The Province has completed the selection process for two external advisory panels that will monitor the success of the new Employment Program of B.C., and has also identified the organization that will create a Centre for Employment Excellence.

The advisory panels will monitor the new employment program to ensure that the needs of job seekers continue to be met. The External Advisory Panel will oversee the implementation of the Employment Program of B.C. by service providers throughout the province, and the Expert Advisory Panel on Specialized Populations will review results, monitor data and ensure that clients from specialized populations are receiving the services they need. Panel members, selected by the Province's Board Resourcing and Development Office, will share their advice and recommendations with the Employment Program of B.C.'s ministry steering committee.

The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) will create the new Centre for Employment Excellence, along with their partner, The Training Group at Douglas College. The Province selected SRDC as the successful proponent following a Request for Proposals process.

The Centre for Employment Excellence will provide support for the employment services sector, employers and service providers. The centre will provide a single co-ordination point for employment research and innovation, tools and training. Resources will include a research and development program, website, and system by which to share best practices throughout the sector. The centre, which is set to launch in September 2012, will also act as a critical resource for analysis and evaluation in support of the advisory panels.

For more information on the advisory panels and Centre for Employment Excellence, please visit: www.hsd.gov.bc.ca/ministry/boards.htm

A backgrounder follows.

Contact:

David Haslam
Ministry of Social Development
250 356-1670

BACKGROUNDER

Advisory panel members and centre developer selected

External Advisory Panel Members:

• Cindy Dopson - director of human resources with the BC Cancer Foundation - Burnaby
• Ted Emes - senior project lead with Global Medical Services - Burnaby
• Dr. Bryan Hiebert - adjunct professor with the University of Victoria and a career development consultant with Per Man Consultants Ltd. - Victoria
• Norma Strachan, chair - chief executive officer of ASPECT and treasurer for the Canadian Coalition of Community Based Employability Training - Victoria
• Daniel Tellier - co-ordinator and president of the Okanagan Educational Centre - Winfield
• Jacqueline Toews - career practitioner and manager with MYERT Corporation Inc. - Abbotsford
• Elizabeth Wilson - executive director of the Obair Economic Society - Dawson Creek

Expert Advisory Panel on Specialized Populations Members:

• Chris Arnold - clinical director of the Provincial Networking Group Inc. - Terrace
• Darrell Burnham, chair - executive director of Coast Mental Health - Port Moody
• Kristina Fairholm - director of social enterprise, policy and planning and a strategic policy advisor with Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network - Victoria
• Xiaoxu (Freeman) Qu - chief physiotherapist and rehabilitation manager with Northern Health - Fort St. John
• Hildegard Schlosar - executive director of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society - Nanaimo
• Christine Sotteau - executive director of Le Fédération des Francophones de la Colombie Britannique - Vancouver
• Laverne Thompson - faculty in the developmental studies department at Capilano University - Vancouver
• Thomas Yeung - former director of employment services with S.U.C.C.E.S.S. - Richmond

More information on each of the advisory panel members is available at: www.hsd.gov.bc.ca/ministry/boards.htm

Centre for Employment Excellence Proponent

The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation was selected as the successful proponent to create the new Centre for Employment Excellence. SRDC is a national non-profit research organization with a strong presence in British Columbia that develops, field tests and evaluates innovative government policies and programs.

SRDC specializes in social experiments and projects that test government policies and programs. Most of SRDC's projects have included an evaluation of the implementation of a new program, as well as an impact analysis and cost-benefit analysis.

SRDC became the successful proponent for the Centre for Employment Excellence based on their extensive background in research, training delivery and provision of expert advice and technical assistance in the following related areas: access to post-secondary education, adult learning and literacy, labour market information, employment insurance, community-based employment, welfare-to-work, population health, and programs for persons with disabilities.

For more information on the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation, visit: www.srdc.org/

Contact:

David Haslam
Ministry of Social Development
250 356-1670