The Avon Maitland District School Board is preparing to launch a PSW certification program for adults with or without a high-school diploma in Stratford and Goderich.
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The Avon Maitland District school board’s Center for Employment and Learning is preparing to launch a new, free personal support worker (PSW) certification program complete with on-the-job training in Stratford and Goderich.
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The program is open to adults aged 18 and older with or without a high school diploma. Over the course of about 26 weeks, those enrolled in the program will have the opportunity to obtain a total of six high-school credits – three in PSW theory and three co-operative education credits through supervised clinical training and community placement.
“The province is in a bit of a crisis with a lack of people to support both the health-care system and the long-term care system,” said Kendra Brohman, principal of adult and continuing education at the Center for Employment and Learning. “We know in our area that there’s probably a number of people who are interested in going into that career, but they have barriers to getting the certification.
“A number of other school boards have been offering this program across the province – they have been for a number of years – but the government has provided some funding to help alleviate some of the costs for the students, … so we thought we’d give it a go.”
In the first half of the program, students will spend one day a week learning virtually from an instructor who is also a registered nurse, Brohman said. They will spend another day each week receiving hands-on training from their instructor in person at a long-term care home in either Stratford or Goderich, and then spend the rest of their weekly study time learning on their own and completing assignments at home.
“Our hope is we’re going to find students who maybe haven’t finished their high school yet and are hoping for a better career opportunity or people who, for various reasons, can’t set aside a chunk of time to head off to college to do a full course,” Brohman said. “We have parents with young kids that, as soon as they have to take a course, it means that they’re dealing with childcare and those sorts of things.
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“So we’ve tried to tailor a program that’s a couple days a week. The classes are scheduled so hopefully you can drop your child off at school, yourself go to school for six hours and then be there at the end of the day when your kids’ school day is over.”
In the latter half of the program – after a three-week summer break to allow students to vacation or spend time with their families – program participants will complete 220 hours of on-the-job training through a placement in a long-term care home , a group home, an adult day program, a community health agency, a respite care facility or an assisted living facility.
While working in their co-op placements, students will also have the opportunity to earn up to $5,115.
While the school board is hoping for a total of 20 students – 10 in Stratford and 10 in Goderich – will enroll in the program, which runs from Feb. 28 to Dec. 16, Brohman said additional interest could lead to the hiring of another instructor so more people can register.
Brohman said she hopes the program will be successful to the point where it can continue in future years and expand into other communities across Perth and Huron counties.
For more information and to apply for the program, visit www.thecentreforemploymentandlearning.ca/psw .