Our partnership with the Ottawa Community Loan Fund (OCLF) has enabled us to offer Language Instruction For Newcomers (LINC) and Home-Based Business for Women Entrepreneurs for the third year. This course, taught in English, is designed to help newcomers establish and manage small businesses from home. The course covers topics such as creating a business plan, managing a small business, providing customer service and using software for their business.
This year’s graduation ceremony celebrated the achievements of our LINC Office & Accounting graduates and the women entrepreneurs who took part in the LINC Home-Based Business program. The event was attended by distinguished guests, including Marianne Kayed – Manager, OCSB Continuing & Community Education; Ben Vallati – OCSB Superintendent of Continuing & Community Education; Pierre Gaudet – OCLF Director of Educational Services, and eight members of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), including Ben Walker – Acting Manager, Settlement Network, IRCC.
Our LINC program graduates and their businesses receive on-going support through our innovative alum group! This group gathers monthly, either at the OCSB Catholic Education Centre or virtually online, throughout the school year. Thanks to the generous funding from OCLF, each meeting is jam-packed with valuable content. Attendees can look forward to learning helpful tips from OCLF, hearing success stories from one of our talented Home-Based Business graduates, and enjoying insightful talks from relevant guest speakers. We can’t wait to see this community thrive and grow together!
During a recent alum group meeting, Inna Yermolenko, a current student of the LINC Home-Based Business for Women Entrepreneurs program and a newcomer from Ukraine, presented to the group and shared insights on running an online business. The guest speaker and the alum group members learned much from each other. The graduate entrepreneurs, who operate businesses ranging from bakeries to clothing shops, continue to benefit significantly from this alum group.