October 10, 1997

Prepared for:

Industry Canada

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0	INTRODUCTION	1

2.0	PROGRAM CONTENT	2

2.1	Program value	2

2.1.1	Value of the Program in general	2

2.1.2	Program recommendations	3

2.2	Market value of the Program	4

2.3	Relevance and presentation of the material	5

2.3.1	Length of the sessions	6

2.3.2	Material covered	7

2.3.3	Relevance of material	8

3.0	QUALITY OF INSTRUCTORS	9

3.1	Understanding and addressing business needs	9

3.2	Ability to communicate	10

3.2.1	Clarity of Instruction	11

3.2.2	Ability to answer questions	12

3.3	Understanding of the technology	12

3.4	Employment Potential	13

4.0	PROGRAM EFFECTS	14

4.1	Are we more competitive	14

4.2	Has the use of IT changed?	15

4.3	Equipment purchased	16

5.0	CLIENT DEMOGRAPHICS	18

5.1	Company size and annual sales	18

5.2	Where they heard of the Program	18

6.0	CONCLUSION	20

APPENDIX A	Methodology

APPENDIX B	Verbatim Responses

1.0	INTRODUCTION

This report summarizes the results of the first survey of Business Clients of the Student Connection Program. The clients included in this survey received training from the Program over the months of January to April, 1997.

This questionnaire of Program clients highlighted several program areas and program outcomes including:

•	The perceived value of the Program

•	The quality of the instructors and instruction

•	The Program impacts and effects on business.

In general, respondents valued the Program, felt that the instructors and instruction was good, and indicated that their business practices had changed as a result of the Program. However, a few clients had a decidedly negative experience, while others offered valuable recommendations and suggestions for Program improvement.

2.0	PROGRAM CONTENT

We asked respondents to comment on the value and the relevance of the Program material to their particular business situation.

Overall, respondents felt that the Program provided them with a good value for their time and money, however some felt that the skills were too simplistic and that a follow-up session should have been offered.

2.1	Program value

We asked business clients a number of questions on the value of the Student Connection Program. In general, respondents indicated that the Program provided a good or very good value for their money.

We tested the value of the Program by asking respondents:

•	If they thought the Program was a good value

•	If they had recommended the Program to their colleagues

•	What they thought the training would cost outside of the Student Connection Program.

2.1.1	Value of the Program in general

We initially asked business clients if, on balance, the Student Connection Program was a good value for a business such as theirs. As seen in Figure 1, most clients perceived the Program as a good value for their money, as almost three quarters (72%) said it was a very good value, while another 25% said it was a fair value. Only 3% of the Program clients felt that the Program was of poor value to them.

When asked for general comments on the Program, three respondents wrote in that the Program was "an excellent value."

2.1.2	Program recommendations

More than 75% of all Student Connection clients said that they had recommended the Program to their colleagues. Program recommendations provide a good indicator of what clients thought of the Program. If few clients recommend the Program to their colleagues, it is generally safe to conclude that they were not impressed with the Program its self. The fact that more than three-quarters of respondents had recommended the Program therefore indicates that they were, overall, satisfied with it.

•	More than three quarters (76%) of clients said that they had recommended the Program.

-	On average each of these respondents recommended the Program to 6 other individuals.

•	Just under one-quarter (24%) of respondents had not recommended the Program. Reasons given for not recommending it included:

-	"It never came up" (12%)

-	"They already know the Internet" (2%)

-	"We have different requirements" (2%)

-	"There is too much material to learn" (1%).

One respondent left the following comment on their questionnaire.

It [the Program] was great. Highly recommended.

2.2	Market value of the Program

Based on their perception of the training they received from the Student Connection Program, respondents said that, on average, they would expect to pay $279 for the training.

Asking respondents how much they would expect to pay for this service if it was offered by a private organization is another way to measure the overall value and quality of the service. If the average amount that respondents were willing to pay was below $150, the Program would be providing a poor service for the cost. The fact that the average willingness to pay is significantly above the $150 asking price indicates that clients feel they are getting a good value for their money.

