Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) – Educational Upgrading and its Consequences among Welfare Recipients: Empirical Evidence from the Self-Sufficiency Project

Authors:Chris RiddellW. Craig Riddell

This working paper examines the extent and nature of educational upgrading among participants in the Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) and the effect that increases in educational attainment had on the employment, earnings, and reliance on welfare among these long-term welfare recipients.

The study shows that there is a substantial amount of educational upgrading among single parents on welfare. SSP program group members acquired less additional education than their counterparts in the control group. One possible explanation is that SSP encouraged full-time employment leaving less time for acquiring additional education. Those who upgraded their education generally achieved larger gains in employment and wage rates than did their counterparts who did not acquire additional education, the study concludes.

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Project Details

Capability: Experimentation
Policy Area: Income Security - Welfare and Employment
Population: Low-income Populations - Low-skilled Workers - Social Assistance Recipients - Women - Communities and Families - EI Recipients
Type: Working Paper
Start Date: February 1992
Completion Date: March 2006
Sponsors: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)

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