An analysis of a foundational learning program in BC: the Foundations Workplace Skills Program (FWSP) at Douglas College

In this paper, we analyze the workings of a small-scale program involving foundational learning that is targeted at unemployed workers in Surrey, BC by exploiting information contained in the administrative data set that was compiled through its execution. Although this data set contains huge gaps and has a structure that is far from ideal, it contains some information regarding outcomes for the participants and outputs generated by the operations of the program. We investigate three outcomes for the participants of this program, namely i) a return to work, ii) a return to school, and iii) an improvement in the score obtained from a diagnostic test that gauges literacy and essential skills. We also make recommendations in regards to developing a data set that would be suitable for designing and carrying out an evaluation of labour market interventions such as the one covered in this paper.