•	On average, business clients said they would expect to spend $279 for training.

•	More than half (59%) of respondents said they would expect to pay more than $150 for the training services. (See Figure 2)

2.3	Relevance and presentation of the material

We asked clients several questions about the relevance of the material they were introduced to in their information sessions with the SBAs, and the way in which the material was presented to them. Specific topics that we asked about were:

•	Was the length of the session adequate for the quantity of material?

•	Were the skills and topics covered too simplistic?

•	Were the skills and topics relevant to individual business people?

•	Was the information received up-to-date?

For each of these topics, respondents were presented with a negative or positive statement, and asked to choose the response category that best described their opinion. The response categories available to respondents were:

•	Strongly disagree

•	Disagree

•	Neutral

•	Agree

•	Strongly agree.

2.3.1	Length of the sessions

We asked respondents if they felt that the length of their information sessions was too short for the amount of material that they covered.

•	Just over one fifth (22%) either "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the statement, and therefore felt that the sessions were too short.

•	The majority of respondents (60%) either "strongly disagreed" or "disagreed" with the statement, meaning they felt the session was not too short.

TABLE 1

Thinking about the type of skills that your Student Business Advisor (SBA) covered with you, please indicate if you agree that the session was too short for the amount of material covered?
Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
13%	47%	19%	17%	5%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Two respondents left comments at the end of the questionnaire reflecting the fact that they thought the sessions were too short.

Formation d'une durée plus longue.

Although most respondents said the length of the session was satisfactory, six said that they would appreciate a follow-up training session or phone call once they had a chance to use some of the skills they had learned.

A follow-up review session of all modules a month later would be helpful.

It [the Program] should be maintained with a quarterly follow-up to participants.

Offer a follow-up Program one year later.

2.3.2	Material covered

Although almost all respondents said that the material covered in their training sessions was up-to-date, some respondents felt that the skills tended to be too simplistic.

When we asked respondents if they thought the skills they were taught by their Student Business Advisor were up-to-date, almost all respondents (94%) either "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the statement.

•	Not a single respondent "strongly disagreed" with the statement

•	Only 2% "disagreed."

Clients therefore thought that the material covered by the Program was current.

TABLE 2

Thinking about the type of skills that your Student Business Advisor (SBA) covered with you, please indicate if you agree that the information you received from the SBA was up to date?
Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
0%	2%	5%	55%	39%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

We also asked respondents if the topics that they covered with their SBA were too simplistic.

•	Almost one-in-ten respondents said that they felt the skills taught were too simplistic.

-	7% "agreed" with the statement

-	2% "strongly agreed".

•	Almost 70% of clients said the skills were not too simplistic.

•	One in 5 respondents (20%) were neutral towards the statement, and therefore felt that the skills were neither too simplistic or advanced.

TABLE 3

Thinking about the type of skills that your Student Business Advisor (SBA) covered with you, please indicate if you agree that the skills and topics covered by the SBA were too simplistic?
Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
18%	51%	21%	7%	2%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Several respondents also left comments reflecting their views that the materials covered were not relevant for an experienced computer user.

C'est probablement idéal pour une entreprise "green" mais si vous étes déjà dans une démarche de navigation et de production, c'est plus difficile pour l'étudiant de s'adopter à votre besoin.

Ce programme était surtout concu pour des gens n'ayant aucune compétence informatique.

2.3.3	Relevance of material

The majority (86%) of respondents disagreed with the statement that the material they covered with their SBAs was irrelevant to their business. Most respondents therefore agreed that the Student Connection material was relevant to them.

•	Only 7% of respondents agreed that the Student Connection material was irrelevant to them.

•	Another 7% said the skills were neither relevant or irrelevant.

•	86% thought the skills were relevant.

TABLE 4

Thinking about the type of skills that your Student Business Advisor (SBA) covered with you, please indicate if you agree that the Student Connection Program did not teach me any skills relevant to my business?
Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
39%	47%	7%	5%	2%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

3.0	QUALITY OF INSTRUCTORS

Overall, clients said that their instructors understood their needs, the technology, and did a fair job of teaching.

