Mind the Gap: Expectations and Experiences of Clients Utilizing Job-Training Services in a Social Enterprise

Abstract

This paper offers an underexplored perspective of social impact assessment by integrating clients’ evaluation of the impact of job-training and skills-building programs. Drawing on the literature of ‘met expectations’, we investigate the personal and social impact, beyond job placement, of job-training and skills-building programs provided by a Canadian social enterprise from the perspective of the clients. Utilizing data from a pre-test/post-test quasi-experiment, we assess the differences, between program participants as compared to a control group of nonparticipants, on several measures. Findings illuminate the gap between expectations and actual experiences, and point to the importance of integrating the clients’ perspective. Such measures enable leaders of social enterprises to account for the often neglected intangibles of their social missions.