A Commitment to Research and Innovation

OFE is known to be innovative, data-rich, evidence based and statistically driven for the purpose of using the valuable information we collect, from over 3500 job seekers each year, to inform program decisions, analyze and improve services and align our resources with activities that result in helping more people find employment each year.

As we help Manitobans connect with good jobs to promote steady economic growth, we do so one life at a time; a life changed with meaningful employment.

A History
of Innovation

OFE’s Department of Research and
Innovation is a hub of activity, producing employment programming models, tools and data that is influencing the landscape of employment services in Manitoba and resulting in increased employment rates, growth and productivity in our local economy, reduced reliance on social supports and lower
costs to government.

Demand Led
Program Research

Explore industry based employment development programming, which is responsive to the needs of employers with a change in focus from traditional supply-sided programming to a demand-sided orientation. Working closely with local employers, government and our research partners, we have developed and tested new and innovative recruitment strategies and training solutions to fill vacancies and increase employee retention in the local labour market.

Stages of Change
Research Study

As a leader in research and innovation in the employment development field, OFE tested the application of the Stages of Change Model and the Motivational Interviewing techniques with over 2000 program participants. The study results included decreased program attrition rates, increased employment and increased longitudinal employment
retention rates.

A History Of Innovation

OFE has a 25+ year history of successfully engaging with Employment and Income Assistance recipients and other individuals, who may be facing multiple barriers to employment. These individuals often encounter significant difficulty in obtaining and maintaining employment and may present with motivational issues. As such, OFE has evolved as an innovative hub to develop and test new employment development practices, designed to improve the labour market success and quality of life of low skilled and low income Manitobans.

As the Manitoba Government continues to employ strategies to ensure that the province has an adequate supply of labour to support economic growth, one area of focus is to increase the labour market engagement of people from under-represented groups. As employers begin to look to broaden recruitment strategies, they are seeking to engage people from these groups such as the Aboriginal population, youth (18-29), mature workers, EIA recipients, persons with a disability and newcomers/refugees.

Employers are often unprepared to work with an individual with multiple barriers to employment. In some cases, employers may need assistance to improve their capacity to build a sustainable workforce. These two challenges provided an opportunity for innovation, creativity and development of a new approach to employment assistance services.

OFE is successfully engaging with employers to help them navigate this new terrain and create successful matches. The key elements of these new project models include assessment, engagement in employment development and essential skills training, technical training, work experience, mentorship, intensive job coaching and post-employment support to both employers and job seekers. The models are designed to foster “job keeping” skills and result in long- term employment and increased earning capacity.

Demand Led Program Research

In recent years, we have partnered with the Manitoba Government and Social Research Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) to participate in two research studies.

Employer Partnership Program

OFE designed and delivered an innovative program, which addresses the specific needs of both the employee and the employer, creating successful and sustainable matches by developing a dual
customer approach.

In this research study, the key element of the research is to assess the benefits of using a milestone
approach, to encourage service providers to be innovative and creative within the way they work with the participants; allowing them to assist participants who are further away from the employment continuum. Using milestones, we measure gains and activities at nine different stages of the project continuum; reflecting the progress of individual job seekers, celebrating successes along the way and allowing us to engage with job seekers who require employment development and essential skills training.

A Successful Partnership

We have developed a successful partnership with Canada Goose, maker of high quality, in demand winter outerwear. Canada Goose is expanding nationally, and Winnipeg was chosen as an expansion site. The original location had 400 employees and in October 2015 they hoped to open a second plant in Winnipeg but feared a shortage of workers would prevent that from happening. By partnering with the Manitoba Government and subsequently, the OFE program, 188 new employees were trained and added to their workforce, filling the second plant and causing consideration of a third. Currently, OFE participants represent over 40% of the entire Canada Goose Manitoba workforce.

OFE’s strongest contributions to the partnership are in the employment development and occupational specific essentials skills training and in the one-on-one support provided in person and on site by the Employment Coach. Canada Goose has been so pleased with our partnership that they have increased their number of OFE participants entering the training centre from seven to 20 per month. Additionally, they were expanding the lines at the second location and as said earlier, were considering a third Winnipeg location in the future.

