowledge of computers and the Internet before joining the Program. As Internet training becomes more advanced, or if an Administrative Centre begins to diversify their offerings, greater technological capacity may be required. If this is the case, more time will likely have to be spent on professional development to ensure that the quality of instruction is maintained.

4.3.1	Computer literacy is a prerequisite

Most students came to the Program having a basic familiarity with computers and the Internet. An increasing number of students are exposed to computers and computer programming prior to university, making it easier for ACs to find and train students quickly.

Table 8:	In your view, do SBAs need a strong background in computers and information systems before being accepted in the Program? (3.c.)
Response	Number of Responses	Selected verbatim comments
Advanced knowledge of computers	3	Absolutely. Students must have a strong technical background. It's helpful if they have a tutoring background as well.
Basic computer knowledge	13	Most students have a basic knowledge of Windows and the Internet, and that's all that's required.
Inexperienced with computers	1

4.3.2	Business needs dominate

Four ACs reported specializing SBA tasks in order to better direct marketing and technological resources. In these Administrative Centres, marketing and client training have become separate duties, enabling ACs to hire individuals who specialize in particular areas. As a result, some Coordinators no longer seek SBAs skilled in all areas.

Table 9:	On balance, did your more successful SBAs have a technical background or business background?(3.d.)
Educational Background
Technical	Business	Both
# of responses	0	4	8
Selected verbatim comments	Increasing technical expertise is needed along with business knowledge.	We don't hire engineers or techno geeks.	They need to be able to sit down and talk to a person one on one.

4.4	Skill requirements

To be successful, SBAs need to be strong in a number of different areas. Most SBAs have a basic background in computers, making training less rigorous. As the Program offerings become more sophisticated, technical skills will also have to increase or more professional development will need to be included in the overall Program design.

One third of Administrative Coordinators reported that business skills were more important than technical skills. This was particularly true for Administrative Centres where SBAs train clients and do their own marketing and sales. When this situation exists, students need to be more entrepreneurial and possess business savvy. For those ACs which have begun to specialize, business knowledge is less important overall, but more important for those individuals in charge of marketing and sales.

ACs agreed that communication skills were the most important, and that it was essential to the SBA position. Unfortunately, most had neither the time nor the ability to improve this skill area. One Coordinator stated the case succinctly: if they can't communicate with clients, they can't function as business advisors.

Table 10:	Assessing SBA skills and training requirements (3.e.f.g.)

s	How important was the following skill to the SBA position?	Could these skills be trained in the time available?
Very	Somewhat	Not essential	Yes	No
Technical	5	9	1	14	1
Business	8	6	1	2	13
Communication	17	0	0	1	16

4.4.1	SBA training

Approximately half the ACs used some form of specialized training which identified the needs and strengths of each SBA. Few ACs offered specific recommendations on how to improve training, as many had already adapted training sessions to meet their own needs.

Table 11:	Please describe the training that your SBAs received prior to actively advising business clients. Did everyone receive the same training? What changes would you recommend to the training program? (3.h.)
Techniques used	Times mentioned	Selected verbatim comments
Trained SBA on client program	13	More time needs to be devoted to marketing and sales.

I have 'written off' the web site.

We are looking at changing the training based on the two classes of students. Sales people would get more involved sales training, technical people would get more enhanced technical training.
Free public training sessions	1
Partnering	7
Marketing and sales	5
Administrative	2
Round table discussions	1

5.0	Program Marketing

Many Administrative Centres reported difficulty marketing the Student Connection Program at the local level, as it is too expensive. Although the majority have been either 'moderately' or 'very successful' at promoting the Program, they believe that name recognition is low. Those who have applied long term marketing strategies have been more successful. ACs who have not developed effective marketing strategies in the early phases of the Program, now find themselves lagging behind at a time when government funding is on the decline.

