Building and Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce
Employment & Immigration Grant Regulation

PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES

Purpose

Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships is a program element under the Workforce Partnerships Program. The purpose of the element is to assist employers and employer associations take timely and direct action to attract and retain workers.

The objectives of the Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships program are to:

• Develop, test and share innovative approaches to labour market issues.
• Support small and medium sized employers with information and networking opportunities in order to maximize the performance of their workforce.
• Facilitate the action required to respond to specific attraction and retention issues.
• Address unique labour market issues, including workforce adjustment activities, where established Government of Alberta programs and services do not allow for a timely response.

Principles

Key principles that govern the design and implementation of this program are:

• Responsiveness – Program activities will be timely and respond to employer and regional labour market needs.
• Simplicity and Ease of Access – Program access will be straightforward, simple to understand and simple to undertake.
• Adding Value – Program activities will address workforce issues, build on current activity and leave a legacy that benefits the broader labour market. Activities that have been successful will be shared with others who can benefit from the experience/knowledge.
• Partnership – Effective program activity is dependent upon government and employers working together in partnership to address skill and labour shortages.

POLICY

Eligible Projects

Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships must support attraction and retention activities that:

• Connect employers and employer associations to current knowledge and resources that will support the attraction and retention of workers.
• Promote information sharing about effective practices within the employer community (for example, career fairs, conferences and effective practice forums).
• Pilot test and/or apply tools, techniques and processes that assist in the attraction and retention of workers (for example, job counselling and retention supports to employers of underrepresented group members).

The range of projects possible through the Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships will vary, but projects are intended to:

• Be project-based. Projects will be finite and specific.
• Involve collaboration among the Government of Alberta, employers and other stakeholders to design and implement projects that respond to the changing and pressing skill requirements of employers.
• Support activities that are variable in duration, scope and approach. 
• Clearly state the purpose and outcomes of each project.

It is not the intent of this program to give an employer an unfair advantage over competitors. The Government of Alberta will assess whether or not an investment by government is required and appropriate.

If projects are multi-year in length, a multi-year agreement will be required. Multi-year agreements will be subject to an annual review and dependent upon the availability of budget resources.

Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships is to be used when established Government of Alberta programs and services do not allow for a timely response. This program is not designed as a research and development initiative. The Labour Market Partnerships program should be used when research and development is the primary focus of a project. This program is also not designed as a training resource for literacy or essential skills. A proposed Workforce Partnerships element is intended to serve this function and is currently under development.

Performance Measures/Standards

Program Outcomes

The expected outcomes for the Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships program are:

• Increase the capacity of employers and employer associations to attract and retain workers.
• Increase employer and employer associations’ awareness of current information and effective practices that support successful attraction and retention strategies.
• Increase the ability of employer and employer associations to anticipate and manage workforce attraction and retention challenges.

The Government of Alberta will measure the success of all projects based on both qualitative and quantitative results. Short-term and long-term measures will be identified and discussed with employers and employer associations prior to project commencement.

Monitoring the Program

The Government of Alberta is responsible for monitoring the Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships to ensure local practices are consistent with Government of Alberta legislation and policies.

The Government of Alberta will monitor Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships to:

• Review provincial program results to determine if the Government of Alberta business plan objectives are met,
• Review any issues or concerns in provincial program policies, in consultation with the Employment Service Delivery Division and Corporate Services Division, and
• Make adjustment to programs as required.

Program Evaluation

Provincial program level evaluation will be carried out in partnership with the Government of Alberta. Local project evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Government of Alberta's standard procedures for grants and/or contracts.

A formal review of the Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships (ARP) program is planned for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, with an evaluation to determine success and continuation of the ARP program.

Eligible Partners

Small and medium size profit and non-profit employers (typically less than 100 employees), employer associations and other employers who do not have the capacity to act successfully on their own to address workforce issues are eligible for assistance under this program.

