The North Island Self Employment Program
The North Island Self Employment Program (NISEP) is an initiative of CFMW and is sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development.
NISEP is offered in steps. The first step is to contact the North Island Employment (NIEFS) in Port Hardy to set up an appointment with a Career Counselor who will assist with completing a Return To Work Action Plan. The Counselor will then refer the applicant to the Community Futures NISEP Coordinator to receive an orientation to the Program and to complete the application. If the applicant is accepted NISEP will assist the particpant with living supports and technical supports for 52 weeks to implement the business idea. To get started, applicants can contact NIEFS at: 250-949-5736 - Toll Free: 1-877-949-5736.
NISEP particpants are able to collect E.I. Benefits to use for living supports and they can keep all their business income.
NISEP also offers:
- Bookkeeping instruction
- Business plan development instruction
- Workshops about marketing/advertising
- Counseling from the CFMW Business Analyst
- Ongoing support
ELIGIBILITY:
- You have a unique, viable business idea or you wish to purchase an existing business on the North Island or Mid Coast region
- You have been on an E.I. Claim within the last 3 years, or 5 years for Maternity or Paternity, or you are on a Claim now.
- You are unemployed or working less than 20 hours per week
- You are legally entitled to work in Canada
- You are a resident of the Mt. Waddington Regional District or the Central Coast Region
For more information about NISEP, please call Jenny Durke at 250 956-2220 - Toll Free: 1-877-956-2220.
Success stories
Marshall Welding & Fabricating
Blair Marshall opened his business, Marshall Welding & Fabricating, in October 2006. Marshall Welding provides service in the welding and fabricating industry for Port Hardy and the North Vancouver Island region. Blair had been laid off from his welding job, which gave him the opportunity to follow a dream of owning his own shop and hiring his own employees. Blair heard about NISEP and he quickly applied for assistance to navigate through his first year of business. NISEP enabled Blair to take the earnings that he made during his first year and re-invest them back into his business. Blair has successfully sustained his business for 3 years and he now has two full time employees.
Burger Barn
Heather Tennant and her family moved to Sointula from New Westminster in 2006, and Heather fell in love with the community. Heather approached NISEP for help to take advantage of an existing business opportunity: the Burger Barn was for sale. Heather bought the business, purchased new equipment, renovated and opened that spring. Besides burgers, she offers fish and chips and wraps. Heather has applied for a vendor’s license that will enable her to buy seafood from local fishers, which she will add to her menu. She has 2 full-time employees and she says that operating the business has been her greatest challenge and achievement. She has found that after operating for 3 years, her business is now more streamlined and efficient because of all that she has learned along the way. Heather commented that the process of developing a full business plan, as part of her application to participate in NISEP, certainly opened her eyes and made her think through everything before taking the plunge into entrepreneurship.
