The province is wrapping up a free personal support worker training program that will have seen more than 100 graduates in Southwestern Ontario by this March, Ontario’s minister of labour, training and skills development announced Friday.
Monte McNaughton said the $2.5-million Grow Your Own HSW-PSW Partnership Program, which was delivered by the private school SE Career College of Health, is about lifting people up and “building stronger families.”
“I’m most proud of this because 30 per cent of the local participants are going to be moving from social assistance into meaningful jobs,” McNaughton, also the MPP for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, said in an interview.
The program, which is part of the $200-million Skills Development Fund, is 30 weeks long and combines online, in-person and on-the-job training. It was available in Chatham-Kent, Lambton County, Sarnia, Windsor and Essex County.
McNaughton said the first group started in May and the final group will graduate in March, for a total of 109 new PSWs. He said this particular program is concluding, but the province is still working to train more PSWs.
On Thursday, the government announced $73 million to train and provide placements for more than 16,000 personal support worker and nursing students in long-term care.
The minister said this program was also designed to address barriers some have to pursuing a career in this field
“This training program is providing support for non-slip shoes, PPE (personal protective equipment), travel expenses and childcare,” McNaughton said. “We’re lending participants laptop computers. We’re really trying to knock down all the barriers that are preventing people, in particular on social assistance, to get into meaningful careers.”
Participants are also paid by employers throughout the program and can receive up to $3,000 to offset travel and childcare.
Sarah Mardling, a program participant, said she had wanted to be a PSW since she was 16, but other family responsibilities became her priority and she wasn’t eligible for student loans when she was accepted into St. Clair College years ago.
“I was able to learn all the skills I needed to do the job I have always wanted,” Mardling, 44, said during the announcement, adding it offered specialized training in various areas.
“Throughout my training, I have been able to earn employment income as a (health support worker) while working towards my PSW certificate. The cost of all of my training was covered.”
Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff noted the program has provided 26 long-term care homes and health-care providers with staff and given 109 people the opportunity “to earn a meaningful living wage with an in-demand field of employment.”
“When I look at this program and the difference it’s going to make in Chatham-Kent and Southwestern Ontario and the province, you’ve got to celebrate something like that,” Canniff said during the announcement.
In December 2020, the province announced it was planning to open positions for 27,000 new PSWs across the province over four years.
McNaughton said about 9,000 personal support workers of the 27,000 are being trained or have been trained.