Survey

Section 1: The Organization

1. In what province is your firm located?

[SELECT ONE]
Province and Territory List

2. Is your firm located in an urban centre or a rural area?

[SELECT ONE]
Urban centre
Rural area
Other

3. In what sector does your firm currently operate?

[SELECT ONE]
Agriculture
Food Processing
Technology
Environment
Manufacturing
Service
Trade and Investment
Construction and Related
Forestry and Logging
Other

4. How many employees does your firm currently have?

[SELECT ONE]
Less than 10
11 to 25
26 to 50
51 to 100
100 to 250

5. What are your firm’s projected revenues for this year?

[SELECT ONE]
Less than $1,000,000
$1,000,001 to $5,000,000
$5,000,001 to $10,000,000
$10,000,001 to $25,000,000
More than $25,000,000

6. Under which of the following programs did your firm receive funding?

First Jobs in Science and Technology (FJST) Program[Go to Section 2A]
International Trade Personnel Program (ITPP) [Go to Section 2B]
Both Programs [Go to Section 2C]

Section 2A: FJST Participants

7. Has the employment of graduate(s) under the FJST improved the performance of your firm in the development and adoption of new technologies?

[SELECT ONE]
1 – Not at All
5 – Significantly
Unknown

8. Since participating in FJST, to what extent has your firm…

[SELECT ONE PER ITEM]
[CHOICES: 1 (Not at All) to 5 (Significantly), Unknown]
Opened new markets
Developed new technology products or services
Adapted existing technology products or services
Other (Please specify)

9. Has your participation in the FJST improved management skills in your firm?

[SELECT ONE]
1 - Not at All
5 - Very Much

Section 2B: ITPP Participants

10. Has the employment of graduate(s) under the ITPP improved the export performance of your firm?

[SELECT ONE]
1 – Not at All
5 – Significantly
Unknown

11. Since participating in ITPP, to what extent has your corporate knowledge and ability increased with respect to...

[SELECT ONE PER ITEM]
[CHOICES: 1 (Not at All) to 5 (Significantly), Unknown]

General awareness of exporting practices
International business strategies
The pitfalls and challenges of exporting

12. To what extent have you...

Developed relationships with foreign buyers
Developed relationships with foreign brokers
Developed market channels
Conducted international market research
Developed new products or services
Adapted existing products or services
Other (Please specify)

13. Has your participation in the ITPP improved management skills in your firm?

[SELECT ONE]
1 - Not at All
5 - Very Much

Section 2C: Participants in Both Programs

14. Has the employment of graduate(s) under the FJST improved the performance of your firm in the development and adoption of new technologies?

[SELECT ONE]
1 – Not at All
5 – Significantly
Unknown

15. Since participating in FJST, to what extent has your firm…

[SELECT ONE PER ITEM]
[CHOICES: 1 (Not at All) to 5 (Significantly), Unknown]
Developed new technology products or services
Adapted existing technology products or services
Other (Please specify)

16. Has the employment of graduate(s) under the ITPP improved the export performance of your firm?

[SELECT ONE]
1 – Not at All
5 – Significantly
Unknown

17. Since participating in ITPP, to what extent has your corporate knowledge and ability increased with respect to...

[SELECT ONE PER ITEM]
[CHOICES: 1 (Not at All) to 5 (Significantly), Unknown]
General awareness of exporting practices
International business strategies
The pitfalls and challenges of exporting

18. To what extent have you...

Developed relationships with foreign buyers
Developed relationships with foreign brokers
Developed market channels
Conducted international market research
Developed new products or services
Adapted existing products or services
Other (Please specify)

19. Has your participation in the Programs improved management skills in your firm?

[SELECT ONE]
1 - Not at All
5 - Very Much

Section 3: The Graduates

20. How many graduates have you hired through the Program?

[TEXT LINE]

21. How did you hire your graduate(s)?

[SELECT ALL THAT APPLY]
By referral
The graduate(s) contacted the firm directly
Through advertising
Site visits to university and college campuses

22. To what extent did you find it difficult to hire graduates to your firm under the Program?

[SELECT ONE]
1 - Not difficult
5 – Very difficult

23. If there was difficulty, what was the main cause?

[SELECT ONE]
No difficulty
Lack of qualified graduates
Eligibility criteria too restrictive
Lack of competitive salaries
Other (please specify)

24. If you had not received funding from the Program, would you still have hired staff for similar work?

[SELECT ONE]
Yes
Possibly
No
Unknown

25. What is the average length of stay of the graduates with your firm?

[SELECT ONE]
Less than six months
Six months to a year
One to three years
More than three years

26. Where do most of your graduates go on completion of the Program?

Still at your firm
Started their own business
Work for another export oriented firm in Western Canada
Work for another export oriented firm outside of Western Canada
Work for another firm outside of the export business
Went back to school
Don’t know
Term of the Program not yet completed

Section 4: The Program

27. How did your firm first become aware of the program?

[SELECT ONE]
By referral
From the graduates themselves
By a Consultant
Through the Internet
Through contact with WD
Through your Provincial Government
Through other Federal Programs
Other

28. Thinking about your experience with Program staff, and the level of funding you received, please indicate if you agree or disagree with the following statements.

[SELECT ONE PER ITEM]
[CHOICES: 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 3 (Neither Agree or Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree)]
The Program staff has been responsive to my questions
My application forms did not take too long to complete
The Program guidelines are sufficiently clear
The information required in the application process is too detailed
The information required in the progress reports is too detailed
The Program staff took a long time to process our application
If the Program was extended, I would apply again.

29. The term of the Program was changed from 3 years to 1 year in 2003.  Which term do you prefer?

[SELECT ONE]
One year
Three years
No preference

30. In your view, should the Program continue?

[SELECT ONE]
Yes
No

31. If the Program continued, what changes, if any, would you like to see?

[SELECT ALL THAT APPLY]
No change
Extend the period of eligibility of the graduates beyond 3 years
Extend the funding horizon to include an optional second year
Target certain industry sectors and/or technologies
Target sectors and activities in addition to exports and/or technologies
Don’t know

We are also interested in contacting some of the graduates hired through the program.  If needed, would you allow us to call back at a later time to collect the contact information of some of the graduates hired through the Program?

[SELECT ONE]
Yes
No