We asked a number of questions to gauge how clients felt about the quality of instruction that the Student Business Advisors provided:

•	How well did your SBA understand and address your business needs?

•	How well did your SBA communicate?

•	Did your SBA understand the technology?

•	If the opportunity arose, would you hire them again?

3.1	Understanding and addressing business needs

We asked the respondents to agree or disagree with two statements about how the Student Connection material was adapted to their business needs.

•	My Student Business Advisor understood my business needs

•	My SBA tailored the session to fit my requirements.

Although just over three-quarters of respondents said that the SBAs understood their business needs, more than four-fifths of the respondents said that the sessions had been tailored to fit their needs.

These responses appear somewhat contradictory at first, as it seems unlikely that a SBA could tailor a session without understanding the needs of the client. However, it is possible that respondents were referring to specific aspects of their businesses, while the session tailoring was at a more general level; or that clients may feel that an outside consultant could not possibly understand their needs as well as they themselves do.

Overall, however, the large majority of respondents said that the SBAs were both aware of, and responsive to, their individual business requirements.

•	76% of clients said that their SBA understood their business needs.

-	Not a single respondent "strongly disagreed" with this statement.

-	Only 6% "disagreed".

•	86% of all respondents "agreed" that their SBA tailored the sessions to fit their business requirements.

-	Only 4% of respondents "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" with this statement.

TABLE 5

Thinking about the type of skills that your Student Business Advisor (SBA) covered with you, please indicate if you agree that your SBA understood your business needs?
Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
0%	6%	19%	58%	18%
Thinking about the type of skills that your Student Business Advisor (SBA) covered with you, please indicate if you agree that your SBA tailored the session to fit your business requirements?
Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
1%	3%	10%	48%	38%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

General comments left by the respondents concerning their instructors were very positive overall.

[the students]... were both extremely well versed in the Program, with a very well-rounded knowledge of business in general. They spent a great deal of time finding out about the operation of the law firm in order to point one in the appropriate directions. In addition, they were very pleasant and appropriately dressed for a office. They will be an asset to any firm.

Excellent program and great instructors.

It took a couple of attempts with Student Connections to find a student that met our needs.

3.2	Ability to communicate

We asked the clients to rate their Student Business Advisor's performance in two general aspects of communication:

•	Their presentation of the materials, clarity, and ability to instruct

•	Their ability to answer the client's questions.

Respondents could select a rating using a five-point scale with the following response categories.

•	Totally inadequate

•	Poor

•	OK

•	Good

•	Excellent.

3.2.1	Clarity of Instruction

When we asked about the overall quality of instruction, including communication skills, and overall clarity, four-fifths of the respondents said that the instruction was either "good" (44%) or "excellent" (37%).

•	Only 1% were very dissatisfied with the instruction, choosing "totally inadequate."

•	Another 2% said the instruction was poor.

TABLE 6

Please rate your SBA on their quality of instruction, including communication skills, presentation of the materials, and overall clarity.
Totally Inadequate	Poor	OK	Good	Excellent
1%	2%	16%	44%	37%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Although only 3% of respondents were unhappy with the overall quality of instruction they received, this group supplied several comments in the space provided in the questionnaires. These respondents clearly felt that the teaching skills of students needed to be improved.

The student who instructed me was very knowledgeable, skilled and intelligent. He just needed to acquire a discipline for TEACHING. I had to drag answers he had not thought of providing me with.

My only complaint was the ability of the instructor. I could have requested a replacement, however I had already gleaned what was necessary from him, but it could have been easier had he been better equipped to "teach."

I have no doubt the SBA knew his stuff. However I feel he didn't explain it very well. I told him when he came I was computer illiterate. However he still assumed I knew what he was talking about.

3.2.2	Ability to answer questions

When we asked about the SBAs' ability to answer client questions, more respondents chose "excellent" (43%) than any other response category.