Post research, the Canada Goose – OFE partnership has continued and on September 11, 2018, Canada Goose opened its third and newest production facility in Winnipeg, which will make Canada Goose the largest apparel manufacturing employer in the province, employing more than 20 per cent of the Cut & Sew Industry in Canada. To date, over 1200 people have been hired at CG through the OFE program and we continue to partner together to place hundreds more with this local manufacturer.

The Milestone Approach

As mentioned, a key element of the innovative Employer Partnership Program is the integration of a milestone approach. SRDC defines milestones as the short-term ‘in-program’ outcomes that are directly connected to provider practices and thus largely within provider control. Performance milestones identify key transition points that, when reached, are hypothesized to be associated with further progress of the participant and ultimately longer term labour market success. A milestone process such as this also encourages service providers to work with those furthest from the labour market.

Allows us to establish a credible starting point for all job seekers, including those
with complex needs, and a rigorous way to measure progress towards sustainable
employment.

Is both rigorous and inclusive.
Stimulates innovation such as the shift towards demand-informed service models
and delivery of workplace-specific essential skills training.

Funds innovation when earned incentives are reinvested in the service/organization
by the service provider.

Adds value by shifting the focus from activities (e.g. resume writing) to outcomes
such as progress towards sustainable employment.

Identifies short-term ‘in-program’ outcomes that are directly connected to provider
practices and thus largely within provider control.

Offers the provider incentives for helping clients reach key milestones.

By Combining the Milestone Approach with a Pay for Performance Approach, Funders:

Incentivize providers to develop innovative practices to connect individuals with lower skills to sustainable employment.
Reward providers for helping clients reach key milestones along employment and learn- ing pathways – thus providers have incentives/funds to experiment with new ways of delivering programs and create infrastructure to support future innovation.

The milestone approach provides a framework to measure progress along an employment services continuum. The approach has increased our capacity to monitor and continuously improve our own performance at each measurement stage thereby generating better results for job seekers and the employer partner as well as improving employee performance.

Building on the success of the Employer Partnership Program creates new capacity and opportunities for individuals with varying levels of attachment to the labour force and to the needs of Manitoba employers as they seek new and innovative recruitment strategies, training solutions and human resource management practices to fill vacancies and retain productive employees.

We are currently seeking to expand our efforts and include other employers to connect job seekers with multiple barriers to employment with in-demand opportunities in other industry sectors, while fostering long-term job retention through effective employment development and essential skills training.

Study Results

In the Employment Partnership Program research phase, 90% (329/364) of those participants who engaged in occupational specific essential skills training went on to engage in technical training at Canada Goose. 76% (276/364) of those participants who engaged in occupational specific essential skills training went on to secure employment after completing training. Of the 276 participants who gained employment after completing occupational specific essential skills training, 68% (188/276) were hired at Canada Goose and 32% (88/276) were hired elsewhere. The project currently boasts an 87% post-employment retention rate at six months, which can be attributed in part to the on-site support provided by OFE’s project team to both the participants and to Canada Goose staff. This is an extremely important component as we work with Canada Goose to help them achieve their expansion goals in Winnipeg.

Employment Mentorship Program

OFE was involved in another research study called Manitoba Works! As one of the service providers in the study, OFE developed an innovative model designed to increase the labour market participation of Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) recipients and other individuals with multiple barriers to employment.

The model is responsive to the unique needs of Manitoba employers as they seek new and innovative recruitment strategies and human resource management practices to fill vacancies and retain productive employees.

Using a two-fold approach, OFE delivers programming designed to assess and equip eligible job seekers for the labour market and strategically match candidates with industry-based, paid mentorship opportunities. We intentionally partner with, mentor, and support both the participant and the employer to foster long-term job retention.

Program Components

The Employment Mentorship Program model is a highly focused, intensive approach to create successful matches between well prepared clients and well-prepared employers. What makes this approach unique compared to the other program offerings at OFE are three significant program components:

Classroom

An 8 week classroom component providing effective training in Stages of Change, employability skills, essential skills and computer literacy.

Paid Mentorship

A paid full-time employment mentorship component where the employer does not bear any of the cost of the participant’s salary and/or MERCs with the intention of the position becoming permanent. This period has varied from three to six months.

Coaching

Intensive coaching for the participant and the employer during the mentorship period including on-site visits, learning plans and regular reporting.

