3.5 Program Outcomes

In order to gain a better understanding of the current employment activities of SSA scholarship winners, the following was asked of respondents:

• to what extent were SSA scholarship winners active as apprentices at the time of the interview;
• to what extent have the career or occupational choices of SSA scholarship winners changed or remained the same;
• to what extent were SSA scholarship winners with the same employer as when they were in SSA;
• to what extent have SSA scholarship winners encountered barriers or experienced difficulties becoming an apprentice;

Few SSA scholarship winners experienced difficulties in becoming an apprentice. For example, as shown in Table 3-5A, the vast majority of respondents (range, 86.2% - 97.7%) reported that they had not experienced any of the following barriers to becoming an apprentice.

Table 3-5A
Difficulties Becoming an Apprentice

Barrier	Yes	No	Don’t Know
Lack of general support from teachers/counselors or coordinators	2.3%	97.7%	–
Union issues or barriers	2.3%	96.6%	1.1%
Lack of experience/education	8.0%	92.0%	–
Lack of available jobs	11.5%	87.4%	1.1%
Lack of employers prepared to train	13.8%	86.2%	–
Lack of availability or appropriate tools/technology	11.5%	86.2%	2.3%

n=87

Just over one in ten (range, 11.5% to 13.8%) indicated that they had experienced some difficulties in the following areas:

• lack of employers prepared to train (13.8%);
• lack of available or appropriate tools/technology (11.5%);
• lack of available jobs (11.5%).

The vast majority of scholarship winners were active as apprentices the time of the interview and were with the same employer as when they were in SSA. For example:

• as highlighted in Table 3-5B, the vast majority of respondents (83.9%) reported that they were active as apprentices at the time of the interview;
• as further highlighted in the Table, approximately one in ten (11.5%) were not active apprentices, but were working full-time and only 2.4% of respondents were not working or attending school at the time of the interview.

Table 3-5B
Employment Status of SSA Scholarship Winners at Time of Interview

Employment Status	n	%
Active as apprentice	73	83.9%
Not active; working full-time	10	11.5%
Not active; attending school	2	2.3%
Unemployed and looking for work	1	1.2%
Not working and not looking for various reasons	1	1.2%
Total	87	100.0%

• The vast majority (85.1%) of respondents also reported that their career or occupational choice had not changed since they were in SSA.

• Seven in ten (70.2%) SSA scholarship winners who were employed and/or active as an apprentice at the time of the interview reported that they were with the same employer as when they were in the SSA program.

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