Beta-Test Projects

Eleven sites in BC and across Canada beta-tested promising practices that strengthen the LES skills of displaced workers.

The first phase of the Displaced Workers project was gathering information and doing research.

The second phase involved identifying and testing selected learning models. These could be existing programs adapted to current situations or new approaches coming from knowledge of learners and local job markets. There were 11 beta-testing sites, seven in British Columbia and four elsewhere in Canada (Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan).

The sites were chosen based on proposals that were reviewed by a selection committee made of project staff, partners and members of the Canadian Network Advisory Committee (CNAC). Practices varied from site to site and were tested for scalability and effectiveness over a one-year period.

Beta testing took place during 2021 and 2022. Results and analysis are reported in the project Final Report, which is in the reports and publications section of this website. The individual reports below describe each project, including highlights, promising practices, and lessons learned. For those projects that included the creation of program curricula, the reports include links to the curriculum.

  1. Belleville, Ontario: Next Steps Project
  2. Chatham, Ontario: Women Displaced from Work
  3. Columbia Basin, British Columbia: Workplace Skills in the Basin and Boundary
  4. Coronach, Saskatchewan: Surviving Downsizing: Reimagining Yourself in a Post-Layoff World
  5. Fraser Lake, British Columbia: The Autumn Services “You” Project
  6. Fort Nelson, British Columbia: Technology and Personal Skills Project
  7. Gold River, British Columbia: Shaping the Future of a Rural Community through Improved Access to Technology
  8. Lethbridge, Alberta: Moving Forward: New Opportunities, New Lives
  9. Mount Currie, British Columbia: Fundamentals of Community-Based Business for Indigenous Communities and Beyond
  10. Port Alice, Port McNeill and Port Hardy, British Columbia: Connect4Work: Digital Literacy for Displaced Workers
  11. Quesnel, British Columbia: Driver Education Preparation