5.1	Rating the overall success of Program marketing

Overall, most ACs feel that their marketing has been successful, given the finances available. Only three Coordinators felt that their marketing success was poor. Two ACs believed that their success had been limited by the lack of a national marketing program. Even attempts at regional marketing have never developed to the extent to which they could have. As a result, most Administrative Centre Coordinators have had to adopt their own techniques and learn as they went along.

Table 12:	How would you rate your overall success with Program marketing? (4.a)
Very successful	Moderately successful	Unsuccessful
# of responses	5	9	3
Selected verbatim comments	Revenue has tripled over the length of the Program.

We no longer need to spend a lot of money marketing, as more business is now coming from referrals and name recognition.	There is still some problem getting widespread name recognition

It is difficult to market for the long-term, given the uncertainty of Industry Canada's commitment to the Program.	The previous administration did not do a very good job with marketing.

5.2	Marketing strategies - successes and failures

The most successful marketing strategies generally involved some form of personal contact - either face to face or by telephone. Business associations (such as the Chamber of Commerce) and trade shows, provided the best opportunities to make these contacts. Traditional forms of advertising - newspapers, magazines, television and radio - proved to be too expensive and needed to be continued for an extended period in order to be effective. Public access was another form of marketing which was free, and provided the opportunity to get the SCP name more widely known. One co-ordinator commented that this type of marketing would have been even more effective if it were to occur at a national level.

Table 13:	What strategies have you recently used to market the Program? What worked? What did not? (4.b.)
Strategies used	# of times used	Successful	Unsuccessful	Selected verbatim comments
Print media	5	0	5

Print advertisements... "need to be ongoing to be effective."

You need personal contact to sell this Program.

No one form stood out as successful, except trade shows.
Radio advertising	2	0	2
Television advertising	2	0	2
Public access	3	2	1
Cold calls	7	5	2
Trade shows	9	8	1
Networking	4	4	0
Business groups	9	8	1
Partnerships	4	3	1

5.3	Rating the national marketing program

The majority of Administrative Coordinators believe that national marketing has been a false promise. The perceived lack of an established national marketing program has left many ACs bitter. Two ACs reported being appalled when they discovered that some employees at HRDC were uninformed about the Program. These Coordinators believed that civil servants, at the minimum, should have been aware of the Program. Even successful attempts to market the Program nationally, such as the partnership with Bell Canada, have had mainly regional impacts.

Table 14:	How would you rate the overall, national marketing of the Program? What would you like to see changed? (4.d)

# of responses	Successful	Unsuccessful
0	17
Recommendations by ACs	Selected verbatim comments
Administrative Coordinators unanimously agreed that national marketing has been unsuccessful. While many ACs found Industry Canada's information package useful at the beginning of the Program, several noted that it was now sorely out of date. More importantly though, the information package alone played little or no role in enhancing national marketing. Much more exposure was needed to increase name recognition at the national level, with the expectation that this would make regional or local marketing much easier and less costly.

Administrative Coordinators made the following recommendations to improve national marketing:

greater promotion of 1-800, 1-888 numbers

more national sponsorships

provide a national spokesperson

make SCP known within all levels of government.

Recent steps have been taken in this direction, ensuring added support for those Administrative Centres which renew for the summer. Yet for approximately half the Coordinators surveyed, the creation of a national marketing strategy is too late, as their institutions are not likely to renew for the next term.	What national marketing?!? The 1-800 number is the best kept secret in Canada.

National marketing has been unsuccessful, to the point of being non-existent.

The brochures, pens, shirts and hats do not market.

Even people at HRDC didn't know of the Program .

6.0	Program Evolution

The biggest challenge to program evolution has been the Program's mandate, which Administrative Coordinators perceive as a 'Catch-22'. On the one hand, the mandate sets standards limiting the changes which Coordinators can make, to prevent unfair competition with private enterprises offering similar services. On the other hand, innovation, particularly the introduction of alternative services and methods of delivery, are required within this dynamic industry. The most successful ACs have been those who operated both within and outside the mandate, being innovative without drawing the wrath of private business.