•	41% thought that the instruction was "good", for a total of 84% who were positive about their Business Advisor's answers.

•	Only 3% said that their SBA did a poor or totally inadequate job of answering their questions.

TABLE 7

Please rate your SBA on their ability to answer your questions.
Totally Inadequate	Poor	OK	Good	Excellent
1%	2%	13%	41%	43%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

3.3	Understanding of the technology

More than four out of five respondents said that the SBA had a "good" or "excellent" understanding of the technology they taught.

•	Only 3% of respondents said the SBAs had a "poor" (1%) or "totally inadequate" (2%) understanding of the technology.

•	More than 4 out of 5 respondents rated the SBA's understanding very positively:

-	43% said it was good

-	44% said it was excellent.

TABLE 8

Please rate your SBA on their understanding of the technology.
Totally Inadequate	Poor	OK	Good	Excellent
2%	1%	11%	43%	44%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Some client's reported that the instructor's knowledge was too selective and made the following comments:

I specifically wanted to learn about FTP & Gopher. Most of the instructors I spoke with after my course were not familiar with anything but the web.

My whole computer system crashed due to an error by one of the instructors. The two instructors made great efforts and spent a lot of time trying to get it to run again. Ultimately it did run but what was a brand new computer system has given on-going problems since then.

3.4	Employment Potential

To get another indication of the client's satisfaction with their SBA, and to indirectly assess the employment potential resulting from the Student Connection Program, we asked the clients if they would hire their SBAs if an appropriate position opened up in their organization. Overall, clients were positive towards their student instructors. Half of the respondents said they would either "definitely" or "probably" hire their SBA.

•	Almost 1 in 4 respondents said they would "definitely" hire their SBA if the opportunity arose.

•	More than 1 in 4 respondents said they would "probably" hire their SBA.

•	Only 2% said they would definitely not hire their SBA if an appropriate position opened up.

TABLE 9

If an appropriate position opened up at your organization, would you consider hiring your SBA?
Definitely Not	Probably Not	Possibly	Probably	Definitely
2%	15%	33%	26%	24%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

4.0	PROGRAM EFFECTS

To look at how the behaviour of business clients has changed as a direct result of their participation in the Student Connection Program, we asked a number of questions on:

•	The competitive impact of the training

•	Their use of Information Technology (IT) after the training

•	How much IT equipment they purchased subsequent to the training.

Overall, most clients said that the training would make them slightly more competitive, that their use of IT had increase substantially, and that they had invested in IT equipment since their Student Connection training sessions.

4.1	Are we more competitive

To assess the impact of the Student Connection Program on the competitiveness of Canadian Business, we asked all respondents to agree or disagree with the statement that the instruction they received will make them more competitive.

•	Over half (56%) of clients said they expected the training will make them more competitive.

-	12% "strongly agreed" with the statement

-	44% "agreed."

TABLE 10

Thinking about the type of skills that your Student Business Advisor (SBA) covered with you, please indicate if you agree the instruction you received will help make your business more competitive?
Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
2%	8%	35%	44%	12%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Although no client left a direct comment about competitiveness, several indicated that the Program had provided them with valuable information they would have otherwise been unaware of.

Excellent opportunity to assist companies/employees of how the Internet can assist the company. Much more effective than a classroom style course - more direct and relevant to the respective organization.

The course saved me hours of research and learning time. Some of the areas introduced I would probably never have discovered on my own. Thanks.

4.2	Has the use of IT changed?

Participation in the Student Connection Program significantly increased respondent's use of information technology.

To evaluate how the client's use of information technology (IT) has changed as a result of their participation in the Student Connection Program, we asked them how often they used a set of resources on average each week before they participated in the Program, and after they were trained by their SBA. We tested Program impact on the following IT areas.

•	Web browsers and search engines

•	Email

•	Business related web sites

•	Databases

•	Strategis

•	Electronic Commerce

In each and every case, use of the resource had increased as a result of the training Program. Figure 3 details the average increase in weekly use for each of the Internet resources.

