APPENDIX E

Interviewer Instructions: The Survey Questions

SLFS

Interviewer Instructions: The Survey Questions

Q1 to Q38:	Educational attainment, diplomas, certificates, degrees

These questions will be used to gather selected information on secondary and post-secondary education/training taken by the respondent. It will also be used to determine the date the respondent last attended high school as a full-time student (this date is the starting point for the study of school-work transitions).

Q1:	Last week, were you in high school, junior high or elementary school? (Includes traditional high schools, alternative and transitional high schools and high school work experience programs).

We need to know if respondents are still in high school so that we can determine the number of high school continuers among our respondents.

In this question we are looking for whether or not the respondent is still attending high school, junior high or elementary school. Adult high schools are included but correspondence courses are excluded.

Sometimes people take courses at a high school, junior high or elementary school facility that have nothing to do with high school, junior high or elementary level education (for example, a first aid course or a hobby course that happens to be given at a high school building) - this type of education/training is NOT included here.

It is possible to be taking a course or program and not to have attended classes last week; for example, a respondent may have been ill, not required to be in classes that week, or may have had other responsibilities that interfered with classes. If the respondent is formally registered AND currently taking a course or a program, mark the response YES even if he/she wasn't in classes last week.

It is unlikely that our respondents would still be in junior high or elementary school given their age.

High school, junior high or elementary school: There are three levels of education offered in Canada: 1) elementary-secondary (including pre-elementary) 2) trade and 3) postsecondary. High school, junior high and elementary schools are at the elementary-secondary level. The educational structure varies across the provinces.

Elementary: education is general and basic, and as a minimum includes grades kindergarten through six.

Junior high: usually refers to instruction at the grade 7, 8 or 9 level and in some cases, grade 10. Junior high schools are not necessarily the only type of school where this level of instruction occurs as some elementary schools have grades 1 to 8 and some secondary schools have grades 9 to 13 while other schools may have all grades or any subset of elementary-secondary grades. Junior high, middle or intermediate school is generally used to identify a school where instruction above the primary level, grades 1-6, but below the senior high school grades level, 10,11, and 12, occurs.

High/secondary school: there is usually a choice of at least two programs: academic or vocational. Some secondary (high) schools may specialize in mainly vocational training (technical and commercial) but most secondary schools offer both academic courses (preparatory to university) and vocational courses which prepare students either for an occupation or for further postsecondary non-university education.

Traditional high schools, alternative and transitional high schools and high school work
experience programs: Some school boards have set up modified educational programs to complement the traditional form of high school that most of us are familiar with:

Alternative schools: a school offering a provincially approved curriculum that uses different teaching methods or places emphasis on teaching cultural identity. Parents frequently work with the teachers in the classroom and in planning programs.

Transitional schools: a school that provides training to allow students to function effectively in the labour market. This training is generally given to older students or to students who have had previous difficulties in a regular school.

Work experience program: a work experience program refers to a high school program where work for an employer is part of the school program to enable students to obtain practical on-the-job experience (eg. an auto mechanics student working at a car dealership for 6 weeks during the academic year as part of his auto mechanics course). This DOES NOT refer to postsecondary co- operative education programs.

Q2. (Q17, Q24): Last week were you a part-time or full-time student?

Full-time/Part-time: Full-time/ part-time status is determined by the educational institution. All schools classify their students as being full or part-time depending on the number of courses in which they are enrolled. Hence, whether a person is marked full-time or part-time depends on how he/she was classified by the school.

If a respondent asks the meaning of full or part-time for the elementary-secondary level (high school, junior high or elementary school) inform him/her that 5 or more hours per day at school is full-time and less than 5 hours is part-time. This instruction is given only for the high school, junior high or elementary level.

Q4, Q9 (Q5,Q10): In which month and year do you expect to receive a high school graduation certificate, diploma or its equivalent?/ Do you have a high school graduation certificate, diploma or its equivalent?

High school graduation certificate, diploma or its equivalent: Certificates or diplomas are granted upon the successful completion of high/secondary school. A respondent may consider him/herself as a graduate if he/she completed a certificate after completing Grade 10. High school equivalency certificates or diplomas may have been granted at an institution other than a traditional high school, for example, a respondent may have completed his/her high school education at a community college in an up-grading program.

Q4:	If the respondent says that he/she has already successfully completed the requirements for the diploma or certificate but will not formally receive it until a graduation ceremony later in the year, chose the response "already received a diploma, certificate or equivalent".

Q5, Q10: In which month and year did you complete the requirements for your high school graduation certificate, diploma or its equivalent?

