Full report. - Social Research and Demonstration Corp

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learn$ave Project: Final Reportvendors of goods or services (an education or trainingprovider or the small business, depending on the stream),not the participant. The cheques were prepared by SEDIafter a careful review of participant claims forwardedfrom the project sites. The participants then picked upthe cheques from the site office to cover no more than 75per cent of the expenditure and, to cover the remainingportion (at least 25 per cent), withdrew the savingsfrom their learn$ave accounts that corresponded to thematched credits.To use their earned credits for education or training,participants had to first apply to and enrol in a courseor program with an accredited education or trainingprovider. Only education or training providers (includinguniversities, community colleges, technical institutes,business schools, private academies and private careercolleges) listed by the Canada Student Loans Program asa “Designated Educational Institution” were recognizedas eligible learning institutions for the learn$ave project. 11Even if participants were not requesting money fortuition, they had to provide proof that they were enrolledin a designated educational institution and a price quotefrom a reputable vendor. Restricting the educationproviders to this list was expected to protect against amajor flaw in the design of a pilot of learning accountsin the United Kingdom. In the English locations of thepilot, concerns over fraud led to the suspension of theprogram as many participants were suspected of claimingIndividual Learning Account benefits for questionableor non-existent training by unverified training providers(Haukka, Keating, and Lamb, 2004).Cash-outs could be approved only for courses thatwould be taken in the future — participants could not bereimbursed for courses already underway or for coursesthey had completed. For both tuition and supports tolearning, participants were required to provide originalreceipts within 30 days of cheque receipt. In addition,they were required to provide proof of course completionwithin 90 days of finishing the course.The cash-out process for starting a new businesswas different from that for enrolling in education ortraining. To receive matched credits for start-up capital,micro-enterprise stream participants had to complete abusiness plan detailing the following: the nature of thebusiness; a marketing and sales strategy; administrativeand production processes; a human resources plan; and afinancial plan. Participants’ final business plans were thenreferred to a reputable business development agency intheir local area that provided training and assistance for11 As part of the loan program, each province maintains a list of institutions at which studentscan receive federal and provincial student loans.development of the business plan and was responsiblefor its approval. In addition, participants had to registertheir business with the provincial government and opena bank account in the name of the business. After the planreceived approval, the matched credits were released. 12The credits could not exceed the amount of the capitalcosts identified in the business plan. Although participantswere not required to provide original receipts in allinstances, they had to retain their receipts and producethem on request.Participant Management Information SystemThe learn$ave Participant Management InformationSystem (PMIS) was used at all sites to support bothprogram operations and evaluation needs. This kindof computerized information system is considered anessential tool in any project involving large numbersof participants and financial transactions across manysites, such as in learn$ave. The PMIS was developed bySEDI to fit learn$ave’s information needs, drawing on theexample of MIS IDA, a management information systemfor U.S. IDA programs developed by the Center for SocialDevelopment. Site staff entered participant informationinto the PMIS at enrolment and also logged case management,financial management training and used thesystem to monitor client progress and account activities.The PMIS did not include information on control groupmembers in the experimental sites as they received nobenefits or services under learn$ave and therefore had noexpected contact with the delivery agency.Participating financial institutions sent monthlyclient account transaction data (including records of alllearn$ave account deposits, withdrawals and balances)through secure on-line data channels to delivery agencies.The agencies used the PMIS to generate regular accountstatements and other communication with participantsand shared the account information with SEDI. Formonitoring and tracking services and credits for theparticipants with accounts, the PMIS proved invaluable tothe sites, SEDI and eventually to the SRDC researchers.Timeline for the projectThe learn$ave project took place over a nine-year period.The project began in June 2000 when work began todesign the demonstration project’s operations andits evaluation. In the experimental sites, participantrecruitment, enrolment and random assignment startedin June 2001 and ended in February 2004. In the nonexperimentalsites, recruitment began slightly earlierand ended sooner, owing to the smaller numbers of12 By providing an outline of their business plan, participants could withdraw a portion of theirmatched credits to complete the plan and conduct related activities such as market research,business training, and technical consulting.18 | Chapter 2 Social Research and Demonstration Corporation
learn$ave Project: Final Reportparticipants to attract. A participant could be active inthe program for up to four years from enrolment to thefinal opportunity to cash-out his or her savings. The lastparticipant’s saving period ended in February 2007 andhis/her cash-out period in February 2008. Interim evaluationresults have been released at intervals since 2005.The final stage of the project (its final evaluation) endswith this report.Social Research and Demonstration Corporation Chapter 2 | 19
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