6.1	Changes to the Program

Changes to the Program have been too slow for some, and too fast for others. Those who had not experimented with program design have less time to make the necessary alterations to meet the challenges of the transition year. In some cases, the changes have come too late. Several of the sponsoring colleges and universities no longer want to spend the time and money deciding whether these changes will be effective. On the positive side, those Coordinators who implemented these changes earlier, are now eager to explore what the future possibilities of the Program are.

Table 15:	How has the Program changed since your Administrative Centre commenced operations?
Issue	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
Program design	The introduction of new Internet services will likely generate new clients. Three ACs reported that their markets were declining, as they had no new services to offer and could not sustain repeat customers. With new services, ACs can resell the SCP to old and new clients alike.

Secondly, the introduction of modular program delivery gives greater flexibility for both Administrative Centres and businesses. Clients can now take courses which meet their specific needs, while ACs can be more creative and explore new avenues for marketing the service.	When we started the Program you were told not to teach anything but Internet training. Then another centre started setting up computer equipment. Are there no legal responsibilities here?

6.2	Move to self-sufficiency

With the transition to self-sufficiency, Administrative Centre representatives have had to make their programs more efficient. Most have had moderate success making the necessary changes. Yet in order to become completely self-supporting, ACs need to find other sources of revenue, decrease their operating costs, and find new ways to keep the Program evolving. This multifaceted problem has provided a number of distinct challenges which need to be addressed both individually, and at a national level.

Table 16:	What other changes must be made to make the Program self-supporting? (2.c)
Issue	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
Additional revenues	Additional revenues will need to come from other areas. Three Coordinators noted that IC has to continue developing new national and regional partnerships/sponsorships. A second solution is to increase clients trained by offering courses which build upon previous training.
Lowering costs	In order to lower costs, the Program as a whole needs to operate more cost effectively. One reported solution is to increase marketing at the national and regional level. Individual marketing programs have been very costly, and have not been overly successful in raising name recognition.

Three ACs suggested lowering Administrative costs. This move may also provide more money for the delivery of services rather than its organizational structure.	More money needs to be given to Administrative Centres and SBAs and less to the national administration, as they are the ones who deliver the Program.
Maintaining a market niche	New programs and services will also have to be developed if the Program is to adapt to a rapidly evolving marketplace. Two ACs felt that without new products, the Program will be unable to sustain itself, given that the technology is changing so quickly.

7.0	Administrative Duties

Communication between Administrative Centres and the Program's managers was a notable problem early on in the Program's development. Since that time, many of the administrative problems have reportedly been worked out, with new communication channels being opened. Nevertheless, several problems have remained. The key issues which Administrative Coordinators report as a continuing source of tension are:

definition of communication structure

-	The communication structure needs to be simplified and clarified. Administrative Coordinators need to have their views heard on a regular basis, by an administrative body willing and able to act on their suggestions when necessary. Overlapping administrative duties need to be eliminated to increase efficiency at the managerial level.

pro-active versus reactive support from administrators

-	Administrative bodies need to do more than collect information. The success of the Program depends on a constant process of development, with new services and methods of delivery being added.

7.1	Reporting and evaluation

Reports filed by ACs have been designed to capture how much revenue Administrative Centres generate and how many clients have been trained. More recently, ACs have also begun reporting the events attended, as a way of measuring the process by which SBAs attempt to market their product.

Table 17:	In your view, have the reports you submitted to Industry Canada accurately conveyed the activity in your centre?	(6.a)
Issue	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
General Observations	Most ACs agree that the reports have 'accurately' conveyed the activity in their Centres, with 10 of the 17 ACs reporting that more information needs to be collected. In their view, student marketing activities have not been adequately reflected in reports, nor has an effective client tracking mechanism been put in place. One Coordinator noted that the creation of a database would greatly help future marketing and provide another tool for measuring program effectiveness.	There is a lot of footwork and marketing efforts which are not conveyed in this report.
Profitability	One AC suggested that Administrative Centres report profitability, rather than revenues. Profitability accounts for revenues and costs, giving a better indication of whether Administrative Centres are operating effectively, or not.	Profitability "is the ultimate measure of whether a program will continue to be around or not."