Sometimes a person will complete his/her education and then will have to wait until a formal graduation ceremony has taken place in order to receive the diploma or certificate. Here we are interested in the date the requirements were completed.

Q6, Q8, Q11, Q13, Q19, Q22, Q26, Q27, Q30, Q31, Q33:

Our records indicate that the last time you were in high school, junior high or elementary school FULL-TIME was (read date from check item X). Did you return to high school, junior high or elementary school as a FULL-TIME student after this date? / Our records indicate that you were still a FULL-TIME in high school, junior high or elementary school in the spring of 1991. To update our records, please tell us the month and year you were LAST in high school, junior high or elementary school FULL- TIME.

If the respondent disagrees with what we have in our records as dates, accept his/her correction and indicate to the respondent that you have made the correction.

Full-time/Part-time: Full-time/ part-time status is determined by the educational institution. All schools classify their students as being full or part-time depending on the number of courses in which they are enrolled. Hence, whether a person is marked full-time or part-time depends on how he/she was classified by the school.

If a respondent asks the meaning of full or part-time for the elementary-secondary level (high school, junior high or elementary school) inform him/her that 5 or more hours per day at school is full-time. This instruction is given only for the high school, junior high or elementary level.

Q22:	At that time, you were NOT going to high school, junior high or elementary school full-time. In which month and year were you last in high school, junior high or elementary school full-time?

If the respondent disagrees with this statement and tells us that he/she WAS in school full-time in that month and year, accept the respondent's answer and indicate to him/her that you have corrected the information.

Q27:	In which month and year were you last in high school, junior high or elementary school full-time?

This question is asked of respondents for whom we do not have 1991 data or for some respondents for whom we have an incorrect response from our 1991 data.

Q29a:	Our records indicate that in 1991, the highest grade or level in high school, junior high or elementary school you had completed was ( read check item 9). What is the highest grade or level in high school, junior high or elementary school you have NOW finished?

If the respondent disagrees with what we have in our records as dates, accept his/her correction and indicate to the respondent that you have made the correction.

In some rare circumstances, check item 9 may come up blank but the question on highest grade completed needs to be asked. The interviewer should just read the part of the sentence that applies.

Special education includes students who are unable to fit into the regular stream of studies because of learning disabilities, behavioural or social adjustment problems, hearing or sight deficits or other problems. Special education may also include gifted students who are separated from the regular stream to allow them to advance at an accelerated rate.

Again, work experience program refers to a high school program where work for an employer is part of the school program to enable students to obtain practical on-the-job experience (eg. an auto mechanics student working at a car dealership for 6 weeks during the academic year as part of his auto mechanics course). This DOES NOT refer to postsecondary co-operative education programs.

If a respondent has studied in more than one province, refer to the last province he/she was in high school, junior high or elementary school. Question 28 will determine which variation of Q29 is read based on the last province of study. For example, if a respondent transferred from Quebec to Ontario and had last completed grade 12 in Ontario, the question read in Q29 will refer to Ontario's education system.

Q29b. In Quebec, a student in secondary school may have pursued a general program, a program leading to a "Diplôme d'études professionnelles" (DEP) or a "Certificat d'études professionnelle" (CEP), or a more specialized program leading to "Attestation de spécialisations professionnelles" (ASP). If a respondent tells you he/she has taken education towards a DEP, CEP or ASP ask him/her what level of secondary education it was (eg. Secondary 3-6) and record that level.

Q35.	Other than high school, have you taken any career or job related education or training such as programs, courses, workshops, seminars and tutorials?

Purpose of the training/education is to learn new skills for a current or future job; increase earnings; improve job opportunities in current or another field; improve opportunities for advancement/promotion etc. Here we are looking for participation in structured training or education; that is, education/training that has been organized with specific content, specific objectives. A program is usually a selection of several courses or a combination of courses usually chosen from a syllabus, a calendar or a list. Courses within a program are usually taken for credit towards a degree, diploma or certificate. Seminars and workshops are short courses or conferences in which a specific subject is studied and debated by participants. Tutorials are personal instruction or guidance given to a trainee by a professional instructor. This can also refer to the "hands-on" component of a course (ie. a computer lab) or a group of exercises/problems designed to give a trainee practice in doing something that has been taught. Informal on-the-job training is not included here; that is, training whereby employees "pick up" the knowledge need to perform a job by working under normal conditions, with an experienced worker or under the direction of supervisory personnel.

Please note that this is education or training OTHER THAN HIGH SCHOOL.

