Student Placements
Planning and Evaluation Assistant – Program Evaluation
About Access Alliance:
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services works to improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable immigrants, refugees and their communities. We do this by facilitating access to services and addressing systemic inequities. We provide a wide range of programs and services, including health, social services, and settlement services for immigrants and refugees living in Toronto. Working through partnerships, we help develop innovative responses to newcomer issues. We engage in community-based research and advocacy on issues related to the social determinants of health and the well-being of newcomer and racialized groups.
Position Title: Planning and Evaluation Assistant – Program Evaluation
Placement Type (In-person / Virtual / Hybrid): In-person
Number of Positions Available: 1
Worksite Location and Conditions:
Main location is College site (340 College St.) with travel as required to AccessPoint on Danforth (3079 Danforth Ave) and AccessPoint on Jane (761 Jane St.); office setting with assigned workspace, computer, and phone.
Note: Access Alliance is following all COVID-19 safety protocols and has accountability frameworks in place. The safety and well-being of clients, students, and staff is of the utmost importance.
Brief Description of Practicum Project:
Access Alliance conducts program evaluations for accountability, quality improvement, and learning for growth. The student will work with the Director, Organizational Health and Learning and the Research and Evaluation Coordinator, to plan and implement (as time permits) an evaluation of our programs as well as other planning and evaluation activities of the agency through collection of data, helping with data analysis, writing reports, and designing communication strategies. The student will work in an environment of access, equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression framework.
The Planning and Evaluation Assistant student will-
- Conduct literature review/ environmental scan for evidence- informed program planning and evaluation activities regarding evaluation of programs;
- Understand and incorporate organizational priorities surrounding the evaluation, along with lit review/env. scan findings into the design of an evaluation framework, including evaluation questions, indicators, and data sources;
- Implement mixed method data collection tools;
- Process quantitative data and perform descriptive analysis, and triangulate with qualitative data;
- Develop knowledge mobilization products to report on findings, e.g. written reports, posters, and infographics.
- Support other planning, development, and implementation of evaluation activities, as needed.
*Activities dependent on planning and time.
Learning Outcomes/Goals:
The student will develop the following competencies in the following areas:
(i) Advance level of literature reviews for generating evidence
(ii) Evidence-informed Program Planning using logic model(s), and implementation with Realist Evaluation
(iii) Collecting sensitive quantitative and qualitative data from vulnerable population and analysis skills
(iv) Professional communication skills and teamwork
(v) Working in a unionized environment adopting an anti-oppression, equity, and inclusion framework
Qualifications/Competencies Required:
- Post-secondary education in any discipline of health sciences or equivalent at University/ College (E.g. MPH, MHE);
- Intermediate level skills working with Excel
- Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills;
- Ability to work independently and as part of team;
- Demonstrated problem-solving, organizational and time management skills;
- Ability to multitask and adhere to deadlines;
- Excellent computer skills, including ability to use Microsoft Office Suites;
- Demonstrated ability to deal effectively with crisis and conflict, and to maintain appropriate boundaries;
- Experience with working with ethno culturally diverse populations is an asset;
- Ability to communicate any of the priority languages (e.g., Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Bengali, etc.) will be an asset;
- Ability to travel among the different Access Alliance offices in Toronto and to work occasional evenings to attend meetings.
Benefits to the Student:
The student will learn community-based research methodology and mixed method realist evaluation practices around how to manage data collected from diverse communities; how to triangulate qualitative and quantitative data to create codes, categories and themes for interpretation, how to write a community-based evaluation- research report, and how to strategically report back tailored findings to different audiences. They will learn how to work in a team in a unionized organization.
Placement Period:
Winter 2025 (January 13, 2025) – 420 hours
• Full-time and Part-time placements accepted.
Name and Title of Manager:
Akm Alamgir
Director, Organizational Health and Learning
Courtney Kupka
Research and Evaluation Coordinator
Application Deadline:
October 4, 2024
To Apply:
Complete an application form by clicking here
For any questions, please contact practicum@accessalliance.ca