Self Employment Assistance

The Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) and Entrepreneurial Training Program assists qualified unemployed individuals who are seriously interested in starting a business in New Jersey and becoming self-employed.

SEA benefits include:

weekly SEA compensation in place of unemployment benefits;

a waiver of the work search requirement while actively engaged in self-employment activities;

counseling and technical assistance on developing a business plan;

financial assistance for entrepreneurial training courses

To qualify for SEA, you must:

be eligible for unemployment benefits;

be a dislocated worker (involuntarily separated from employment) and unlikely to return to your previous     employment

be likely to exhaust unemployment benefits

be willing to work full-time in developing your business;

have or be able to obtain the financial backing needed to start and sustain the business until it becomes     self-supporting

SEA participants are not eligible for New Jersey's Additional Benefits during Training (ABT) or for any state or federally funded extended unemployment benefits program. You might be interested in regular occupational training that may entitle you to an occupational training grant and ABT benefits.

If you are interested in the SEA program or in regular occupational training, contact the local One-Stop Career Center's Employment and Training unit, and ask to be scheduled for reemployment opportunities.

Click here to see a listing of One-Stop Career Centers.