Key Engagement Elements

The innovative programming at OFE aligns with the priorities of our province and builds into a
community where:

The demand led research models at OFE have a number of key engagement elements, which highlight our efforts to address the following:

Motivation
Work with participants to thoroughly acquire an initial buy in on the employment opportunity from the participant by providing an initial employer visit coupled with the application of Stages of Change practices to assess, explore and resolve ambivalence in regards to work readiness.

Employability Skills and Workplace Essential Skills
Provide training to prepare the individual for their entrance into, positive contribution and longevity in this specific employment opportunity.

Workplace Exposure
Facilitate as an additional opportunity for the participant to visit and observe the place of employment, the workplace culture and the actual tasks of the position to ensure they are interest-ed in pursuing the employment opportunity.

Demand Led Technical Training
Deliver work ready participants to opportunities delivered by local employers; increasing industry investment to address labour market shortages and foster sustainable matches.

Monitor and Evaluate
Measure the progress of participants and employers to establish best practices within the program and to build on the successes and share best practices with like-minded agencies.

Individual Coaching
Provide to participants on and off site to foster program and employment retention.

Employer Support
Provide to employers to create long term sustainable matches and educate employers to increase their success in working with people with multiple barriers to employment.

Study Results

In the research component of the Employment Mentorship Program, we engaged with 147 individuals. 68% of which were EIA recipients. 103 of the individuals took part in a paid mentorship and 84 (82%) of the people transitioned into employment post mentorship. In a recent follow-up, it was established that 73 of the 84 (87%) of the individuals are still working 12 – 24 months post program. Of that group, 59/73 (81%) are still with the original employer. In addition, another 17 individuals who took part in programming secured employment within the follow-up period for a total employed number of 98 from the original 147 people who engaged.

As we compare the research groups we note that Program Group participants earn 14% more per hour and average six more hours per week. Based on these findings, Program Group participants will earn, on average, $6894 more per year than their counterparts in the Control Group. An additional $7,000/year is life changing to a low-income family.

In addition, 85 employers hosted 103 people in mentorship placements. 67 employers utilized the wage coverage opportunity and collectively saved $1,008,417 in salaries and MERCS. All of the employers saved on recruitment and training costs. As you will read below, these are funds that can be reinvested in growing their business and subsequently, the Manitoba Economy.

We were able to assist these employers in finding qualified employees and also in expanding and creating a larger job market for Winnipeg. For example, by hiring multiple participants from the Employment Mentorship Program, an established, locally-owned employer was able to save over $56,000 (and counting) over a year and a half. This employer has stated that he would hire EMP participants regardless of the wage subsidy due to the quality of programming received at OFE. Another local business owner was able to take the $40,000 he saved from wage coverage of three EMP participants and invest it back into his small business. As a result, he has grown his company and is now in a position to hire two more employees. From a social investment perspective, multiple employers have expressed gratitude for the opportunity to “change the lives” of their employees.

EIA usage/costs is, on average, 30% lower for the program group than the control group 12 months post program. Projections made on the current EMP model predict a 28.2% decrease in EIA usage/costs within two years of program involvement. Other ROI factors for government include tax contributions made by the participants who are employed, reduced usage of public services and reduction in criminal justice involvement.
Research data from the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) indicates significant gains in jobseeker self-efficacy, self-esteem and career decision making ability. Additionally, notable gains in essential skills levels were recorded for the program group.

Manitobans have the skills required to be successful in the labour market.
Manitoba employers have the capacity to effectively manage and develop their human resources.
Manitoba communities are able to support and benefit from labour market growth.
Manitoba has an adequate supply of labour to support economic growth.
Manitoba labour force participants are fully utilizing their skills.


Commitment to Training

By recognizing and promoting our participants’ skills as a potential source of hard working and dedicated employees, we:
Provide cost-effective programming that will increase the level of employment among marginalized individuals living in Winnipeg by preparing them for and achieving long-term employment.
Serve as a primary resource for marginalized individuals along all aspects on the continuum of employment; connecting them with mentors, designing strategies and programming to continually increase the retention rate of participants at each of the major program stages, from application to sustained employment and guide their training.
Develop relationships with employers to implement effective employment preparation programs, including technical training, and responding to the needs of employers to fill vacancies, identify employment opportunities and develop “wrap-around supports” that will foster sustainable employment and open the door to community engagement.