TABLE 11

Use of IT resources before and after participation in the Student Connection Program.
IT Resource	Average weekly use before training	Average weekly use after training	Difference	Percentage Change
Web browsers and search engines	1.9	7.3	+5.4	286%
Email	4.5	9.6	+5.1	113%
Business related web sites	1.0	6.0	+5.0	500%
Databases	0.3	2.8	+2.5	833%
Strategis	0.1	1.3	+1.2	1200%
Electronic commerce	0.1	0.8	0.7	700%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Several clients left comments that indicated a strong interest in the new technology, and a desire to use more IT in their business operations.

I think this program was very good for me and my business to use in the future.

A very good program, exactly what I needed to begin to understand commerce on the Internet.

4.3	Equipment purchased

To measure how the Student Connection Program has changed the way clients work, we looked at what type of IT equipment and training the client purchased after their sessions with their SBA.

•	Almost half of all the respondents (45%) said that they had purchased an Internet hook-up or account after their training.

•	Approximately one quarter of all the respondents had bought modems (28%), software (23%), and computers (22%).

See Figure 4, next page.

5.0	CLIENT DEMOGRAPHICS

To create a profile of the Student Connection's clients, and to find out how they became aware of the Program, we asked them a number of questions about themselves, including:

•	Approximately how many full-time employees does your company employ?

•	What is your company's approximate level of annual sales?

•	Where did you hear about the Student Connection Program?

5.1	Company size and annual sales

Overall, the typical Student Connection client came from a small company with less than 10 employees, and annual sales under $500,000.

•	The majority of Student Connection clients (58%) came from organizations with less than 10 employees.

TABLE 12

Approximately how many full-time employees does your company currently employ?
Under 10	10 to 25	25-50	More than 50
58%	18%	8%	16%

Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding

•	Most client firms (52%) had annual sales under $500,000

-	29% had sales under $100,000

-	23% had sales between $100,000 and $500,000

5.2	Where they heard of the Program

Many mediums have been used to promote the Student Connection Program to business clients. To get an indication of what advertising methods were working, we asked all respondents to tell us where they had heard of the Program.

•	Twice as many respondents recalled hearing of the Program from a phone call (31%) than the next most recalled information source.

•	Between 10% and 16% of all respondents recalled seeing or hearing information on the Program in:

-	newspapers

-	pamphlets

-	from colleges and universities

-	from word of mouth.

•	Only about 2% of all respondents said they heard or saw Program information on the radio or television.

6.0	CONCLUSION

Overall, business clients were fairly satisfied with the training that they received from the Student Connection Program. There were specific areas mentioned by the respondents that the Program excelled at, and several others that clients said could use improvement.

Clients were very happy with the overall value of the Program. Many stated that it was a good value and excellent service for the price. This positive impression was further evidenced by the number of recommendations that clients made to business associates. The Program also had a marked effect on client's use of information technology. In every category of IT, clients said that they used the available resources significantly more frequently.

Some clients, however, stated that the skill level taught by the SBAs was too simplistic. Others said that the Program should offer a follow-up session. Another comment was that the SBAs needed a wider area of technical expertise to deal with the diverse problems and challenges that their clients presented.

Finally, although many clients said they were very pleased with their Student Business Advisor, several did indicate that there were several areas where SBAs required improvement. The biggest area of concern was with the SBAs teaching ability. Many clients stated that their SBA did not know how to teach, and although they knew the material they could not communicate it effectively.

APPENDIX A

Methodology

METHODOLOGY

This report summarizes the results of the first Survey of Business Clients. The survey was conducted with 180 clients who participated in the program some time between January and April, 1997.

Names and addresses of clients were gathered from the Administrative Centres by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), and forwarded to PRA. We then selected all complete names and addresses for the mail-out. Information on clients with incomplete addresses was augmented by consulting phone books and postal code directories.

In total, we mailed out 415 questionnaires. There were 13 returned due to inaccurate address information, for a total of 402 valid questionnaires. Out of these, 180 were returned to us, for a return rate of 45%.

