The Office of Economic Opportunity, in partnership with the Center for Women and Enterprise and the Division of Community Development, has created a Self-Employment Program for currently unemployed and under-employer Providence residents who are interested in starting their own businesses.
The PVD Self-Employment Program will provide unemployed and under-employed Providence residents with the training and support necessary so that they can become reemployed by starting their own businesses. The program will provide training and educational opportunities to 100 unemployed and under-employed Providence residents, helping them gain the financial literacy, practical business skills, and access to capital required to start and grow small businesses.
The program consists of a two-module course:
- Business Planning
- Mentoring Program
Business Planning
Business Planning program is a comprehensive course that walks participants through the creation of a bank-ready business plan. The Business Planning program will be offered as a 3-week program. Classes will be held Monday through Thursday, from 9 am – 1 pm at the Providence netWORKri Center with additional required homework assignments which must be submitted by the end of each day. On the first two Fridays, participants will be required to carry out essential business research, and on the final Friday, they will come to the Center to officially graduate from the program.
Mentoring Program
Immediately after graduation from Business Planning, participants will start the 6-week Mentoring Program. Twice a week, for 6-weeks, participants will attend mandatory meetings at the Center. The first meeting will be spent working with a mentor to create a work-plan to prepare for the launch of the business. Every week the participants will meet with their business mentor at the Center to review their progress on the work-plan and to receive specialized help and assistance. At their other weekly meeting at the Center, participants will attend workshops on various topics related to launching a business. Workshop topics will be selected to reflect the needs and requirements of each cohort of participants.
Apply - Self-Employment Training Program
