CORNWALL, Ontario – St. Lawrence College will benefit from a provincial program to train more Personal Support Workers (PSW).
“We are taking monumental steps to protect our most vulnerable and provide the highest quality of care when and where residents need it,” said Premier Doug Ford. “We will achieve this by recruiting and training some of our best and brightest to be PSWs. This will improve the quality of life for our seniors and begin to correct the decades of neglect in this sector.”
The province announced on Thursday, Feb. 25 that it would invest $115 million to train up to 8,200 new PSWs to meet the needs of the health-care sector and long-term care facilities.
“This is a major step to help fill the demand for personal support workers in our community,” said Glenn Vollebregt, President and CEO, St. Lawrence College. “It’s an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in a new career in this field.”
The program will fast-track the training for PSWs with students being able to complete their training within six months.
The course will be a hybrid of in-person and online learning, with additional study hours to help accelerate the program. Students will be able to begin volunteering at long-term care facilities or other healthcare settings after three months, with full program completion coming at the end of six months.
SLC will be offering this program on all three of its campuses (Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall) and will begin accepting applications in early March.
“Our graduates provide essential care to many of our most vulnerable citizens,” Vollebregt said. “We were pleased to collaborate with the province to create this new opportunity for students.”
