Benchmarking with Other Programs

Annex 4 provides a detailed comparison of the characteristics of the CCUPP and SFD with other programs that offer opportunities for international experience. The most relevant are:

• World University Services of Canada (WUSC) – Students Without Borders and International Seminar

• Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) – Awards for Canadians program which was funded by CIDA until 2004

• CIDA International Youth Internships program 2005

The evaluator reviewed Web sites for a number of Canadian NGOs that offer international internships. They were all funded by the IYIP and have to meet the requirements noted below for that program. Consequently they are not considered separately here.

The Department of Foreign Affairs had an international youth internship comparable to CIDA’s until 2006. However, the program was cancelled because it was no longer considered part of DFAIT’s core mandate. DFAIT now only offers International Youth Exchange programs, which enable young people to have an extended holiday with the possibility of obtaining practical work experience related to their field of study. The

exchange programs cannot be combined with studies and participants pay a small fee to take part. Given these characteristics, this program is not at all comparable to the

CCUPP and SFD.

Traditional scholarship programs offered by the Canadian government, AUCC, the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada and IDRC are not comparable because the focus is solely on individual academic achievement and most are only open to graduate students or professionals.

Volunteer opportunities offered through VSO Canada and similar organizations are not comparable because participation is limited to graduates or professionals with previous related experience. Assignments range from short-term to several years. Programs offered by Canada World have age limits (17-29) and require participants to pay a participation fee and raise funds to take part in the program. These volunteer

opportunities generally have a development focus but no academic credit is available. If we look at the four comparable programs we find that none is exactly the same as the CCUPP.

4.12.1 World University Services of Canada (WUSC)

WUSC’s Students Without Borders (SWB) and International Seminar programs have some characteristics in common with CCUPP and SFD. They are open to both

undergraduate and graduate students; they have a development focus; and the length of time is similar to the internship (SWB) and the team project (Seminar). Participants in the Seminar have all of their expenses paid but must make a $3,000 contribution to the WUSC program. SWB participants are eligible for a $2,500 travel subsidy (funded by CIDA) but must cover their own costs as well as paying $1,000 for WUSC’s placement services (e.g. establishing the placement, pre-departure orientation, support in-country). Students may be able to negotiate academic credit for their overseas experience but it is up to them to work this out. Another significant difference is the estimated cost of the placements, which average $4,000 – 5,000, compared to the $11,000 for CCUPP and $10,000 for SFD internships.

4.12.2 Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE)

The Awards for Canadians program was funded by CIDA for almost 30 years, with CBIE managing the program for 15 years. In spite of a positive evaluation in 2003, the

program was cancelled by CIDA in 2004 because it did not fit with the new priorities outlined in Strengthening Aid Effectiveness. The program was similar to CCUPP and SFD in several respects:

• development was a required focus, with four areas identified: agriculture, environment, health and micro-enterprise;

• the topic and work plan had to be developed in consultation with the overseas partner organization;

• the time frame averaged 4-6 months;

• participating students would get an academic credit for their work;

• the funding available was comparable ($15,000 for Africa because of additional costs, $10,000 for other countries).

However, there were also significant differences between the CBIE program and CCUPP and SFD. It was directed primarily to Master’s level students (about 2/3 of awards) who wanted to carry out international research to fulfill the requirements for their Master’s degree. (The other 1/3 of awards went to faculty members.) Applicants had to develop a detailed research proposal, which was submitted to CBIE for review. CBIE required that the research topic had to be relevant and useful for the developing country partner, the majority of which were NGOs. However, capacity development of the partner was not identified as a primary result. Nor was active participation of the Canadian institution with the developing country partner required.

The last evaluation of the Awards for Canadians program did identify benefits for

developing country partners from their participation in the program. However, given that the program had a strong academic focus, lacked clear expectations related to capacity development, and was oriented to the individual Canadian student rather than the development of North-South institutional linkages, it is possible to understand the assessment that it did not meet the strategies outlined in Strengthening Aid

Effectiveness. These characteristics also differentiate it from the CCUPP and SFD, where institutional linkages are required and capacity development results are expected. 4.12.3 CIDA International Youth Internship Program (IYIP)

The most obvious differences between IYIP and the CCUPP and SFD are that: • participants must be recent graduates 18-30 years of age;

• there is no academic credit for the program;

• the required time frame is longer (minimum 6 months).

The 395 IYIP internships are delivered by NGOs and educational institutions and they cover a broad range of development issues. Funding for IYIP internships is slightly higher than for CCUPP and SFD, reflecting the longer participation time required. It is interesting to note that universities represent 10% of the organizations funded by IYIP and 9.6% of the internships. Eight universities participated in both CCUPP and IYIP in 2005, but there was no overlap in the internships. Of the 38 IYIP internships managed by universities, 23 were assessed as fitting the definition of governance used for the CCUPP and SFD.

4.12.4 Summary on benchmarking

From the review of various opportunities available for international experiences, it is apparent that CCUP and SFD do not duplicate any other program. What makes the CCUP and SFD unique is the combination of:

• guaranteed academic credit if the internship is completed successfully;

• financial support at a significant level – students do not have to pay anything to participate – some projects provided support for developing country students; • eligibility includes senior undergraduate students as well as graduates; • no age limit – maturity of some students was a factor of success;

• a collaborative arrangement between the Canadian university and a developing country partner organization – offers the possibility for long-term cooperation; and