fbpx
Advertising

Self-Employment Assistance Program- Education And Training

Have you ever thought or wished to start your own business and you don’t know how to achieve that dream? Are you a beneficiary of unemployment insurance benefits in your region?

The Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) is a program designed to aid people who are out of work to be able to  meet certain requirements to start their own businesses while collecting Unemployment Insurance benefits. 

Advertising

So if you want to know more about this great opportunity, you need to keep reading further for much better eye opening enlightenments.

Article Road Map

Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP)

SEAP is a unique opportunity which is very much voluntary for you to enter into self-employment entrepreneurial training and receive business counseling while you collect unemployment benefits. 

It offers a valuable option to eligible people who wish to run their own businesses. 

Advertising

It is majorly done in the United States of America, Australia and so many more.

Delaware, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, and Oregon have active Self-Employment Assistance programs. 

By participating in this program, it will give you the flexibility and income opportunity which is obviously unavailable through traditional employment.

In addition, unemployed workers can be able to create new businesses and job opportunities for other workers through self-employment.

Advertising

You can also create a job in an occupation that interests you and stimulates the local economy. Each new business can provide employment for you and for the people you hire. 

If you qualify and enroll in an approved training program, you do not have to look for other work while in this program.

To verify about your states, you need to visit the official website which is the State Workforce Agency website and it will cause these states to be accessed at http://www.servicelocator.org/OWSLinks.asp. (REVIEW THIS LINK BEFORE PUBLISHING)

Examples of self-employment programmes are 

Rural Employment Generation Programmes (REGP), Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY), and Swarna Jayanti Rozgar Yojana (SJARY).

Read Also: How To Fake Unemployment Job Search – 5 Easy Ways

Who Can Apply For This Programme?

You can apply to Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP):

A. You must be at least 18 years of age and above.

B. You must be eligible to receive at least 13 or more additional weeks of Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits.

C.The recipient of an invitation letter from the New York State Department of Labor, or categorized as a dislocated worker (determined via a profile score)

D. New to the SEAP program (not approved for the SEAP in the past)

For SEAP approval, your proposed business must also meet five basic criteria. 

You must be: 

A. Locating your proposed business in New York State.

B. Willing to work full time to launch your business.

C. Planning to be an active owner of your business and not a silent partner in a business partnership 

D. A first-time business owner and operator of the proposed type of business. You cannot have previously owned or operated a business of similar nature. 

E. Prepared with a clear business idea.

What Are The SEAP Application Processes That Are Required

To be able to apply for SEAP, the first step that you just take is to:

1. Download and complete the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) application.

You can head to the oili free to pick one up at your local WorkSource office.

2. Contact a SEAP-approved provider to see if you are eligible for their program. 

This is regarded as the most important part of your proceeding.

There is a need to reach out or contact some providers that have income or other requirements that you must meet to participate in their training programs. 

Some training programs are available only to low-income applicants. 

So do well to check the training-provider website.

3. Have the training provider complete and sign the Program Provider Certification section on the application.

The next thing you have to do is to 

4. Mail your completed application to: Employment Security Department

Attn: Training Benefits/SEAP Unit

PO Box 9046

Olympia, WA 98507-9046

For questions about SEAP, please call the toll-free Training Benefits/SEAP hotline at 877-600-7701.

After doing so, your application will be processed while you await feedback.

Eligibility Requirements 

To be eligible for the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), you must:

A. Qualify for regular unemployment benefits or insurance under State law.

B. Enroll in a training program that is approved by the Employment Security Department’s commissioner.

C. Be identified as likely to run out of benefits or be eligible for Commissioner-Approved Training (CAT).

D. Also, Individuals who have been permanently laid off from their previous jobs and have been identified through a State’s profiling system are likely to exhaust regular unemployment benefits are eligible to participate in the program.

Lastly, Individuals who have engaged in full-time self-employment activities including entrepreneurial training, business counseling, and technical assistance are eligible for this program.

Approved Training For The Programme

Below are all the approved self-employment training programs include:

A. Entrepreneurial training

B. Business counseling

C. Technical assistance

D. Requirements to engage in activities relating to setting up a business and becoming self-employed.

Things to Consider Before Applying For The Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP)

Before you start enrollment or sending in your application, below are some of the necessary things that you must consider:

A. SEAP requires that you have enough time available to complete all necessary forms and training. 

You must be eligible for at least 13 more weeks of Unemployment Insurance benefits to participate in the SEAP at the time that you are accepted into the program. 

B. You must decide exactly what type of business you want to start before you apply to the SEAP since the program does not allow time to explore business ideas only to develop an existing idea. 

C. The program requires you to take at least 20 hours of entrepreneurial training. 

To do so, you can contact local organizations such as SCORE, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) or the Small Business Administration (SBA) to locate entrepreneurial workshops in your area. 

You can source more information about these organizations during the orientation.

D. You must find and meet with a business counselor of your choice at least twice and submit benchmark forms to the Department of Labor to show the progress of your start-up activities. 

You can contact local organizations such as SCORE and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to find a business counselor. 

These organizations provide free, one-on-one counseling to individuals interested in starting a business. You can also use a qualified expert in the type of business you intend to start. 

Bear in mind that the Department of Labor does not provide business counselors. 

E. If you are accepted into the SEAP, you will only be eligible for up to a combined total of 26 weeks of Unemployment Insurance and SEAP benefits during your benefit year. 

F. Skills you already have should match those needed to operate the business type you choose. 

G. The SEAP does not provide start-up funds for your business.

So try as much as possible to examine yourself before you apply for the programme.

Read More: 11 MBA Career Paths And Opportunities

How Do You Maintain Your Unemployment benefits?

To maintain your eligibility for unemployment benefits while in training, you must:

A. Be enrolled in a full-time training program.

B. Make satisfactory progress in the program.

C. Notify the Employment Security Department if you discontinue training, suspend training or reduce enrollment to less than full-time.

D. If you do not meet these requirements, you may be required to look for work and meet other job-search requirements, such as participating in job-search workshops, in order to collect benefits. 

You also may be required to pay back the benefits you have received.

Benefits 

A. You can work full-time on your new business while collecting unemployment Insurance benefits.

B. You don’t have to look for jobs while you work on your business 

C. Money earned from your business is not deducted from your Unemployment Insurance benefits 

D. You stay on track for success with training and counseling.

E. You get opportunities to build a network of support to launch your business.

F. You must receive a written acceptance into the SEAP before you can start your own business while collecting benefits.

Conclusion

What are you waiting for?

Start your application before it’s too late. You can locate your State SEAP Region and make further findings on when the next application will be commencing.

Your dreams can still be achieved!

Advertising

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.