St. Lawrence College is taking applications for the province’s accelerated Personal Support Workers Program.
The program is part of the Ontario government’s Long-Term Care Staffing Plan, which is one of the largest recruitment and training drives in the province’s history.
MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes Steve Clark says the pandemic has highlighted the demand to provide the highest quality of care to our most vulnerable.
“This is a tuition free program, and is part of the government’s $115 million investment to train up to 8,200 new PSW’s for this high demand field in the long term care sector,” Clark said.”
The Accelerated PSW Training Program is expected to take only six months to complete, rather than the typical eight months.
After three months of coursework, and experiential learning in a clinical setting, students will complete the final three months in paid onsite training at a long-term care home or in a community care environment.
Clark says not only does the program dramatically increase opportunities for local students to become trained PSWs, but it also does so in our own backyard at St. Lawrence College.
“So, we’re working with all 24 publicly assisted colleges to offer this very innovative, fully-funded program,” Clark added. “I’m just so pleased that men and women who want to train to become PSW’s can do so right here at home in Brockville.”
The province is also offering tuition assistance to PSW students who started the program at one of Ontario’s publicly-assisted colleges in January 2021.
These students will be eligible to receive a $2,000 tuition grant to help them complete their studies, as well as a stipend to complete the clinical placement part of their training.
Registration for the program is available through the Ontario College Application Service.