We mailed the questionnaires on July 20th, and set the survey cut-off date at September 30th, 1997.

APPENDIX B

Verbatim Responses

11.	Do you have any other suggestions or comments regarding the Student Connection Program?

Winter, 1997-0503-180	Yes - make it available for more than Internet training - e.g. equipment setup - Windows 97 (98) word processing etc.

Winter, 1997-0902-68	It's an excellent opportunity for a Small Business owner. I would appreciate it if the written material could have been more extensive and step-by-step.

Winter, 1997-0402-428	Le programme "Etudiants bien branchés" est excellent. Nous espérons qu'une telle initiative ou un programme similaire peut continuer dans les années à venir.

Winter, 1997-0504-336	Student Advisor was excellent, polite, patient and very knowledgeable.

Winter, 1997-0504-455	Notify clients of any new major breakthroughs in technology for which they offer training and advice.

Winter, 1997-0506-363	Excellent program that should be continued.

Winter, 1997-1001-82	Good experience. I would like even more training.

Winter, 1997-0506-30	No, they are doing a great job at a very low cost.

Winter, 1997-0506-16	Etudiant est peut être très connaissant mais n'a aucune formation quand il s'agit de guider le client ou de pouvoir évaluer ses besoins (Client est très déçut).

Winter, 1997-0501-300	Allez plus loin.

Winter, 1997-0902-51	Why didn't you e-mail this and get us to return by same?

Winter, 1997-0402-216	Excellent programme pour initier les P M E à Internet.

Winter, 1997-0902-71	A one-on-one interview so we can tailor our needs with the SBA.

Winter, 1997-0101-445	(Name) and (name) were both extremely well versed in the Program, with a very well-rounded knowledge of business in general. They spent a great deal of time finding out about the operation of the law firm in order to put one in the appropriate directions. In addition, they were very pleasant and appropriately dressed for an office. (Name) and (name) will be an asset to any firm.

Winter, 1997-0902-61	I enjoyed the program and found it an excellent value, which is why we have put so many of our office staff through it. Some of these questions I could not answer as I am not in a related department.

Winter, 1997-0402-40	Documentation au début de la formation. Formation dans l'environnement MacIntosh.

Winter, 1997-0504-332	Excellent. Worthwhile. Great experience for our company (and for students I believe).

Winter, 1997-0701-108	Keep it going. It's an excellent program.

Winter, 1997-0701-106	It took a couple of attempts with Student Connections to find a student that met our needs.

Winter, 1997-0404-250	Ce fut très intéressant de suivre ce cours à domicile. Et lors d'un achat éventuel d'un ordinateur nous reprendrons sûrement des cours à condition que le prix ne soit pas plus élevé que celui-ci.

Winter, 1997-1001-95	Advertise in local newspapers.

Winter, 1997-0902-64	I am not in business, but do genealogical research for myself and friends as a hobby. Re Section C, question 4: Because I have an older computer, working on the Internet is extremely slow and frustrating. I would use it much more if I had a faster, more efficient system.

Winter, 1997-0402-386	We were satisfied with the instruction received.

Winter, 1997-0506-202	It was great. Highly recommended.

Winter, 1997-0503-174	Need to go over steps of using web in all its phases.

Winter, 1997-0101-225	For new users of Internet, perhaps a "step-by-step" user guide i.e., to locate certain areas of info regarding legal cases; or written instructions on how to print cases from Internet.

Winter, 1997-0504-232	I think this program was very good for me and my business to use in the future. Also the student got to see how a business runs.

Winter, 1997-0506-356	Some comments suggested more direct one-on-one training vs group training.

Winter, 1997-0902-270	No. Great help. Thanks.

Winter, 1997-0504-345	The course saved me hours of research and learning time. Some of the areas introduced I would probably never have discovered on my own. Thanks.

Winter, 1997-0701-102	Regarding Question #9 and 10. We are a University. Our office has 10 employees. We don't have sales, we have tuition. Great Program, very informative.

