Fanshawe launches part-time educational assistant program

Fanshawe College’s Woodstock/Oxford Regional Campus has launched a fully online part-time intake of its educational support program.

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School officials say this approach will open a more flexible route to help address a significant gap in classrooms across the province.

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Educational assistants support teachers and counselors by helping students with special needs in personal care, life skills, behavior and academics. According to labor market data, the province is projecting there will be as many as 6,000 job openings for elementary and secondary school teacher assistants through 2027.

The college’s new three-year program will be delivered through online instruction, allowing students to study from anywhere in Ontario with a reliable internet connection.

“This program reflects our commitment to providing accessible and flexible educational opportunities while also responding to the evolving needs of our community,” says Jennifer McLean, associate dean of Fanshawe’s Woodstock/Oxford Regional Campus. “School boards have been telling us that they need educational support professionals. We hope that launching this part-time version of the program will enable individuals who aren’t able to commit to full-time study to pursue this rewarding and impactful career.”

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Lisa Wells, manager of continuing education and contract training in Woodstock, said the school started the part-time educational support program because of a recommendation from the professional advisory committee for the full-time program.

“Our participants indicated there was a huge need in the community for educational support workers. That’s why we added the part-time online program,” Wells said.

Wells added the college is in regular contact with area school boards, including the Thames Valley District, to see if there are gaps they could help fill through new programming.

Vince Romeo, director of education for the London District Catholic school board, said his board is excited about the new program.

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“We are hiring qualified staff at an unprecedented rate due to our rapid growth, especially educational assistants who assist our students each day. The need is very real, as our student population has increased 30 per cent over the past five years, making the (London Catholic board) one of the fastest growing school boards in the province, and one of the top employers in the region.”

The full-time program takes in 25 students per year while 45 people are already registered in the new part-time option.

“We are actually full at this moment in time. We were expecting a good uptake because of the needs at schools in the community,” said Wells, noting the college will take a look at increasing the number of spaces in the future.

Anyone interested in registering in the program, or wanting more information, can contact Tam Visser at [email protected].

Lee Griffi is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter with the Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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