NPower Canada Research Project
Since 2014, NPower Canada has created pathways to economic prosperity for Canada’s underserved youth and adults. As we look ahead, we are committed to improving and expanding our programs across Canada. To drive our future forward, we are conducting a research project to understand how our programs have affected and improved the lives of our participants in the areas of employment, earnings, education, and general well-being. This will be done by researching the experiences of those who do, and those who do not, participate in our programs.
Research Overview
- Throughout 2024, we have a research project underway that includes all of our Alberta and Ontario programs.
- In 2024, for our March 2024 cohort onwards, our Admissions process in Ontario and Alberta requires that all applicants consent to participating in our research project in order to be considered for admission. This means that those who do not consent will unfortunately not be considered for admission into our programs. However, after admissions results are shared, participants can withdraw their participation from the research without any impact to their admission to the program.
- Taking part in the research is vital, easy, and will only take a matter of minutes when you are asked to participate in research activities, including surveys, interviews and data sharing. Research participants will receive gift cards for each survey or interview completed.
- The research project is in partnership with a research organization, Blueprint, and two academic evaluators from the University of Chicago and University of Toronto. This project is funded by The Future Skills Centre (FSC).
Lottery Stage
- Since Alberta and Ontario are taking part in the research project, Offers of Admission in these provinces will be determined by a computerized lottery, which will come after the application and interview stages are complete. The lottery ensures fairness and removes bias from the process by randomly assigning eligible applicants to the limited seats available in the program. Eligible applicants who successfully complete an application and interview will be placed into a lottery.
- Applicants who are not granted an offer of admission are invited to take part in the research so long as they successfully complete and meet all other Admissions requirements. This will provide us with an opportunity to keep in touch with applicants who are not participating in our programs, to follow their employment and training experiences outside of NPower Canada.
- Applicants who are not offered admission will be eligible to re-apply to the NPower Canada program in two years. Once two years have passed, applicants will receive an email from NPower Canada with an invitation to reapply. For example, applicants to our January 2024 cohort would be eligible to reapply for our January 2026 cohort.
Alberta and Ontario are NPower Canada’s largest program sites, so the amount, quality, and diversity of data that we receive from the research can help us fairly assess our programs. Alberta and Ontario are also the provinces where we receive more interest than we have seats available; therefore, the lottery offers a way to allow for a fair offer decision.
Our Admissions process in Ontario and Alberta requires that all applicants consent to participating in our research project in order to be considered for admission. This means that those who do not consent will unfortunately not be considered for admission into our programs. However, after admissions results are shared, participants can withdraw their participation from the research without any impact to their admission to the program. During the Admissions process, you will have an opportunity to ask any questions you have about the research.
If you choose not to participate in the research after applying to our March 2024 cohort or a later cohort, you will not be admitted to our programs and we will be happy to provide you with warm referrals to other community and employment services. Choosing not to participate after lottery results are shared will not impact your participation.
However, we strongly encourage applicants to remain in the research and share their voice on NPower Canada’s programs and the overall job market. The research is evaluating NPower Canada as a service provider, and participation is easy and incentivized.
Our research needs have changed and as of our March 2024 cohorts, consent is a requirement of our admissions process.
- The research will help NPower Canada to improve our program and better serve our participants.
- This research will benefit society by generating knowledge about how to effectively help people develop skills and get better jobs.
- You may also receive the incentives outlined below.
As a thank you for participation, participants can receive up to $110 in digital gift cards of their choosing for completing surveys. Those who participate in interviews will receive a $30 or $50 gift card, depending on the time spent in the interview.
All consenting applicants, regardless of whether they enter the program, will be invited to complete three surveys (each approximately 15 minutes long) online or by phone and will receive gift cards as a thank-you for each one they complete. The surveys cover questions about participants’ employment, training, and job search experiences. Job searching research participants will also be asked to complete brief weekly SMS surveys.
Some program participants may also be invited to participate in an interview (in person, online, or by phone) asking about your experience in the program, which will last either 45 minutes or 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending on whether you complete the program.
NPower Canada will share information with Blueprint about individual’s participation in the program, such as whether or not they completed it; application information, including demographics such as name, date of birth, gender, postal code; and responses to any surveys filled out for NPower Canada. For those who complete consent forms, NPower Canada and Blueprint will access information about income and education to gain a better understanding of participants’ education and employment journey. This helps the researchers to understand what life looks like for people who apply to NPower Canada programs even after they have completed all the surveys, and to learn how well our program is working.
Even if you sign the consent form and agree to participate in the research, you are free to change your mind at any time. If you would like to withdraw from the research, please email [email protected].
Please note that withdrawing from the research before the lottery will remove you from the Admissions process. If, during the Admissions process, you choose to not participate in research and, as a result, withdraw your application, we will provide you with information about other community and employment services that are available.
Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. Both NPower Canada and the research team will only store your information on secure, password-protected servers. Any information that could be used to identify you (e.g., your name, address, etc.) will be removed before analysis of the data, and no identifiable information will be used in reporting the project results.
NPower Canada will conduct the Admissions process with all applicants. The list of all lottery-eligible applicants will be provided to Blueprint, who will use a computerized lottery to determine which applicants will be admitted into each program. Blueprint will have an ID code only to identify applicants, and no other personal information will be shared.
Eligible applicants residing in Alberta and Ontario must sign a consent form in order to be entered into the lottery and considered for admission into our programs, as participation is an admissions requirement.
Except for members of certain equity-seeking groups, all eligible applicants will be added to the lottery.
Applicants who are not accepted to our Alberta and Ontario programs solely due to the lottery are asked to wait for two years prior to re-applying to our programs. The reason for this is to allow us to fairly assess your experiences outside of NPower Canada’s programs, in the areas of employment, earnings, education, and general wellbeing. Any period shorter than this will not provide us with sufficient information about your experiences.
Even if you are not selected for the program, we are here to support you. NPower Canada has a diverse selection of resources available in each province here, and we are also happy to connect applicants with specific services. Please email [email protected] for specific support. Additionally, participants who have given consent for the research, will be contacted by our team to complete research activities. In two years time, we will reach out directly to welcome applicants to re-apply to our programs.
Chances of being selected in the lottery are determined by the number of seats in each program which can vary by cohort. Overall, 80% of lottery-eligible applicants are selected to take part in the program.
Results will be sent via email by the Admissions team generally two weeks prior to the program start date.
Yes. As there are multiple steps to the Admissions process, you should apply early to leave ample time for the completion of all requirements. The Admissions process can be viewed here.