Q35a:	Other than high school, have you taken any education or training towards any certificates, diplomas, degrees?

Education or training towards any certificates, diplomas or degrees refers to education or training that was formal/structured; that is, this education or training was organized, had a defined content that lead to certification of some kind.

Q36:	What type(s) of diplomas, certificates or degrees have you taken education/training	towards?

Normally, a certificate, diploma or degree is granted after the completion of a program of study; that is, the completion of several courses or a combination of courses usually chosen from a syllabus, a calendar or a list. Courses within a program are usually taken for credit towards a degree, diploma or certificate. It is possible, however, that a person could receive a certificate for the completion of a single course. For example a person could take a single course on how to use a computer software package (eg. word processing) and then receive a certificate for this. If this type of certificate was granted by an employer, then capture the information under the option: "a diploma or certificate recognized or issued by an employer or business only". If this certificate was granted elsewhere, please capture this certificate in the "other" category and provide the relevant details concerning the certificate. Please note that this is education or training OTHER THAN HIGH SCHOOL.

Trade/vocational or registered apprenticeship: Technical and trades training varies between and within provinces. It is offered in both public and private institutions such as community colleges, institutes of technology, trade schools and business colleges. These programs prepare the trainee for an occupation where the emphasis is on manipulative skills and on the performance of well-defined procedures, rather than on the application of ideas and principles. These programs do not usually require secondary school completion to enter and are usually less than one academic year in duration. Examples of these programs include: mechanics; welding; machinists; metal work; construction trades such as carpentry, electrician and masonry; secretarial typing; typing and accounting; nursing assistant; dental assistant; cooks; medical laboratory technicians; waitresses; barbers; hairdressers etc. For this survey, programs for registered apprentices are included here. Apprenticeship programs combine on-the-job experience with short periods of formal, technical instruction in provincially-designated trades. Depending on the trade, apprenticeship terms may vary from one to five years in length.

College or CEGEP diploma or certificates include programs taken at colleges of applied arts and technology or CAATS (in Ontario), collèges classiques and CEGEPS (in Quebec), and those programs which normally require successful completion of secondary school.

Technical institutes which offer diplomas and certificates at the college level include: institutes of agricultural technology, medical technology, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Ryerson, and Eastern Ontario Institute of Technology (EOIT). Some, like Ryerson, offer university degree programs as well and these should be reported at the appropriate university level.

Nursing schools are considered colleges for the purposes of this question. Respondents taking a Bachelor of Nursing Science should report it as "bachelor's degree".

Teachers' College may be either an independent institution or a college associated with a university. If a teacher's college is affiliated with a university that awards a degree in education and the student is enrolled in its programs then it should be reported under "a bachelor's degree" or "a first professional degree" depending on its length.

An undergraduate diploma or certificate: This is a diploma or certificate conferred by a degree-granting institution (for example, a university) with entry conditions to the course of study similar to those for bachelor's degree candidates, for example, a Diploma in Physiotherapy. Diplomas and certificates earned after a first degree but in a different field of study are also classified as undergraduate. A university is a degree/diploma/certificate granting institution which usually offers programs in at least the arts and sciences. Admission to university is usually dependent upon graduating from secondary (high) school.

A bachelor's degree: A bachelor's degree is conferred by a degree-granting institution (for example, a university). The degree can be specialized or general. A university is a degree/diploma/certificate granting institution which usually offers programs in at least the arts and sciences. Admission to university is usually dependent upon graduating from secondary (high) school. This level includes a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts and Science, and a 4 or 5 year Bachelor of Education and all bachelor's degrees so named.

A first professional degree: A first professional degree is conferred by a degree-granting institution (for example, a university). It is neither a bachelor's nor master's degree. Examples include: Medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, law, optometry, divinity (including a Master's of Divinity), or a 1 year Bachelor of Education after a bachelor's degree.

A graduate diploma or certificate: This is a diploma or certificate conferred by a degree-granting institution (for example, a university) that is awarded after a master's degree or a first professional degree or after a first degree in the same field of study.

A master's degree: A master's degree is conferred by a degree-granting institution (for example, a university). This level includes all university degrees so named except the Master's of Divinity , which is considered a first professional degree.

A doctoral degree: This is the highest academic degree conferred by a university. Only earned doctorates are included. First professional degrees with "doctor" in the title, such as M.D. and D. D.S. (dentists and medical doctors) are not included. Please note, that there is little if any chance that the respondents to this survey have obtained a doctorate degree given their age.

