Government admits barely-used program isn’t working after NDP questions

A program meant to help people on income assistance access post-secondary education has only been used six times in the last three years.

The revelation comes from the NDP who got the stats through access to information.

The program, called Career Seek, was used by two people in 2013-14, four people in 2014-15, and one person who later withdrew in 2015-16, said NDP MLA Marian Mancini.

There are 26,000 people receiving income assistance in Nova Scotia.

Mancini raised the issue at Wednesday’s public accounts committee where Community Services Deputy Minister Lynn Hartwell was speaking. Hartwell agreed the numbers are too low, saying she expects it to be in the hundreds.

Career Seek is supposed to allow people to maintain their income assistance while attending post-secondary education. If they aren’t approved to attend a school through Career Seek, they risk losing their income assistance. The goal is to bring people to a level of education that allows them to find gainful employment and leave the system.

“My belief would be that the (department staff) are interpreting our current rules and regulations to make that an option for very few people,” Hartwell said.

“We do promote it but the numbers would tell us that we’re not doing a particularly effective job at that.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My belief would be that the (department staff) are interpreting our current rules and regulations to make that an option for very few people," Hartwell said.</p><p>"We do promote it but the numbers would tell us that we're not doing a particularly effective job at that."

The program has a long list of eligibility requirements that severely limit who is even considered for the program, according to social worker Michelle Towill.

While helping people access community services programs at Adsum for Women and Children, Towill says she’s witnessed clients become frustrated and disheartened by the hoops they have to jump through.

“There’s just barrier after barrier that they face in order to be able to get onto the program,” Towill said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There's just barrier after barrier that they face in order to be able to get onto the program," Towill said.

Among the list of criteria, the program requires applicants to complete a career assessment, pass a competency test, and get the final OK to enter the program from a regional committee. Moreover, clients are only allowed to apply if they can’t get a job with their current level of education, and the website doesn’t say what bar is set for the type of job or the salary it provides.

Community Services Minister Joanne Bernard says the program will be reviewed and any changes will come when the department’s overhaul is revealed in 2018.