Human Resources Investment Fund

Employment Insurance Benefits and Support Measures

The following is a summary of the various eligibility criteria for the Human Resources Investment Fund. ISET would strongly advise all potential applicants obtain updated information from your local Human Resources Center of Canada or ISET Office before your applications are prepared for submission.

Objective:
To assist individuals to prepare for, obtain, and maintain employment or self-employment, resulting in savings to the EI Account.

Eligible Sponsors: Aboriginal Bands, organizations. Aboriginal small business and/or corporations.

Eligible Clients: Insured participants are eligible to participate in any Employment Benefit if they are unemployed and:
·They have established an employment benefit period or one has ended within the 36 months prior to the date of requesting assistance;
·They have established a claim for maternity or parental benefits within the 60-month prior to the date of requesting assistance and the individual is now seeking to re-enter the labour force.
All unemployed individuals are able to participate under the Employment Assistance Services.

EI Benefits:

• ·Targeted Wage Subsidies encourage employers to hire individuals who they would not normally hire in the absence of a subsidy.
• ·Self-Employment Assistance individuals in creating jobs for themselves by offering income support, advice concerning accessing capital, coaching and technical assistance while they launch their own business. (Delivered through Community Futures)
• ·Job Creation Partnerships (JCP) provides individuals with opportunities to gain work experience, which leads to on-going employment. This benefit is designed to meet the needs of `both the eligible individual and the community.
• ·Training Purchases is a temporary benefit intended to support the purchase of training, coordinator purchases & project-based training activities to help individuals obtain skills, ranging from basic to advanced.

EI Support Measures:

• ·Employment Assistance Services assist organizations in the provision of employment services to individuals. The support includes but is not limited to providing activities such as: diagnostic assistance, job search skills, group counseling and related activities to those facing barriers to employment.
• ·Local Labour Market Partnerships encourage & support employers, employee and/or employer associations and communities to improve their capacity for dealing with local human resource requirements and implementing labour force adjustments for the unemployed for those facing loss of employment.

Time Frame: Minimum of 6 weeks to a maximum of 52.

Support to Individuals:

• ·The contributions will not exceed allowances paid to post secondary students
  Living expenses of participants during their participation on a project or activity.
• ·The actual cost of Dependent Care or an amount mutually agreed to with the participant for the care of dependents during participation on a project or activity.
• ·Assistance for Persons with Disabilities is expenses related to the individual needs of participants with a disability to permit their participation on the project or activity.
• ·Tuition Costs cover all or a portion of tuition fees incurred by participants and is paid to the participants themselves.

·Other Personal Support and transportation are special additional costs for participants such as, transportation or temporary accommodation.

Participant Wages:

• ·Participant wages and employment related costs are contributions paid to employers to subsidize the wage & benefits (e.g. EI, CPP) of the worker, with the wages qualifying as insurable earnings.

Overhead Costs:

• ·Course costs are the actual costs of courses purchased for participants and are paid to a training institution.
• ·Overhead costs may include the following: administrative and other non-participant staff wages and benefits, licenses, permits, fees for professional services, disbursements for research or technical studies, disability needs, bank interest, utilities, materials, supplies, travel, insurance, rental of premises, leasing or purchasing of equipment, costs of audits, evaluations & assessments, central administrative functions in support of agreement activities.
• ·Capital Costs may be provided on a cost-shared basis to the extent that such costs are essential to the achieving the objectives of the project or activity, and the activity/project remains cost effective.

Acceptable Proposals /Applications:

Proposals will:

• ·Support the measures and objectives of the Employment and Benefits and/or Support Measures;
• ·Provide an estimate of costs to be incurred;
• ·Outline the results to be achieved;
• ·Identify the source and amounts of any other funds for any of the coordinator's employers or groups proposed activities.

Approval of Proposals:

The final approval of applications is the responsibility of the Minister of Human Resources Development Canada who may delegate authority.

Decisions for approval or rejection will be acknowledged by written notice. Coordinators, employers or groups should not hire staff and make commitments or expenditures until approval is confirmed in writing. Any expenditure incurred prior to approved start date is not eligible for reimbursement. Approved applications will become the subject of a formal contribution agreement between HRDC and the employer, coordinator or group

ALL EMPLOYERS PLANNING ON UTILIZING THIS PROGRAM SHOULD KNOW THAT ISETS WILL NOT PROCESS ANY CONTRACTS UNTIL PARTICIPANTS EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ELIGIBILITY HAS BEEN VERIFIED BY HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT CENTRES OF CANADA AND WE HAVE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS TO PROCESS ALL CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS.

Note: The ISETS Board of Directors encourage all applicants of their programs to seek financial resources other than the ISETS funds that are available, as well as consider employer contribution whenever possible.