Self-Employment Programs - Toward Excellence Inc.

Contact

Toward Excellence Inc.
Cheena Mahal, Administrator
301-1062 Homer Street
Vancouver , BC
V6B 2W9

Tel: 604.642.6785
Fax: 604.642.6786

Email: info@towardexcellence.com
Website: www.towardexcellence.com

About The Program

The SE Equity Program and Design Your Future Programs have been successfully delivered since 1996 at our location in the heart of downtown Vancouver. The Design Your Future Program is a 3 week program, and the SE or Self-Employment Equity Program is a 48 week full-time program. Both programs are sponsored by Service Canada. The Design Your Future Program is available to anyone who is unemployed, lives in the greater Vancouver area, is legally entitled to work in Canada and is interested in exploring the option of self-employment.

How Does The Program Work?

If you have been considering a career change or self-employment and you are not sure what the right choice for you is, then this is the program for you!

This three-week program is designed to help identify your skills and interests, explore your personality style, strengths and areas of challenge, research your career and/or business ideas and make an informed decision about your future direction. You will learn more about what kinds of skills are needed to make successful transition into a new career direction or self-employment. Through a series of professionally facilitated seminars (12 - 4 hour modules with one half day at the Vancouver Public Library to research your career choice or business ideas).

Toward Excellence Inc. has successfully assisted numerous clients to make an informed choice whether to pursue their business dream by enrolling in a self-employment program if eligible. Those who are not eligible go on to launch businesses on their own. Clients who determine that self-employment is not for them return to the workforce content with this decision. Of particular benefit to those who choose to apply to a self-employment program is the newly acquired skills and knowledge enabling them to create thorough, persuasive self-employment program applications.How does the Self-Employment Equity Program work?

With the help of nine weeks of intensive professionally facilitated seminars, the development of a realistic, pro-active 'Business Plan' and on-going business coaching/advising by experienced entrepreneurs, the SE Equity Program has successfully assisted over 300 clients in their pursuit of self-employment.

Clients who have identified and researched a business idea and are ready to start a business are required to: complete a comprehensive application; be interviewed and subsequently selected by a panel of business professionals to participate in the program. With 48 weeks of EI financial income assistance coupled with the above-noted intensive hands-on business training and coaching, clients become new business owners who have developed a strong foundation enabling them to successfully deal with the inevitable challenges in the early start-up an

The Training Program

Two programs offered: The Design Your Future Program and the Self-Employment Equity Program (SE Equity).

Who May Apply?

To qualify for the Design Your Future Program you must:

Be unemployed and legally entitled to work in Canada
Live in one of the following geographic areas: Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, New Westminster, Tsawwassen, North Delta, Ladner, North or West Vancouver, Bowen Island.
Is interested in exploring the option of self-employment

To qualify for the SE Equity Program you must:

Be unemployed and receiving EI benefits when the program starts or; Have exhausted an EI claim within the past 3 years (5 years in the case of a maternity or paternity claim)
Live in one of the following geographic areas: Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Tsawwassen, North Delta, Ladner, North or West Vancouver, Bowen Island
Belong to one of the following equity groups: women, aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, people with disabilities, men 45 years of age plus
Have and be able to present a viable, practical and sound business idea
Start a new business or take over an existing business in which you have had no prior involvement
Demonstrate that you have the necessary skills, qualifications, experience and commitment to make your business idea work
Make a personal investment of cash, inventory, equipment or borrowed funds equivalent to 25% of the income received from EI during the 48 weeks of the program
Be prepared to work full-time over the 48 weeks to get your business started and;
Be prepared to complete a 'Business Plan' within 10 weeks of starting the program

Application and Selection Process

1. Attend an Information Session and make your choice to:

register for and attend the next Design Your Future Program and/or;
complete and submit the SE Application Form provided at the Information Session

2. If selected, meet a SE Equity Program 'Business Advisor' at the Self-Employment Programs Centre office to discuss your business idea and the Application in a personal interview.

3. Have your Application (as forwarded by the 'Business Advisor') go through a Committee 'Screening Process' for approval and inclusion in the SE Equity Program.

4. Obtain HRDC approval and complete the required documentation.

Selection Criteria

The Design Your Future Program serves general clients. The SE Equity Program serves equity groups: women, aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, people with disabilities and men 45+.

When are the Programs Offered?

The Design Your Future Program Program is offered on a monthly basis.The SE Equity Program is offered three times a year.