A private business school or commercial school diploma or certificate: Business/commercial schools are profit-oriented (that is, oriented to monetary gain), are licensed by the province, and are engaged in providing professional and trade/vocational training. If it is clear that the type of training taken by the respondent at the business or commercial school was trade/vocational (ie. hairdressing, welding, secretarial studies, see the above definition) include their response in the trade/vocational category. Otherwise include it here if the certificate/diploma was from a business or commercial school.

A diploma or certificate recognized or issued by an employer or business only: Employees may participate in a training/education program that is provided by and recognized by the employer only. This program may or may not involve more than one course. For example, Statistics Canada offers certificate courses and programs in various areas of study. If the respondent has taken a program at an educational institution (eg. college, trade/vocational school, university, business or commercial school) that was paid for or sponsored in some way by an employer, but the certificate/diploma/degree was granted and recognized by the educational institution, it should NOT be included here. For example, if a respondent received a bachelor's degree that was paid for by the employer, this degree should be recorded as a bachelor's degree.

A diploma, certificate or license from a professional association: In some cases, such as accounting and insurance, respondents may have obtained a license/certificate/diploma that recognizes them as members of the profession and indicates that they have attained the standards required to practice in that profession. Examples: certificate in accounting, CPA, CA, teaching certificate, actuarial certificate and so forth.

Any other diploma or certificate: Please specify the type of diploma/certificate and note as much detail as is possible to help with future coding of this response.

Q39 to Q84: Last week's education and work

These questions will collect data on respondents' labour force and education/training status in the week preceding the interview, including information on the nature of the job and the education and training the respondent received while working.

Q39 (Q79, Q110, Q136, Q143, Q160): Last week, were you taking any education or training from a school, college or university? (Includes correspondence and night courses)

We are looking for courses being taken from an educational institution of some type.

Q40 (Q145, Q162). Were you a part-time or full-time student?

Full-time/Part-time: Full-time/ part-time status is determined by the educational institution. All schools classify their students as being full or part-time depending on the number of courses in which they are enrolled. Hence, whether a person is marked full-time or part-time depends on how he/she was classified by the school, college or university which he/she attended.

If a respondent asks the meaning of full or part-time for the elementary-secondary level (high school, junior high or elementary school) inform him/her that 5 or more hours per day at school is full-time. This instruction is given only for the high school, junior high or elementary level.

Q41:	What type of school were you taking education or training from?

Community college, CEGEP, or institute of applied arts and technology: An educational institution providing post-secondary education in both general and specialized areas. These include colleges of applied arts and technology (CAATS) in Ontario and CEGEPS in Quebec. College programs typically require a high school diploma for admission.

Business or commercial school: These schools are profit-oriented, are licensed by the province, and are engaged in providing professional and vocational training.

Trade or vocational school: A trade/vocational school is a public educational institution which offers courses to prepare people for employment in a specific occupation. Although entrance requirements vary, they frequently require less than a high school diploma for admission. Vocational schools offer diplomas and certificates at the trade level. This term is used to classify skill courses that prepare trainees for occupations not at the professional or semi-professional levels. The emphasis is on manipulative skills with varying degrees of complexity and the performance of established procedures and techniques.

University: A university is a degree/diploma/certificate granting institution which usually offers programs in at least the arts and sciences. Admission to university is usually dependent upon graduating from secondary (high) school.

Other, Please specify: Included here are all other types of educational institutions such as an adult training centre. Please provide sufficient detail for future coding.

Q42:	Last week, did you work at a job or business?

"Work" includes any work for pay or profit, that is, paid work in the context of an employer-employee relationship, or self-employment. It also includes unpaid family work where unpaid family work is defined as unpaid work which contributed directly to the operation of a farm, business, or professional practice owned or operated by a related member of the household. Unpaid family work does not include persons who stay at home to manage the household.

A "job" refers to a period of employment with the same employer. A "business" refers to self-
employment. Includes summer jobs. Please note that if you know the respondent is self-employed use the term "business" as you continue the survey.

Q45:	Last week were you waiting for a new job to begin?

This question attempts to identify individuals who have been offered a job and have accepted the job offer but have not yet started working in that job.

Q47:	Last week, were you absent from work because you were on temporary layoff, that is because you were waiting to be recalled to a job?

Temporary layoff refers to being discharged TEMPORARILY for the job because there is a lack of work. This is not the same as being "fired", (when a person has been dismissed or expelled from the job).

Q48:	What was the main reason you did not work at a job or business last week?

Personal or family responsibilities includes such items as family, children (other than maternity/paternity leave which is its own category), home responsibilities.