Collaborative partnerships may be formed between partners including:

• Profit businesses (primarily small and medium sized enterprises of less than 100 employees),
• Non-profit organizations or social agencies,
• Industry associations/employer organizations,
• Employee organizations,
• Health and education providers (public and private),
• Local planning groups/community action groups,
• Charitable foundations,
• First Nations organizations,
• Métis organizations.

Employers may have offices outside of Alberta. However the program outcomes must benefit employers and employer organizations within Alberta.

Program Roles and Responsibilities

The Government of Alberta’s role is to:

• Develop program and partnership parameters,
• Work with eligible partners to adjust project and partnership parameters as required,
• Support and advise projects,
• Monitor projects.

The Partner’s role is to:

• Develop the project and partnership(s),
• Link the project to the organizations’ priorities and business plan,
• Work with the Government of Alberta and other partners to make adjustments to the projects and partnerships as required,
• Undertake/execute the project,
• Evaluate the project,
• Meet all conditions of the conditional grant with the Government of Alberta.

Duration

The Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships program projects are finite. Commitments with respect to funding and support must be clearly identified. If a project activity will need to be sustained after project completion, it is suggested that a sustainability strategy be developed. The Government of Alberta’s role is not to provide on-going funding to the employer/employer association for workforce development.

PROCEDURE

Delivery Methods

The Government of Alberta and/or the employer/employer association can initiate discussion of a Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships project. There are three key steps to the program.

1. Confirmation of Project Purpose and Intent
   • Through discussion, the Government of Alberta and the employer/employer association will determine if the employer/employer association’s workforce development need is in keeping with the purpose and scope of the Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships program.
     
2. Project Design
   • If the area of need fits within the scope of the program, then the parameters for the project, project partners and roles and responsibilities will be identified.
   • Establishing a partnership is a critical requirement of this program. Participating employers/ employer associations must contribute financially and/or in kind.
   • Partners are organizations that recognize that there is a workforce issue, want to solve it, and are willing to work together to address the issue. The Government of Alberta is considered to be one of the partners. Under this program, a partnership is when two or more parties come together to realize the purpose of the program.
   • A written proposal from interested partners should be submitted to the Government of Alberta and clearly outline the following:
     
     1. Project Purpose/Objective
     2. Project Outcomes
     3. A list of all project partners with roles and responsibilities identified
     4. Total cost of the project including the funding amount from the Government of Alberta (if applicable)
     5. A breakdown of each partner’s contribution to the project (financial and in-kind)
     6. Project Duration
     7. Detailed information on how the project will sustain itself and not be reliant on future Government of Alberta funding for success
        
3. Funding Arrangements/Partnership Commitment
   
   • If the Government of Alberta is providing funding, a formal funding arrangement will be required that adheres to the policies for Contracts/Conditional Grants as outlined in the Government of Alberta Contracts and Grants Policy Manual.
   • If funding is not required, a partnership a commitment statement will be developed and signed by all parties. The partnership commitment is simply designed to ensure common understanding of the project purpose, partnership roles and expected results.
   • Each region will determine how to best allocate their budget. No provincial minimum or maximum contribution has been identified for this program.
   • The Government of Alberta will not fund capital purchases.
     
     Note
     A Checklist that identifies program criteria, the information required for the design of a project and the funding-partnership requirements is included in Appendix A to support this process.

The Appeal Process

In the event that an interested party has a complaint with the conditional grant process, they may request a meeting with local management to discuss program eligibility criteria.

Appendix A – Application Checklist

Summary of Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships

Project Selection Criteria¹

¹ Government of Alberta staff are required to ensure the criteria of the ARP program are fulfilled prior to entering into a contract or providing grant funding. This checklist is to filled out by Government of Alberta staff and placed on the internal working file.

² If it is determined that a criterion is not met, the project will be rejected under the ARP program and/or the Government of Alberta and eligible partners may discuss project alterations for program support.

Appendix A – Continued Application Checklist

Summary of Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnerships

Project Selection Criteria