Self-Employment

Self-Employment Services provide self-employment skills development support to eligible participants. The WorkBC team will help them develop and implement a business plan to become self-employed. The service allows eligible participants to focus on building a sustainable business by providing them with financial assistance while they receive business advice and support.

Clients move through various stages of services depending on approval of their business concept and business plan. If the business plan is approved, the client continues to receive Self-Employment Services for a maximum of 38 additional weeks to launch and implement the business. During the launch and implementation phase, WorkBC staff continue to provide coaching, mentoring and entrepreneurial workshops to support the client as needed.

Self-Employment Services include all the following components:

• Self-Employment Orientation and Assessment
• Business Concept Development and Acceptance
• Business Plan Development
• Business Launch and Implementation

Self-Employment services may be available to the following clients:

• EI Clients
• General Clients with a Disability
• BCEA PWD and PPMB Clients

Self-Employment Services may be used to assist the seasonally-employed during a period of unemployment in certain circumstances such as a business that will operate during the lay-off season, thereby reducing or eliminating dependency on public assistance. Self-Employment Services may be used to support an individual to create a business that would operate during the off/low season, provided it is not an addition of services to a client's existing business.