Not required to work last week, for example, a person may have job at which he/she works only certain days/weeks in a month and last week was not a required work period. He/she was not on layoff.

Labour dispute refers to a strike by employees or lockout by an employer.

Q50C:	Now I would like you to think about the MAIN job or business that you held last week.

If the respondent has two jobs and works the same number of hours at both ask the respondent to pick the one job he/she considers as his/her main job.

Q50A, Q50B, Q50C: (Q91,Q117) How many hours a week did you (will you) usually work at that job or business?

The key word here is usually. If the work week usually includes overtime include these hours.

Note that with the questions that follow, Q51 to Q57, it will be your responsibility to say the question with the correct verb tense, (past tense or future tense). Questions Q50A, Q50B, Q50C determine the tense of the following questions. Therefore, if the system brings you to Q50A then questions Q51 to Q57 will be read using the future tense. If the system brings you to Q50B or Q50C then questions Q51 to Q57 will be read using the past tense.

Q56 (Q97, Q123) Were you (will you be) a paid worker or self-employed?

Paid workers are employed by someone else in exchange for wages or salary.

Self-employed workers work for themselves; that is , they operate their own businesses. A person who baby-sits for one or more clients in the client's home or where the children are cared for in the workers's home is classified as self-employed.

Unpaid family work is defined as unpaid work which contributed directly to the operation of a farm, business, or professional practice owned or operated by a related member of the household. Unpaid family work does not include persons who stay at home to manage the household.

Q58:	In which month and year did you begin working for the employer you had last week?

If there has been more than one period of employment with this same employer, refer to the latest employment period. Separate periods of employment occur when a job has terminated for some reason such as quitting, being fired; this does not include temporary layoffs, illness, leave for maternity/paternity or education leave when ties are maintained with the employer. For example, a person can work for an employer, quit his/her job and then later return to this very same employer. We would be interested in the date the latest period of employment began.

If there was a company takeover and ownership changed but the job remained the same do not consider this as an employer change (the respondent did not change employers).

Q66:	What were the most satisfying aspects of your main job or business?

Q67:	What would were the least satisfying aspects of your main job or business?

The type of work, work demands: This refers to various aspects of the nature of the work/duties. Examples include: just the right amount of work, too much work, not enough work, boring work, uninteresting work, interesting work, challenging work, I like/dislike what I do.

Wages/earnings (at this time): This refers to the wage or salary being earned in the job at the time of the interview. Example: I don't make enough money. I earn a good salary. I like the money from this job.

Future prospects: This refers to anything that the respondent expects from this job at a future time. Examples: I can be promoted. Promotion is too slow. I will earn more money. I will never earn more money. I'm not getting ahead. I'm getting ahead. I'm gaining experience. I'm not gaining experience.

Fringe benefits: Includes health plans, dental plans, rental cars, expense accounts- essentially any benefit provided other than the wage/ salary.

Hours of work: Examples include: I don't like/I do like shift work. I like to work days. I don't like to work nights. I like 9 to 5. I don't like 9 to 5.

Location of the job: Examples include: I live too far away from my job. My job is close to where I live. My job is hard to get to. My job is easy to get to. I work "downtown".

Q73 (Q104, Q130):	What was (will be) your usual wage or salary before taxes and other deductions in this main job?

Wages are money that is paid or received for work or services by the hours, day or week (usually paid to labourers, workers in the service or construction industry, tradesmen or part-time workers).	Salary is a fixed compensation periodically paid to a person for regular work or services. Compensation is based on an annual rate of pay or some other long period of time (usually paid to office and white collar workers eg. teachers). Exclude such things as the value of free room and board as well as money advanced on expense accounts for travelling and other business purposes. Report total cash value of wages and salaries before all deductions for such things as pension fund contributions, hospital insurance and income tax. Include any commissions, tips, bonuses or paid overtime that is usually earned.

Q75 (Q106, Q132):	To the nearest thousand dollars, what was your personal annual income from your business, before taxes and other deductions?

Here we are looking for net income from self-employment. Net income is calculated by deducting "operating expenses" (that is, wages paid to employees, rent paid for office and stores, interest payments on loans, depreciation allowances, capital cost allowances, etc.) from the gross revenue of the business. The annual income value is that value before taxes and other deductions (deductions such as unemployment insurance) .

Q76 (Q107, Q133):	Did you take any career or job related education or training such as programs, courses, workshops, seminars and tutorials while you had this job (or business)?