Raising awareness of the value of career and workforce development


OFE’s Employer Partnership Program and the Employment Mentorship Program introduce job seekers to a variety of employment options to increase their awareness of in-demand jobs. This includes workplace tours and a process called “work exposure” where applicants take part in hands-on learning and assessment to match qualified candidates with available jobs. Program participants receive gap training to increase employability skills, essential skill levels and foster long-term job retention.

In this Employer Partnership Program model, participants receive technical training that prepares them to work as Sewing Machine Operators at Canada Goose. Prior to the project, Canada Goose did not hire people who were inexperienced on a sewing machine. The project has introduced a new recruitment strategy and led to the opening of the in-house training centre, which is being replicated at other Canada Goose locations. The projects provide work experience and mentorship opportunities, which increase social capital and provide wrap- around supports to foster sustainable relationships between individuals with multiple barriers to employment and to employers who are facing recruitment challenges due to skilled labour shortages.

The mentorship opportunity in OFE’s Employment Mentorship Program model gives job seekers a foot in the door to help them succeed in making the transition from a mentorship to paid employment. A key element of this transition is the intensive support to both the employee and the employer throughout the mentorship period and post-employment. The paid mentorship period provides an incentive to the employer to work with individuals who have barriers to employment and to fully engage in the process and to be open to incorporating new strategies to attract and retain employees from diverse backgrounds.

OFE actively promotes the value of career and workforce development through:

Partnership with government, industry sectors and educational institutions to identify labour needs and training opportunities as well as suitable referrals for the program.
Guidance to individuals to access available social and educational programs offered by government and NGOs.
Monitoring and evaluation of participants’ and employers’ progress to establish best practices within the program and to build on the successes and share best practices with like-minded agencies.
Education of Winnipeg employers on the benefits of employment development and how a diverse workforce strengthens our economy and competiveness.
Sensitization of Winnipeg employers to understand both the needs and the potential of marginalized individuals to minimize misunderstandings between our participants and the employers.
At OFE we are proud to partner with our funders to develop a strong and competitive workforce, responding to labour market demand and creating successful and sustainable matches by using a dual customer approach.

The OFE Stages Of Change Research Study

Between 2007 and 2010, OFE conducted a large, three-year study on work readiness, testing the application of the Stages of Change (SOC) Model and Motivational Interviewing (MI) to employment development. The study used a previously untested approach to increase the labour market participation of those currently underemployed or unemployed by addressing ambivalence and motivation through the application of specific interventions to increase work readiness. The project had a strong evaluation framework and in addition to having a full-time researcher assigned to the project, an external evaluator reviewed the study framework, data analysis and outcomes annually.

The study is innovative in that

It addresses an issue often missed in employment development work; job seekers are at different stages of readiness, and thus need different forms of support.

It proposes to use a model, applied with success in treating addictions and health, in a field where it has not before been used, namely employment development.

It addresses some of the attitudinal effects of the powerful social forces, which may contribute to unemployment.

With the model proven to be successful, it can be replicated and implemented elsewhere.

Test Questions

As compared to a control (baseline) group, how does the addition of the Stages of Change Model and Motivational Interviewing to employment development services impact participants’ movement within the Stages of Change (Pre-contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance)?Also, will the application of the SOC Model and MI result in decreased program attrition rates, increased employment, and increased longitudinal employment retention rates?Study results are available in the final report.

Stages of Change Model

The Stages of Change (SOC) Model is an innovative approach to motivational issues facing job seekers. SOChas been used extensively in the health psychology field, where emotion, cognition and behaviour are crucial factors. This study is the first broad use of SOC in the employment field. It is believed that lacking in self-confidence or low self-esteem can manifest itself as a lack of motivation to find a good job, and it can become a challenge for people to overcome these circumstances. It would be beneficial for employment development specialists to understand this behaviour more clearly, and to know how to provide the most appropriate and effective interventions possible.

The SOC Model speaks specifically to the problem of motivation and ambivalence. Change is viewed as gradual and progressive over time, rather than dramatic. The SOC Model presents six steps or stages that are part of the change process, as well as a phenomenon of regression known as recycling.

Estimates are that less than 20% of people who are making changes in their lives are in the Action stage at any given time, but about 90% of all programs designed to assist with change are intended for people in that Action stage. Those that have been labelled as “failures” to make or sustain change in programs that centre around the Action stage may not be as “resistant” to change as some might want you to believe, but rather the services offered possibly did not meet their needs by addressing the Stage of Change they were in at the time.