7.2	Administrative supports

Although there has been some improvement in the relationship between ACs and the Program's administrators, a great deal of tension remains. At a time when many ACs are readying themselves for self-sufficiency, criticisms of the administration are more readily forthcoming. When examining their 'bottom line', the measurable benefits of the administration are not as apparent to the Administrative Coordinators.

ACs made the following recommendations for improving this relationship:

more direct communications

group problem solving

pro-active Program evolution which includes ACs as discussants

more regional participation in decision making

Table 18: How have the following institutions supported your activities?

a) Industry Canada Regional Offices (ICR)

b) Industry Canada Head Office (IC)

c) ACCC/AUCC (6.b.c.d.)
Issue	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
Industry Canada Regional Offices	ACs viewed ICR more favorably during this round of interviews than the last. Although opinions were mixed (eight favorable, four indifferent, five negatives), the majority believed that ICR had provided valuable support. ICR officials were able to answer questions, and help with marketing through trade shows, networking, and market information.

Three Coordinators criticized ICR for providing little or no support, and for being difficult to keep in contact with.	They are "one of the few lights in the Program."

At the beginning, they offered to help us get going, but they never delivered...Now they don't even help us when we present Strategis during our training sessions.
Industry Canada Head Office	Industry Canada's head office was criticized by nine ACs for failing to provide adequate support. Specific criticisms included:

infrequent communications

providing bad advice

failure to develop a national marketing program

inefficient administrative structure

failure to understand regional differences

Eight ACs reported that Industry Canada was helpful and professional, helping them set up contracts and answer questions. Nevertheless, it is much easier to identify problems with hindsight, than to catch them earlier in the process.	No one's at the steering wheel of this fast moving bus.

They do lots of marketing things for Ontario, but very little of that applies to us.

They are very helpful, and professional.
ACCC/AUCC	Opinions of the ACCC/AUCC were also polarized. Seven ACs complimented the ACCC/AUCC for providing sound analytic support.

The remaining ten Coordinators were less complimentary, criticizing the ACCC/AUCC for:

failing to develop national sponsors

playing a passive role in the Program

being reactive rather than pro-active.	Our budgets have been cut to the bone...[Now] We can barely make soup out of our bones, and they're eating filet mignon.

8.0	Commercial Viability

The issue of commercial viability is fundamental at this stage of the evaluation. As Administrative Centres move towards self-
sufficiency or their withdrawal from the Program, profitability becomes an increasingly important issue. With government funding nearing its end, an increasing number of institutions are considering withdrawing from the Program, as they do not feel they can be profitable.

8.1	Assessing costs

Government subsidies still cover the largest proportion of Program costs for all but a couple of Administrative Centres. Only four ACs received significant revenues from sponsorships and partnerships, but even these revenues are small when compared to overall operating costs.

Table 19:	What proportion of your costs are covered by: client fees? Government funding?

Sponsorships and partnerships? (7.a.b.c.)
Client Fees	Government	Sponsorships and partnerships
15%	80%	3.5%
Note:	Figures provided by ACs are estimates only. The proportion of costs covered by participating colleges and universities may be included in these estimates.

8.2	Sponsorships and partnerships

Only one Administrative Centre had not formed any partnerships or sponsorships with private firms. The remaining Administrative Centres had found at least one company to provide them with financial or in-kind support. For the majority, these parings have not provided substantial amounts of financial help or marketing support.

One AC found it difficult to form substantial partnerships when the Program's future was being decided on a yearly basis. He believes that firms are reluctant to commit time and money to a relationship which may not have any long term impacts.

Of the partnerships formed, Internet service providers (ISP) have been the most common. Partnerships with business associations and computer firms have also proven to be popular, though mainly for providing in-kind support.