Purpose of the training/education was to learn new skills for a current or future job; increase earnings; improve job opportunities in current or another field; improve opportunities for advancement/promotion etc. Here we are looking for participation in structured training or education; that is, education/training that has been organized with specific content, specific objectives. A program is usually a selection of several courses or a combination of courses usually chosen from a syllabus, a calendar or a list. Courses within a program are usually taken for credit towards a degree, diploma or certificate. Seminars and workshops are short courses or conferences in which a specific subject is studies and debated by participants. Tutorials are personal instruction or guidance given to a trainee by a professional instructor. This can also refer to the "hands-on" component of a course (ie. a computer lab) or a group of exercises/problems designed to give a trainee practice in doing something that has been taught. Informal on-the-job training is not included here; that is, training whereby employees "pick up" the knowledge need to perform a job by working under normal conditions, with an experienced worker or under the direction of supervisory personnel.

Please note that the programs, courses, workshops and tutorials can be offered at any location such as a school, at work, at a training centre and so forth. High school training is included as are correspondence courses. If a course such as CPR or First Aid was taken or required as part of the job, it is included.

Q80a (Q111a, 137a):	Did your employer pay for, provide transportation, give time off or give any other support towards the education or training you took while you had this job (or business)?

"Pay for courses" includes full or partial payment of the tuition or registration fee, course materials etc. Course materials include text books, writing materials, protective clothing for use during the course, tools etc. Transportation includes plane fare, bus fare, train fare, vehicle mileage allowance, vehicle rental, etc. Respondents can take training or education during usual working hours and receive all or part of their salary. Employers may provide flexible hours, permit vacation leave to be used for courses, provide the facilities for a course, provide accommodation, an allowance, incidentals and so forth.

Q82:	What was the main reason you were not looking for a job last week?

Personal or family responsibilities: Includes such items as family, children, pregnancy, home responsibilities and so forth.

Q85 to Q137a Reference Jobs (20 hours or more per week, 6 months continuous)

The purpose of this section is to ask about jobs that respondents have held for a sufficient duration that they can accurately remember job related details and that may have had an important influence on their success in the labour force.

A reference job is a job where a respondent worked for the same employer, 20 HOURS OR MORE PER WEEK, FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS IN A ROW. This includes self-employment. Please be sure that the respondents hear both parts of the definition (20 or more hours and 6 months in a row).

To be a reference job, the respondent must have worked at the job for at least 20 or more hours per week (the number of hours is an average and could be more than 20) for at least 6 months consecutively (it could be more than 6 months). The 6 months includes breaks in employment for vacations, labour disputes (strikes, lockouts), temporary layoffs, illness, maternity/paternity leave or education leave that was granted by the employer.

For example, if a respondent says he/she usually works for 4 months at this job, is then laid off for 3 months, then returns from layoff and usually works for another 4 months etc. it would be included (if the number of hours per week are 20 or more). This situation often happens to seasonal workers who continue at the same occupation with the same employer. However, if an employee worked at a job for 3 months and then quit that job and later returned to the same job for 3 months it would NOT be included. The difference is that in the second case, there was an actual severing of ties to the job.

Respondents will be asked about a maximum of two reference jobs: their most recent and their first reference job.

Q85a:	Was the main job or business you held last week a reference job?

This question is asked of respondents who had a job or business the week prior to the survey. Only those respondents who have been employed at their main job or business for at least six months are asked this question. If the job or business held last week is a reference job then last week's job or business is the respondent's most recent reference job and no further questions need to be asked about the most recent reference job.

Q86.	Have you ever had a reference job since you were last in high school, junior high or elementary school full-time in...?

This question is asked of persons who, in the week prior to being interviewed, were either not in the labour force, unemployed, or had a job that did not meet the reference job criterion.

Q87.	How many reference jobs have you had since you were last in high school, junior high or elementary school?

This question is asked of those who answer "Yes" to Q86. If the respondent has held one reference job only, he/she will be asked a series of questions about this most recent reference job. If the respondent has held more than one reference job, he/she will be asked about the most recent and the first reference job.

Q85 to Q111a Most Recent Reference Job Questions

Fewer questions are asked about reference jobs than are asked about the job held last week. The questions that are asked about reference jobs, however, are the very same as those in the last week job section. Therefore, the same definitions apply. Please see the question references included in brackets in the last week section.

Q90 (Q116):	What was the main reason you stopped working at this reference job?

Job came to an end: for example, there was no more work, the employer went bankrupt, the job was declared surplus or unnecessary, or the respondent was permanently laid off.

Fired: If a person is "fired", that person has been dismissed or expelled from the job.

