Elisabeth Heslop
Students who have despaired in finding a summer job this year still could get provincial funding to help start their own company.
The “Summer Company” program assists students aged 15-29 with launching and running their own company for the summer.
The Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Service, which funds the program, has increased the number of spaces available from 300 to 500.
And to allow those new space to be filled, the application deadline has been extended from May 20 to May 25.
Mike Greaves of the Northwest Business Enterprise Centre, which oversees the program for the Rainy River and Kenora districts, said the changes are in response to a higher demand.
That heightened demand, he said, is a reflection of how much harder it has gotten for students to get summer jobs.
But a summer paycheque is not the only reason students should consider this program, Greaves stressed.
“It is a unique opportunity for students to gain experience at a different level,” he explained.
In addition to the business experience, they also gain in areas such as character development, he noted.
While 200 new spots may seem like a lot, Greaves is reminding students that while the program may be largely on a “first-come, first-served basis, there is still a strong aspect of competition.”
Greaves said a good business plan is key. And for those students who are unsure of how to develop that plan, “we encourage them to bring us their ideas and we will help with the business plan.”
“We will work with students up to the deadline to produce applications,” he remarked.
Before they start dreaming of spending the perfect summer with their buddies being paid to run a band out of a garage, or pursuing a favourite issue with their own non-profit organization, interested students should read the program guidelines carefully.
For instance, businesses only will be eligible if they are sole proprietorships or corporations “where the applicant will be the majority shareholder.”
Businesses such as partnerships, non-profit organizations, or “musical ventures such as bands, DJs, or dance/party event organizations,” among others, are not be eligible for the program.
More information can be found by going to www.nwbiz.ca, clicking on the link for “Summer Company,” and then clicking on “Learn More.”
The link for the guidelines is halfway down the page.
Students in the Rainy River and Kenora districts also can call Greaves at 1-807-467-4643.