Winter, 1997-0506-366	Good overall value. Our SBA was an excellent example of the caliber of today's youths, and the program is an excellent initiative by Industry Canada.

Winter, 1997-0504-324	2 day session should have been split: 1 day to start; 1 day a month or two later.

Winter, 1997-0402-436	Donner un peu plus d'information sur les outils de recherche et sur la création de page web.

Winter, 1997-0503-162	I specifically wanted to learn about FTP & Gopher. Most of the instructors I spoke with after my course were not familiar with anything but the web.

Winter, 1997-0902-62	Although I understood everything, I'd have liked an equal amount of practise time to the classroom time - I needed the supervision and a computer - I had none at the time.

Winter, 1997-0403-5456	Ce programme m'a permis de connaître l'internet. Avant ce programme, notre entreprise n'était pas branchée. Pour l'instant nous sommes encore à l'exploration.

Winter, 1997-0402-215	C'est probablement idéal pour une entreprise "green" mais si vous ètes déjà dans une démarche de navigation et de production, c'est plus difficile pour l'étudiant de s'adopter à votre besoin.

Winter, 1997-0506-199	Apprécierais que étudiant conseiller continue à maintenir le contacts avec la personne formée pour l'informer surtout des nouveautés dans le monde de l'informatique.

Winter, 1997-0504-231	A brief on-site visit beforehand to inspect computer facilities available and to discuss clients' needs, would make actual teaching days more effective.

Winter, 1997-0501-284	Excellent value, flexible scheduling, overall very good training opportunity for staff.

Winter, 1997-0201-240	Good service.

Winter, 1997-0404-376	Avoir un numéro après quelques mois de la formation où nous pourrions avoir de l'information pertinent.

Winter, 1997-0402-429	J'ai fortement apprécié - la disponibilité des étudiants, autant de la part de mon formateur que les étudiants qui répondent aux questions au téléphone.

Winter, 1997-0902-65	A follow-up review session of all modules a month later would be helpful.

Winter, 1997-0902-264	Very good program exactly what I needed to begin to understand commerce on the Internet.

Winter, 1997-0502-348	Good program and professional personnel.

Winter, 1997-0402-415	Avoir un suivit pour des personnes comme moi qui avais 50 ans et plus et que nous n'avons pas appris auparavant a fonctionné avec un ordinateur. Merci.

Winter, 1997-0501-295	Follow up or revisit after 30-60 days.

Winter, 1977-0503-182	Keep it going.

Winter, 1997-0501-282	Advertise it more. It is an excellent program.

Winter, 1997-0902-44	Keep up the good work.

Winter, 1997-0902-263	A very good value for its cost. More on-site training and an opportunity to have the SBA in the office for a day or two.

Winter, 1997-0506-350	Should be continued.

Winter, 1997-0504-339	Perhaps a little background info on people who will be taking the course that day could be given so the session can be tailored to suit their needs and the instructor could have an idea ahead of time instead of figuring it out during the session.

Winter, 1997-0101-441	I believe it is a very valuable service delivered by the right people - young college students.

Winter, 1997-0501-290	My only complaint was with the ability of the instructor. I could have requested a replacement; however I had already gleaned what was necessary from him, but it could have been easier had he been better equipped to "teach".

Winter, 1997-0404-380	Ce programme était surtout concu pour des gens n'ayant aucune compétence informatique.

Winter, 1997-0403-374	Ajouter la construction d'un site Web pour les PME à un coût abordables.

Winter, 1997-0403-188	Très apprécié les services et la disponibilité.

Winter, 1997-0402-212	Glad to have participated - happy to have helped students - happy with our new training.

Winter, 1997-0903-139	Excellent value.

Winter, 1997-0701-101	Good program for students and for industry.

Winter, 1997-0404-246	Je suis très satisfait du programme, peut-être pourrait on avoir un suivi. C'est bien que le ministère y mettre des énergies.