Job/career related reasons: for example, did not get along with the employer, wanted another job or business, didn't like the wages/salary, wanted better job opportunities and so forth.

Q112 to Q137:	First reference job, 20 hours or more per week, 6 months continuous

Fewer questions are asked about reference jobs than are asked about the job held last week. The questions that are asked about reference jobs, however, are the very same as those in the last week job section. Therefore, the same definitions apply. Please see the question references included in brackets in the last week section. The questions asked about the first reference job are the same questions as asked about the most recent reference job.

Q113a.	Since you were last in high school, junior high or elementary school full-time in (read check item 12) how many reference jobs have you had in total, including last week's main job?

This question is asked of respondents who had a reference job last week in order to find out if they have had more than one reference job.

Q113b. Was last week's main job (or business) the first reference job you had since you were last in high school, junior high or elementary school full-time?

This question is asked of those who answer that they had more than one reference job in Q113a. In a few cases, particularly when a respondent has held multiple jobs, the main job he/she held last week may have been the first reference job. In this circumstance, we would not want to ask the questions about a job we already have gathered information for.

Q114- Q137

To study the initial transition from school-to-work, data on the first reference job held after last attending high school full-time will be collected.This section includes questions on respondents' first reference job since last being in high school full-time.

Q138 to Q157:	Gap between first reference job and last in high school full-time

Sub-section E will provide a better understanding of respondents' activities during the period between the end of full-time high school attendance and the beginning of the first reference job.

Where this period is less than six months, no questions will be asked.

Q144. Q147. Q155 (Q161, Q164, Q171): During the (.....)year/month period, for how many years/months in total did you take this education or training? During the (....)years/months period, for how many years/months in total did you have a job or business? During the (...)years/months you were without a job or business, for how many months in total did you look for work?

When we ask about the amount of time spent in education/training, with a job or business, or looking for work, we are expecting an estimate of the total time spent in these activities throughout the overall period. For example, a respondent may have been a student from September-April in a given year and would estimate his/her time at school as 8 months. A respondent may have held 4 different jobs for a period of 3 months each and would then estimate his/her time with a job as 12 months in total. Similarly, a respondent may have looked for work for a couple of weeks a month, for 8 months in a row and would estimate this time as 16 weeks or 4 months.

Q146. (Q163)	Did you ever have a job or business during that period?

Here we are looking for whether or not the respondent HAD a job or business. He/she may not have worked at the job because of layoff, vacation and so forth but would have HAD a job or business.

Q158 to Q173:	Gap between last time in high school full-time and last week

Only those persons who have not held a reference job since they were last in high school full-time will answer this set of questions. This sub-section is identical to previous sub-section (Q138 to Q157), the only exception being the exclusion of the question on the number of employers during this period (this question is included in the next set of questions).

Q175 to Q175a:	General work section

This sub-section gathers general information on the respondents' work activities since they were last in high school full-time. Please note that jobs held as part of a student's co-operative education program should NOT be included.

Q176x to Q216:	Skills

The following list of skills constitute those generally considered as being sought by employers (see The Conference Board of Canada's Employability Skills Profile, the Corporate-Higher Education Forum's Learning Goals and Jones, 1993 for a discussion of skills). Undoubtedly, the list and the emphasis placed on each of the various skills will vary over different occupations.

-	Basic Skills (proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics);

-	Communications (ability to understand others in all forms of communication as well as the
ability to make others understand the information being delivered);.

-	Learning (ability to learn);

-	Team and Group work (to work together, and to work in and with groups).

Q176x:	Now, I would like to ask you about some or your activities in THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS. Please think about your activities in general, that is, activities at work, at school AND IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE.

We would like for respondents to consider their activities in the various areas of their lives: at work, at school and in their personal lives. The purpose is to get an overall picture of the frequency of certain types of activities during the last twelve months. Please make sure respondents hear all the instructions; read the scale slowly at first and do not repeat it unless indicated or required. At times, you will have to use your judgement on when to re-read the scale. For example, if a respondent answered "option 3 on your list" then it would be necessary to make sure his/her definition of "option 3" is the same as ours.

Please note: when examples are given to respondents it is important to say that there are many possible examples... these are just a few.

Q177x:	How often did you read instruction manuals?.

A self-help book would not usually be considered as an "instruction manual" as it is likely to be very general in nature. Similarly, magazines such as Popular Science would not usually be instruction manuals unless they were being used for instructions on how to complete a project or directions on how to use something. Instruction manuals are normally technical in nature - by that we mean that they describe how something is used and give directions for its use. However, the perception of the respondent is important here. If the respondent feels he/she certain written materials as instruction manuals then accept the response.

