Self Employment (SE) Program

Employment Manitoba will

• use a one-to-one assessment process to help you decide whether self employment is right for you.
• determine if you are eligible for the Self Employment (SE) Program.
• refer you to service delivery agents who will evaluate your business concept and assist you in the development and implementation of your business plan.
• review training requests in relation to labour market needs in Manitoba, current government priorities and the availability of funds.

Eligibility Criteria

You must be legally entitled to work in Canada, have a viable business idea and meet one of the following criteria:

• Unemployed or working less then an average of 20 hours/week
• Have a current or previous Employment Insurance (EI) claim
• Employed individuals who are low skilled or a lower income individual or family with dependent child(ren)
• An individual who is about to loose his/her job

Some exceptions apply, mainly for those who: 

• participated in skills training in the previous two years
• participated in the Self Employment Program funded by Employment Manitoba or Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) in the previous five years
• started a business on their own prior to being accepted into the Self Employment Program by Employment Manitoba 
• are disqualified or disentitled for EI benefits, (unless the disentitlement is waived by HRDC)

What type of training is available?

Eligible Training 

• This program is delivered by Service Providers (third party organizations who provide service on behalf of Employment Manitoba).
• The Service Providers assess the feasibility and viability of business ideas, provide coaching in developing and implementing business plans and offer other business supports as required.
• Each Service Provider may offer a unique program with different timeframes, course content and class sizes.

Summary

Length of support 

• negotiated according to individual need and regional priorities but generally does not exceed 52 weeks.
• individuals are generally expected to contribute towards the start up costs of the business.

Want to know more?

Contact your local Employment Centre about meeting with an Employment - Service advisor to: 

• obtain more details on this program
• determine if this program is right for you
• find out what you need to do to get started

Employment Manitoba Office Locations:

Manitoba Contact(s):
Downtown Centre
391 York Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0P4

Southwest Centre
3338 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3K 0Z1

Northeast Centre
1122 Henderson Hwy.
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2G 1L1

South Centre
1005 St. Mary’s Road
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2M 3S4

Employment and Training Partnerships
800 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Brandon Centre
127-340 Ninth Street
Brandon, Manitoba R7A 6C2

Beausejour Centre
20 First Street S.
Box 50
Beausejour, Manitoba R0E 0C0

Dauphin Centre
135A - 2nd Avenue N.E.
Dauphin, Manitoba R7B 3X4

Flin Flon Centre
111 Main Street
Flin Flon, Manitoba R8A 1J9

Gimli Centre
64 Second Avenue
P.O. Box 1589
Gimli, Manitoba R0C 1B0

Morden Centre
160 Stephen Street, Unit 1
Morden, Manitoba R6M 1T3

Portage la Pairie Centre
1016 Saskatchewan Avenue
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba R1N 3V2

Selkirk Centre
237 Manitoba Avenue, Unit 100
Selkirk, Manitoba R1A 2M8

Steinbach Centre
Main Floor
321 Main Street
Steinbach, Manitoba R0A 2A0

Swan River Centre
201 Fourth Avenue South
P.O. Box 997
Swan River, Manitoba R0L 1Z0

The Pas Centre
305-4th Street
P.O. Box 7
The Pas, Manitoba R9A 1K3

Thompson Centre
Room 118
3 Station Road
Thompson, Manitoba R8N 0N3

In Winnipeg: 204-945-0575
Toll-free in rural Manitoba: 1-866-332-5077
www.manitoba.ca/employment