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Eighteen key individuals from the business, labor, and training sectors and other organizations concerned with the purchase of private training programs were consulted in an effort to determine the role of Canada's federal government and New Brunswick's provincial government in quality assurance for consumers of private training programs. There was general agreement that the primary role of government in training quality assurance should be limited to the following: consumer education and advocacy, development of a voluntary registration process to be made available to all training providers, and encouragement and facilitation of program accreditation options. The consultation findings were used as a basis for developing a proposed approach to quality assurance of training programs. The primary responsibilities and roles of consumers, government, industry, and training providers in gathering information about training providers and registering, accrediting, and certifying programs were demarcated in a discussion model of the training quality assurance process. Appendixes constituting approximately 50% of this document include the following: list of individuals consulted; terms and discussion questions; and charts detailing consensus on primary responsibility and discussion model, Canadian Labour Force Development Board draft guide to purchasing training, and considerations regarding support of training for low demand occupations. The French version is included. (MN)

Negative aspects concerning military career and service life can have widespread effects in many aspects of the military personnel system. Areas of irritants in the military service discussed, involving Australia, Canada, U.K., and the U.S., are the following: negative aspects of service life, sources of job satisfaction in the military service, and factors related to the termination of service. Identifying these negative aspects would lead to an understanding of the problem viewed by servicemen as irritants in their military career and popular misconceptions of the military service. Deterrents for enlistment motivation in Australia and the U.K. were identified as inadequate monetary compensation and the service term required. Common negative aspects of military service life include dissatisfaction with pay, problem of family separation, and inconveniences of changing stations. Sources of job dissatisfaction among personnel is the performance of duties not directly related to their specialized areas. Military rules and regulations account for the problem of turnover in military service. A bibliography is appended. (EC)

This report to the Canadian Government from the Nova Scotia Women's Task Force examines the social issues and problems pertaining to the women's movement in that province. Discussions are provided on the situations and attitudes toward homemakers, working women, marriage, divorce, child care, education, health, and political participation. Recommended implementations to improve conditions are included, as well as a bibliography and a detailing of actions taken by the government. (MML)

The standard models of post-secondary education in Manitoba, Canada, historically have not met the special needs and problems of the American Indian and Metis populations. Broadly speaking, the academic qualifications of Canada Natives must be raised to a much higher level in terms of vocational, general, and professional training; thus equipped, Canada Natives must create their own job opportunities at the community level so they can become masters of their own socioeconomic destiny. In view of the gross lack of opportunity for basic skill development, education for entry into professional careers, and the inacessability of rural communities, it is suggested that: brochures and calendars regarding post-secondary education be distributed in rural areas; basic literacy and/or skill development courses be promoted in the rural areas; information re: adult education courses be thoroughly disseminated; literate Native people be encouraged financially to act as tutors to others. In view of the socioeconomic disadvantages and the general disorientation of Indians and Metis living in urban areas, it is suggested that: programs for mature students entering the university be made more flexible via an orientation academic year; special optional courses be made to fit the needs of Native communities; a university extension facility be provided in the North; business administration and the arts and sciences be promoted for Native people. (JC)

The evaluative mechanisms in the Department of Advanced Education and Labour and Department of Human Resources Development in the Canadian province of New Brunswick were reviewed. Data were gathered from the following: meetings with key staff in each department, briefing session for all key informants, 19 personal interviews, brief review of the literature on evaluation and evaluation elements, review/analysis of selected documentation (including evaluation frameworks and completed studies), and follow-up discussions with a representative sample of 10 key respondents. It was discovered that comprehensive evaluation of programs and services is not routine but is being planned/conducted in a limited number of labor force development programs/services. Departmental staff recognized the need for a built-in, comprehensive evaluation process and were open to development of an evaluation culture. Obstacles to widespread practice of evaluation were identified. Appended are the following: lists of programs, services, and agreements included in the review; interview schedule; list of interview dates; newsletter of the Canadian Evaluation Society; and 30 staff suggestions for building a culture of evaluation. The French version is included. (MN)

These minutes summarize the New Brunswick Forum for Action on Leadership in Career Development, which was the third in a series of provincial forums being conducted throughout Canada to stimulate dialogue among a spectrum of labor market partners and develop an action plan to support career development in Canada's provinces. The following items are included: summaries of opening and closing comments and forum objectives; list of key questions for forum deliberations; and background information on the five forum issues (leadership and standards; coherence in the delivery system; outcomes, evaluation, and accountability; training for practitioners; and professional and technical support). Also included are summaries of the following working group presentations: "Leadership and Standards" (Keith Helmuth, presenter); Working Group 2A "Coherence in the Delivery System" (Humphrey Sheehan, presenter); Working Group 2B "Coherence in the Delivery System" (Claire LePage, presenter); and "Outcomes, Evaluation and Accountability" (Joan Green, presenter). Appendixes constituting approximately 90% of the document contain the following: forum agenda; overhead transparency masters; handouts; descriptions of initiatives underway or planned in New Brunswick in relation to the forum issues; flipchart notes from the forum working groups; and lists of participants and mailing addresses of all forum participants and invitees. The French version is included. (MN)

A study was conducted to determine the costs of illiteracy in Canada and to suggest future efforts to combat it. Research was conducted by interviewing 35 persons involved with education in Canada, such as officials of the Ministry of Skills Development, other government officials, statisticians, employment service personnel, representatives of business and labor, and adult education officials. U.S. Government and industry representatives were also interviewed in order to make comparisons with the Canadian data. Some of the findings were as follows: (1) research into the costs of illiteracy is imprecise and often only best guesses result; (2) an estimate of the costs to business of illiteracy in Canada is $4 billion annually; (3) the cost of illiteracy to Canadian society as a whole is estimated at approximately $10 billion; (4) these estimates represent a starting point for further research; and (5) there are many ways in which both the private and public sectors can mobilize to address the illiteracy problem, although the solutions will be complex and will extend well beyond literacy training alone. (This report contains three appendixes that are the main body of the report. The first appendix is a report on the cost of illiteracy to business in Canada by the Woods Gordon consulting firm. The second appendix is a further review of selected literacy cost questions from Maclean magazine's marketing department, and the third appendix contains suggestions for what can be done by the various sectors.) (KC)