Table 20:	How many sponsorship/partnerships have been developed? (7.d.e.)
Type of organization	Number of partnerships	Type of organization	Number of partnerships
Telecom's	2	Business associations	9
Computer firms	7	Government partners	2
Software developers	3	Yellow pages	1
ISPs	14

8.3	Viability after funding ends

Ten ACs do not believe that the SCP is a viable program without government funding. Many of their sponsoring institutions will likely not renew for the Summer 1998 term, as they would be exposed to too much liability. For those who believe in the Program's future, recent changes to its design and delivery may provide the right conditions for making it viable.

Table 21:	Will your program be viable when government funding is cut? If yes, what suggestions do you have for improving the success of the Program as it becomes self-supporting? (7.f)

# of responses	Viable	Not viable	Uncertain
3	10	4
Selected verbatim comments	More sophisticated training packages will need to be developed.	The main advantage of the Student Connection Program is that Industry Canada is associated with it, and it is cheap. When Industry Canada removes its presence, those two advantages will be lost.	It has potential, but it will depend on forming new partnerships and sponsorships.
Recommendations

from Coordinators	In order to be viable, greater revenues will have to be generated at lower costs. Several recommendations emerged:

incorporate Internet training with other software packages

move to greater reliance on commissions for salary

increase the cost of services

obtain more revenue from sponsorships and partnerships.

9.0	Other Comments

Additional comments from Administrative Coordinators were primarily negative. While most ACs recognized the value of the Program, particularly for students, they did not feel that the Student Connection Program lived up to all its expectations. While it did manage to give hundreds of students practical business experience and the opportunity to network with future employers, it has not yet managed to make the smooth transition to becoming a self-
supporting student run business. Nevertheless, the experience for most ACs seems to have been a positive one.

Table 22:	Do you have any other comments or concerns about the Program? (8.a.)
Issue	Key points	Selected verbatim comments
Value to students	The SCP provided a good training program, work experience, and helped many connect with future employers.	The Program "has effectively bridged the gap between school and the real business world for many participants."
Original mandate	The SCP mandate was very ambitious, and some of its goals have not been fulfilled. Ten Coordinators offered the following comments as to what went wrong.

The goal for training small businesses was unrealistic.

Industry Canada did not correctly anticipate that colleges and universities would require the Program to make a profit, before agreeing to accept the liability for running it independently.

Certain aspects of the mandate prevented innovation from taking place, as it restricted the creation of new programs and methods of delivery.

The Program was designed with 'great intent' and has been one of the better programs created by the federal government.

I hate to see a good thing end. It was a good experience, but it's a dead horse now.
Program evolution	Six Administrative Coordinators noted that the SCP took too long to add new training services. These additions were needed to stimulate repeat services, particularly in smaller markets where Internet connectivity was lower.	The Program should have been updated with new training products as time went by.

APPENDIX A

LETTER OF INTRODUCTION

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. 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.

As discussed in our telephone conversation, 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.

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

[Nom du coordonnateur ou de la coordonnatrice]

[Titre du coordonnateur ou de la coordonnatrice]

[Centre administratif]

[Adresse du coordonnateur ou de la coordonnatrice]

[Ville] ([Province]) [Code postal]

PAR TÉLÉCOPIEUR : [No de télécopieur]

Madame, [if the coordinator is a woman]

Monsieur, [if the coordinator is a man]

Conformément aux exigences du Conseil du Trésor, Industrie Canada doit procéder à une évaluation du programme Étudiants bien branchés avant le 31 mars 1999. Le ministère a retenu les services de la société Prairie Research Associates (PRA) afin de procéder à l'évaluation. Cette dernière aidera les gestionnaires à améliorer le programme et à veiller à ce qu'il atteigne ses objectifs tout en répondant aux besoins des étudiants et des entreprises. Une partie importante du processus d'évaluation consiste en des entrevues téléphoniques avec des représentants des Centres administratifs tels que vous.

