By Joy Lewis
On May 15, 2015, the Ministry of Training and Colleges announced it was discontinuing the Ontario Self-Employment Benefits Program (OSEB).
After 22 years of providing unemployed Ontarians with an opportunity to get back on their feet and create their own business success, it was decided that government funding was to be targeted to those who needed it most.
Essentially, OSEB Program is a proven curriculum, with many success stories, where individuals could develop their own businesses if they were able to pass program eligibility criteria, which included demonstrating business viability and preparing a business plan. If they passed this stage, they would be invited into the program where they could continue to collect their Employment Insurance for the 42-week duration of the program.
The OSEB Program was administered by business coaches at Job Skills, a non-profit organization thoroughly “dedicated to enhancing people’s capacity to participate in the labour market, thereby contributing to the economic and social viability of our community”.
After sitting in on a session, I witnessed the passion that these coaches possessed to enable their clients’ return to the workforce. Any person who has been out of work is aware of the emotions that can run through your mind. I saw participants of the program being presented with well thought out lessons designed to build confidence and skills for success. This program was not easy, I was told, and there was a minimum of 35 hours weekly that participants were required to put in.
I spoke with Catherine Turner, Director of Business Service Programs at OSEB for her comments on the cancellation of the program.
Ms. Turner has been involved with the program since 1997 and well-qualified to say that OSEB has been a long-standing, successful program which targets vulnerable people in our society.
She stated that Job Skills was shocked to hear of the Ministry’s decision to shut the program down. When I asked her about the program’s eligibility criteria, she stated that there was a diligent assessment application process was designed to ensure that those applicants that qualified for the program understood the requirements, possessed the skills and had the necessary amount of capital to complete the program and take their business plan to market.
She has seen the program produce successful entrepreneurs in fields that did not exist previously. “The entrepreneurs of today were the future of our economy and this segment does not exist anymore”.
In fact close to 70% of OSEB participants are still involved in their businesses five years later after completion of the program and more than 90% have completed the program.
When I asked Ms. Turner if she thought the program would ever be reinstated, she optimistically said, “Never say never. Programs change”.
With the cut of this program, it seems quite ironic that those who devoted themselves to unemployed individuals may soon be in the same position.
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