Organization Profile:
Founded in 1983, KEYS Job Centre provides Kingston and communities in Eastern Ontario with a variety of dynamic employment programs and services. Our expertise in helping individuals to attain their employment goals extends to a diverse population including mature workers, persons with disabilities, youth, students and newcomers to Canada.
Whether our clients need support to identify a career, to learn job search techniques, to build an effective resume and cover letter, to practice interview skills or to access training funding to increase their marketability, KEYS is the Community Employment Centre.
KEYS Job Centre has been delivering programs and services for immigrants since 1994, working closely with the local settlement services and developing expertise to better serve immigrant job seekers.
KEYS has specialized services for immigrants and newcomers to help you settle and integrate into your new community with an emphasis on supporting your job and career search, English language acquisition and settlement in Kingston and Canada.
Our services are available in English, French, Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish and Kirundi. Services include:
- Employment Services for Immigrants
- English Language Classes
- The Professional Mentoring Partnership
- Refugee Resettlement Services
Project Overview
The objective of the KEYS ESL Blended project is to help newcomers acquire official language skills for successful social and economic integration.
The delivery format was developed to address the need for language programming for those with work and family constraints or transportation issues preventing them from being in-class language classes on a regular day-to-day basis, and to leverage the strengths of online learning for ESL students. The format, with one evening per of week mandatory in-class attendance supplemented by online work which can be completed on the student’s own time, was designed to address barriers prospective students might face and provide flexibility needed for immigrant clients to gain necessary language skills.
Two separate courses were developed, and each was delivered twice from January 2016 to present, over 10-14 weeks for students with advanced English language skills (CLB 6+ or equivalent):
- Workplace English Blended: workplace culture, speaking and writing skills specific to succeeding in the Canadian workplace; and
- IELTS Preparation Blended: acquiring the skills and strategies needed to reach a target required to improve the IELTS exam band score
Purpose of Evaluation
KEYS is recruiting an external evaluator to conduct an in-depth look at the Blended ESL project as a whole, including a review of each of the two courses, the overall approach, the effectiveness of the tools and technology used, student achievement and student feedback.
The evaluator will decide what model and approach to use to examine key questions regarding the project. The evaluator should look at the strengths and weakness of the service delivery model; student success rates and feedback; whether the goals of the project were appropriate/useful and were those goals met; unintended outcomes; the need for the project within the community and how this project compliments other offerings; as well as offer recommendations for future project directions.
Delivarables:
- The expected deliverable will be a Final Evaluation Report, which can draw on surveys, interviews, focus groups or whatever raw material the evaluator deems appropriate.
Timeline:
- The evaluation process will begin as soon as possible. Evaluation proposals will be accepted until December 27th, 2017. Final report will be due by March 16th, 2018.
Budget:
- The contract for the evaluation has a defined budget which cannot be exceeded. The fee proposal must include services, and all incidentals including travel costs. The request for proposal may be up to C$5,000.
How to Apply
Please submit a current CV and a short proposal outlining how you will undertake the program evaluation to apply@keys.ca no later than 4pm on December 27th, 2017. Any questions regarding this RFP may be submitted to info@keys.ca.
Please note that the successful applicant will be asked to comply with the KEYS Protection of Client Personal Information Policy.
KEYS is committed to employment equity. We encourage members of the designated groups to apply and self‐identify. KEYS is also committed to an inclusive, barrier‐free selection process. We will make appropriate accommodations for applicants with disabilities. To obtain a copy of this RFP in an alternative format or to request any accommodation please contact us directly through apply@keys.ca or by phone at 613.546.5559 or TTY: 613.546.0511. Information received relating to accommodation requests will be addressed confidentially.
