Employment Programs, Planning & Exemptions

Category Overview

The Employment Program, Planning and Exemptions category provides information about the following:

• Assessment of recipients who have exemptions from Employability Plans, employability-related obligations or have persistent multiple barriers to employment;
• Tools that facilitate employability assessment and employment planning;
• Employment supports through the ministry’s WorkBC Employment Services (ES); Employment supports available through other ministry and non-ministry sources; and
• Self Employment Program (SEP) for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers (PPMB).

The Ministry has introduced new legislation which introduces the Client Needs Assessment (CNA) and the Employability Plan (EP). This new enhanced employability planning function is starting with a small, phased implementation.

The CNA is a tool used to determine a recipient’s level of employment readiness, identify barriers to employment, and determine whether they will be referred to employment services with employment obligations. Once employability has been assessed, recipients may be required to have an EP. EPs identify any conditions and opportunities for their participation in employment, community and/or social involvement, or programming designed to improve their employability. Failure to have or comply with an EP may result in sanctions.

CNAs and EPs are not required for applicants, recipients that have no employability-related obligations, and/or are exempt from the consequences of failing to meet those obligations.