Nous vous saurions gré de nous consacrer une demi-heure de votre temps pour une entrevue téléphonique au sujet de votre expérience du programme Étudiants bien branchés. Nous discuterons avec au moins un représentant de chacun des Centres administratifs. Une fois les entrevues terminées, nous produirons un court rapport afin de résumer les résultats en vue de l'évaluation. Dans le rapport, nous n'indiquerons aucunement la provenance des déclarations citées. Tous les renseignements demeureront anonymes.

Le document ci-joint est un court résumé des questions que nous aborderons lors de l'entrevue. Bien entendu, si des sujets qui vous préoccupent ou vous intéressent ont été omis, nous serons heureux de les inclure afin de répondre à vos besoins.

À titre de suivi de l'entrevue, nous prévoyons communiquer de nouveau avec vous au printemps 1998 pour vérifier si on a répondu à vos préoccupations, constater comment le programme a été modifié et mettre à jour vos opinions et vos impressions après une année complète de fonctionnement du programme.

Un représentant de PRA communiquera bientôt avec vous afin de vous demander officiellement de participer à une entrevue et de choisir un moment propice pour celle-ci. Si vous avez des questions sur le projet d'évaluation, n'hésitez surtout pas à communiquer avec moi au (204) 987-2030. Nous vous remercions sincèrement de votre collaboration à ce projet important.

Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame [if the coordinator is a woman], Monsieur, [if the coordinator is a man], l'expression de mes sentiments les meilleurs.

Clint Skibitzky

APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW SCRIPT

STUDENT CONNECTION PROGRAM INTERVIEW TOPICS

Section 1	Overview

a)	Overall, how would you rate your experiences with the SCP over the last few months?

b)	What are the biggest issues and challenges you are currently facing?

c)	How has the Program changed since your Administrative Centre joined it?

Section 2	Employee Recruitment

a)	What criteria have you used for the selection of Student Business Advisors?

b)	In this last round of program activity (1998 Winter Term), approximately how many formal written applications or resumes did you receive?

c)	What proportion of applicants met the job requirements?

d)	Have the students that you selected generally met your expectations? Have you ever had to terminate any SBAs?

e)	What changes to the recruitment and selection process, if any, would you recommend?

Section 3	Employee Support and Monitoring

a)	How do you monitor SBAs to ensure they completed their required tasks at a satisfactory level?

b)	What forms of clerical and administrative support do you provide to your SBAs?

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)	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?

f)	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?

g)	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?

h)	Please describe the training that your SBAs received prior to actively advising business clients. Did everyone receive the same training? What changes would you recommend to the training program?

Section 4	Program Marketing

a)	How would you rate your overall success with program marketing?

b)	What strategies have you recently used to market the program? What worked? What did not?

c)	How would you rate the overall national marketing of the program? What would you like to see changed?

Section 5	Program Evolution

a)	How has the Program changed since your Administrative Centre commenced operations?

b)	Do you support these changes?

c)	What other changes must be undertaken to make the Program a self-supporting project?

d)	Have you found the other managerial groups supportive of program evolution and changes? Do they listen and act on your suggestions?

Section 6	Administrative Duties

a)	In your view, have the reports you submitted to Industry Canada accurately convey the activity in your centre?

b)	How have the following institutions supported your activities?

- Industry Canada Regional Offices

- Industry Canada Head Office

- The AUCC/ACCC.

c)	How could they better support your activities?

d)	Please describe the communication network between yourself and the other Program groups. How has this changed? How could it still be improved?

Section 7	Commercial Viability

a)	What proportion of your costs are currently covered by client's fees?

b)	What proportion of your costs are currently covered by government funds?

c)	What proportion of your costs are covered by funding from sponsorships and partnerships?

d)	How many sponsorship/partnerships have been developed? How were they developed?

e)	What types of organizations have become partners?

f)	Will your program be viable when government funding is cut? If not, why not? How could it be made viable? If yes, what suggestions do you have for improving the success of the program as it becomes self-supporting?

Section 8	Other Comments

a)	Do you have any other comments or concerns about the Program?