Full report. - Social Research and Demonstration Corp

learn$ave Project: Final ReportThe largest driver of cost in learn$ave was the costof the project’s administration and, within that costarea, some of the largest component were those labourintensiveservices to check documents for project rulesat entry, enrolment and cash out. One important way ofreducing costs would be to tie a savings-based program toexisting means-tested or targeted government programsand information systems, as in the case of the CESP, andtake advantage of the latter’s administrative and informationstructures. For example, tying eligibility to theWorking Income Tax Benefit or the National Child Benefitmight reduce the costs of recruitment and IDA programenrolment. Similarly, targeting a savings-based programto clients receiving transfer income (such as EI or provincialsocial assistance, the latter of whom our researchresults presented in Chapter 5 showed could save) mightalso reduce the costs of recruiting low-income participantsif administrative databases can be used. Further,the cost of administering credits withdrawals could bereduced if the approved education or training institutionscould claim tuition directly from the program (as is doneunder the Canada Student Loan Program or in certaininternational examples of voucher-based programs)through an electronic funds transfer.102 | Chapter 8 Social Research and Demonstration Corporation