Winter, 1997-0501-291	Parking at the college. Pay for a parking pass "each" day. Time consuming.

Winter, 1997-0402-222	Continuer.

Winter, 1997-0501-308	Peut-être fournir des manuels pour accompagner la formation autre que les dépliants. Je suis une personne visuelle et j'aime beaucoup suivre pendant l'enseignement. Nous avons été très choyé par les étudiants bien branchés. Ils sont flexibles, intelligents et patients.

Winter, 1997-0902-55	More programs available - great idea. Nice to work with young, competent people.

Winter, 1997-1001-90	It should be maintained with a quarterly follow-up to participants to advise of changes or new sites that may be of relevance to business.

Winter, 1997-0402-388	In our particular case the system was down at 2 different classes. This was frustrating because we were taking these classes Saturday mornings at the (name) - 40-45 minute drive. But the people were great.

Winter, 1997-0101-227	Excellent opportunity to assist companies/employees of how the Internet can assist the company. Much more effective than a classroom style course - more direct and relevant to the respective organization.

Winter, 1997-0503-164	One of the providers they offer is Istar which I find to be a terrible provider. Perhaps the training sessions should be split up, i.e., one day to get set up, wait a week so that you can become familiar with the Internet and then have a follow-up session a week later so that any questions you have can be answered appropriately.

Winter, 1997-0403-375	Formation d'une durée plus longue.

Winter, 1997-0903-116	It was a great experience.

Winter, 1997-0903-134	I was charged $30.00 transportation fee. I should have been informed about it in advance. Not on the last day of the visit.

Winter, 1997-1001-99	Excellent program and great instructors. It was a definite learning experience. Thank you.

Winter, 1997-0504-319	Software training on site would prove invaluable, as spreading a course over 12 nights is in most instances time consuming and ineffective.

Winter, 1997-0402-390	The student who instructed me was very knowledgeable, skilled and intelligent. He/she just needed to acquire a discipline for TEACHING. I had to drag answers he/she had not thought of providing me with.

Winter, 1997-0402-218	Je n'ai pas été bien informée. Vu que j'avais déjà le système installé ainsi qu'un fournisseur d'accès, je considère que je n'ai pas profité pleinement de l'offre de $150. Les informations que j'ai reçu ne valent pas ce prix du tout.

Winter, 1997-0501-301	More reading material.

Winter, 1997-0903-135	(l) I may not appear to be using the Internet as much but I have to go long distance to the server so I watch usage.

(2) My whole computer system crashed due to an error by one of the instructors. The two instructors made great efforts and spent a lot of time trying to get it to run again. Ultimately it did run but what was a brand new computer system has given on-going problems since then. I would like it checked out and brought back to where it was.

Winter, 1997-0903-132	Better communication between program facilitators and SBA student. Concern about lack of follow-up and why the student never contacted us about completing the training.

Winter, 1997-0903-446	More detail in helping set up Home Pages.

Winter, 1997-0506-360	(1) Offer a broader range of course offerings.

(2) Ensure that the trainer has strong linguistic skills; in this case the incomplete pronunciation of words caused some confusion.

Winter, 1997-0403-367	J'ai eu des problèmes avec une facturation d'une compagnie qui disait m'offrir des services que je devais annuler mais les étudiants ne m'y avaient pas informer.

Winter, 1997-0504-316	Excellent program. Has made a positive contribution to our business.

Winter, 1997-0501-311	Excellent program - could be advertised more by government.

Winter, 1997-0902-53	I have some experience with computers but felt I was falling behind newer technology. This program has helped to bring me up to speed. At this time it is hard to justify the expense of new equipment.

Winter, 1997-0504-239	Offer a follow-up program l year later.

Winter, 1997-0503-160	More in-depth training of Internet; longer training period (extra day) to cover more.

Winter, 1997-0101-451	I'm sure it is a good program. However I have no doubt the SBA knew his/her stuff. However I feel he/she didn't explain it very well. I told him when he/she came I was computer illiterate. However he/she still assumed I knew what he/she was talking about.