During the period October 2017-January 2019 I will be working at a pan-Canadian study made possible thanks to a grant to Mothers Matter Centre from Canada’s Department of Economic Development and Essential Skills (ESDC) under its Adult Learning Literacy and Essential Skills Program (ALLESP). The ESDC grant will enable Mothers Matter Centre to conduct the project titled Feasibility Study for a Community Worker Leadership Certificate (CWLC).
The objective of the project is to conduct a feasibility study of national significance for the design, implementation and evaluation of a large-scale pilot for the Community Worker Leadership Certificate (CWLC), which will enhance career advancement, post-secondary educational (PSE) opportunities, and essential skills and knowledge for women community workers. The study will consist of streams of research focusing on social purpose organizations (SPOs), community workers, existing programs for community worker in public PSE institutions, and a community worker labour market analysis.
Part of my work for the project is to create and manage agreements with four public universities to conduct a multi-jurisdictional research for thefeasibility study. The study is committed to meet Canada’s highest academic and ethical guidelines for research involving humans (TPCS2 2014).
To the study I will contribute a community based worker labour market analysis, and an inventory of past and existing community worker certificate programs by public post-secondary institutions.
Partner Academic Research Institutions and Principal Investigators (PI):
University of Ottawa (Ontario), PI: Caroline Andrew
Université de Montreal (Quebec), PI: André-Anne Parent
Mount Royal University (Alberta), PI: Cynthia Gallop
Simon Fraser University (British Columbia), PI: Aude-Claire Fourot
Research Team Members also include:
Vivien Runnels, Pan-Canadian Research Manager at University of Ottawa, and
Angela M. Contreras, Pan-Canadian Project Manager at Mothers Matter Centre.
Expected outcomes:
- Increase knowledge of gaps in current community worker programs, which will result in a post-secondary curriculum responsive to the needs of community workers to advance their career, post-secondary education and skill-set to support vulnerable women.
- Increased understanding of social purpose organizations’ current capacity and needs to support career development of community workers; and
- Increased partnership between PSE institutions and SPOs to support the upskilling of women community workers, advancement in the workplace, and participation in post-secondary training.
Beneficiaries:
The main beneficiaries of the CWLC Feasibility Study will be the women who work in community-based organizations and social purpose organizations.
Community Workers Advisory Committees:
The CWLC Feasibility Study is monitored by two Community Workers Advisory Committees –one in Ottawa, Ontario and the second one in Surrey, British Columbia. Members of the Community Workers Advisory Committees include women, Aboriginal and immigrant, paid or volunteer employees of local food banks, immigrant and refugee settlement programs services, women support groups. Members of the Advisory Committees meet several times throughout the project to ensure the research tools and activities, findings and recommendations are meaningful to the beneficiaries of the project and represent the diverse perspectives and experiences of women community workers in Canada.
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