Q183x:	How often did you change your level of writing to suit different audiences?

For example, you could write a very technical report on a topic for experts in a subject area and then write a more simplified version for non-experts.

Q197:	How often did you teach people how to perform tasks?

People include colleagues at work or at school, children, relatives and so forth. Here we are looking for whether or not an individual instructs other persons on how to perform tasks- the key word is "teach". If asked for an explanation say " how often did you instruct people- that is give specific direction, on how to go about performing a task". Examples: you may teach a work colleague how to go about operating a computer program, you may teach a school colleague how to solve a mathematics problem, you may instruct a group of children on how to play a sport and so forth.

Q198:	How often did you make informal presentations or speeches?

Informal presentations are often unstructured, do not necessary involve a great deal of organization or preparation, and are usually not given in front of a large group of people. For example, a respondent might present information at a staff meeting or at a meeting of a club/ association that he/she does not feel was a formal, structured presentation.

Q199:	How often did you make formal presentations or speeches?

Formal presentations are structured, usually require a large amount of preparation and organization, and are usually given in front of an audience. For example, a respondent could make a political speech in front of voters, present a research report to an audience, or be involved in some other type of public speaking and so forth.

Q207:	How often did the results of something you had done cause you to change the way you did it the next time?

That is, how often did you do something and then based on the way it turned out, change the way you did it the next time. For example, at work a person could do a task assigned by their supervisor and then because it didn't turn out the way he/she wanted it to, change the way he/she did the task the next time he/she was asked to do it. At school, a person could write a paper or report one way and because he/she wasn't satisfied, change the way they write the next paper or report. In one's personal life, one could organize a social event and then because it wasn't as successful as he/she wanted it to be change the way the next event is organized.

Q208:	How often did you put yourself in situations that required you to obtain new skills?

For example, one could ask to have a change in responsibilities at work that would require learning new skills or one could chose to take a course/training that required him/her to learn new skills or one could volunteer to organize a community event that required him/her to learn new skills.

Q209:	How often did you identify weaknesses in the skills that you had and then take steps to improve these skills?

For example, one could feel that his/her writing skills, communication skills, organizational skills, stress management skills, computer skills or other skills were not as strong as he/she would like them to be and then he/she finds a way to improve these skills - for example, asking for help from a colleague, taking a course and so forth.

Q210:	How often did you master one level of a new skill and then go on to learn the next level?

For example, a person may begin to learn a new skill, master the basic level, then move on to learn higher levels of that skill. This could apply to many skills.

Q212-215 Team and group work

In today's workplace it is increasingly common place for people to work together, and to work in and with groups. This question is designed to measure the ability of a person to work in a group..

Team and group work in the context of these questions includes sports teams.

Q218 to Q228: Background (Socio-demographic and Economic characteristics)

Q222.	With whom do you live?

Refer to the respondents' main residence.

Q224-228	The following economic characteristics have been selected:

•	respondent's sources of income;

•	respondent's income ($);

•	income of spouse ($);

•	respondent's level of satisfaction with his or her financial situation.

Some of these variables were measured in the 1991 survey. Therefore, the 1995 results can be compared with those from 1991.

Q224:	During the last 12 months did you receive: sources of income

Social assistance/welfare: Money, vouchers and services given by provincial or municipal authorities to those who are very badly off and who have passed a needs test. Does not include income provided from other charitable organizations. Includes financial assistance given to people with mental or physical limitations.

Family: If financial support is provided by the family or spouse/partner then include it here- for example, a family might pay for a child's rent, tuition at school and so forth. The respondent must define if they consider the family as a source of financial support.

Income or financial support from any other source: income from: interest on bonds, deposits, and saving certificates; dividend payments out of corporate profits to shareholders; rental income; roomers and boarders; interest from estate or trust funds, loans, mortgages; dividends from insurance companies; alimony; child support; survivor benefits from Canada/Quebec Pension Plan; royalties; inheritances; and so forth.

Q225.	What was your total personal income for the last 12 months, to the nearest thousand dollars, before taxes and deductions?

Here we are looking for the respondent's own income from all his/her own sources (ie. If the respondent receives social assistance, wages or salary, or other personal sources then all these personal sources are included)

Q227.	What was your spouse's/partner's total personal income for the last 12 months, to the nearest thousand dollars, before taxes and deductions?

Here we are looking for the spouse's/partner's own income from all his/her own sources (ie. If the respondent's spouse/partner receives social assistance, wages or salary, or other personal sources then all these personal sources are included).