Interventions

Work Readiness Orientation

This three-hour workshop is designed for participants who are in the Pre-contemplative or Contemplative stages and who may be considered as not being “ready, willing, and able” to obtain and sustain employment. Workshop participants are introduced to the concept of the Stages of Change, explore the advantages/disadvantages of being employed, and participate in activities that induce emotional arousal, conscious-ness raising, environmental re-evaluation, and self re-evaluation.

Preparation Workshop

This three-hour workshop centres on reinforcing the decision made to move towards engagement in the labour force. SOC concepts utilized in this workshop include environmental control, social liberation, countering, and commitment. An important concept that underlies the understanding of change is the acceptance that people rarely start at one point and progress through the Stages of Change without interruption.Such interruptions, or setbacks are referred to as Recycling. Recycling is framed as “normal” in this model, and not as a failure.

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

MIs conducted within this study are designed to focus on a participant’s employment situation and the identified stage of the SOC Model the individual is currently in. The interviewer uses empathy, open-ended questions, reflections and affirmations. Interviews are concluded with a summary of the discussion while focusing on the individual’s strengths. MIs are offered on a one-on-one basis and generally last one hour. Motivational Interviewing (MI) was developed by Miller and Rollnick (1991) and is defined as a client-centred, directive counselling method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence. MI focuses on the person’s current interests and concerns and is consciously directive in that the interviewer attempts to elicit and selectively reinforce change talk. A strength of MI is that it responds to conflict in a manner intended to extinguish it. MI is a communication method intended to move the person toward change while focusing on exploring and resolving ambivalence as a key to eliciting that change. Within MI, change arises through its relevance to the person’s own values and concerns (Miller andRollnick, 2002).

The Spirit of Motivational Interviewing

1

Motivation to change is elicited from within the client and not imposed externally

2

It is the client’s task, not the counsellor’s, to articulate and resolve his or her ambivalence

3

Direct persuasion is not an effective method for resolving ambivalence

4

The counselling style is generally a quiet and eliciting one

5

The counsellor is directive in helping the client to examine and resolve ambivalence

6

Readiness to change is not a client trait, but a fluctuating product of interpersonal interaction

7

The therapeutic relationship is more like a partnership or companionship than expert/recipient roles

Study Results

To date, from the analytic results an extrapolation based on even numbers of engaged participants predicts that using Stages of Change and Motivational Interviewing based interventions with all program participants would result in a:

25%

Decrease in releases from employment assistance services

34%

Increase in first time employment numbers

48%

Increase in six-month employment retention

Complete results are available in the Final project report. A copy of the external evaluation is available along with the Best Practices.

At OFE we are proud to partner with our participants, employers and funders to develop a strong and competitive workforce, responding to labour market demand and creating successful and sustainable matches by using a dual customer approach.

Questions about our research and innovation strategies and accomplishments?

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A history Of Innovation

OFE has a 20+ year history of successfully engaging with Employment and Income Assistance recipients and other individuals, who may be facing multiple barriers to employment. These individuals often encounter significant difficulty in obtaining and maintaining employment and may present with motivational issues. As such, OFE has evolved as an innovative hub to develop and test new employment development practices, designed to improve the labour market success and quality of life of low skilled and low income Manitobans.

As the Manitoba Government continues to employ strategies to ensure that the province has an adequate supply of labour to support economic growth, one area of focus is to increase the labour market engagement of people from under-represented groups. As employers begin to look to broaden recruitment strategies, they are seeking to engage people from these groups such as the Aboriginal population, youth (18-29), mature workers, EIA recipients, persons with a disability and newcomers/refugees.

Employers are often unprepared to work with an individual with multiple barriers to employment. In some cases, employers may need assistance to improve their capacity to build a sustainable workforce. These two challenges provided an opportunity for innovation, creativity and development of a new approach to employment assistance services.

OFE is successfully engaging with employers to help them navigate this new terrain and create successful matches. The key elements of these new project models include assessment, engagement in employment development and essential skills training, technical training, work experience, mentorship, intensive job coaching and post-employment support to both employers and job seekers. The models are designed to foster “job keeping” skills and result in long- term employment and increased earning capacity.