The provincial chapter of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association will launch an online learning portal (OLP) as a new social enterprise after receiving the first Support loan through Metro Business Opportunities (MBO).
The Support program was designed to assist in the development of social enterprise for not-for-profit organizations in St. John’s and Mount Pearl. It provides up to $50,000 in financing to start or expand a social enterprise, and includes business advice and learning opportunities to help the organizations develop skills to run the business.
The CHHA-NL has faced challenges in delivering learning opportunities to its clients in rural areas of the province. The online learning platform will allow the association to reach those individuals in their own homes and allow them to access the courses and resources at their own pace.
It also allows the CHHA-NL to not rely so heavily on its annual Ultimate Dream Home Lottery fundraiser.
This is not the association’s first social enterprise. Its corporate training program Noise: It Adds Up operates as a social enterprise, offering training on workplace noise and hearing loss prevention to corporations at commercial rates.
