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The last couple of weeks I've been talking about programs to help you fund your new business.

Well, here's another form of start-up funds to consider – the Workforce Expansion Program offered by Post Secondary Education and Labour.

This program offers employers a temporary wage reimbursement to help businesses establish permanent employment or annually recurring seasonal jobs. Eligible businesses include private companies, non-profit organizations and First Nation communities.

To qualify for assistance your company must be hiring additional staff over and above your normal employment level. The job(s) must be for a minimum of 30 hours per week, but a minimum of 15 hours per week will be considered for recently established small businesses creating a part-time position which will eventually develop into a full-time position. The objective is these jobs will lead to a permanent full-time or annually recurring seasonal position. These jobs must not be strictly commission or piecework based, displace or replace an existing employee or an employee on layoff. You can't receive other funding from an employment program for the same position or be related to the management of a First Nation band.

The amount of the wage reimbursement varies depending on whether the position is permanent employment or an annually recurring seasonal job. Please contact our office to discuss these details.

It is important to realize that even with this wage reimbursement your business will need to be able to pay the employee wages prior to being reimbursed and the duration of the program runs from 12 to 40 weeks depending upon the position and the educational level of the candidate. Therefore you will need to build these variables into your cash flow projections.

There is another program that could help your business grow and help an individual looking for work experience; it's called the Work Ability Program. This program provides workplace opportunities in support of career plans leading to permanent employment. The program provides wage subsidies to eligible employers who are willing and able to provide a job experience as defined in individual career plans. Public and private organizations qualify for this program.

To be eligible, the job must fulfill the following: be a maximum of 40 hours per week; the number of weeks provided needs to be in line with the requirements of the career plan; the jobs need to reflect the work experience and skills development requirements of the client; the employer is willing to complete a client assessment; and the job(s) do not displace employees on layoff, vacation or sick leave.

The value of the wage subsidies and the length of employment will be negotiated with Post Secondary Education and Training and will be dependent upon each individual's career plan. Contact our office for more information.

These two programs are popular with new and existing businesses seeking financial support, because they do lower your operating costs over the duration of the terms of the contracts.

Plus, they give you the opportunity to evaluate the performance of the employee prior to hiring them in a permanent position.

For more details and assistance in applying for these programs drop in or call (325-4488) us at Enterprise Carleton Region.

Gary Melanson is the general manager of Enterprise Carleton Region.