TIMMINS — The Ontario government is working for workers by investing more than $7 million to provide free training and paid job placements to over 500 people in Northern Ontario. Developed by Northern College, this program will train job seekers and unemployed workers for meaningful careers in healthcare and long-term care and provide participants with up to $3,000 to cover expenses as they complete the training and $1,000 to employers for each work placement they offer.
“We’re giving workers in the North a hand up to bigger paycheques and better opportunities for themselves and their families by investing in the training they need to pursue meaningful careers serving our loved ones who need help the most,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “Over the next three years, as Ontario’s population continues to age, we will need more than 50,000 workers in health and long-term care. By supporting projects like this, we’re building high quality healthcare for years to come. We’re getting it done for Northern Ontario.”
Northern College is offering four programs that will provide workers with certification to work as health care support service workers, personal support workers (PSWs), food service workers and personal support worker assistants. All training will be free and include a paid work placement with a local employer.
“Our government has a plan to fix long-term care and a key part of that plan is improving staffing and care,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Today’s investment will help add 500 more health care workers to the province’s workforce and I am hopeful that many of them will bring their much needed, new skills to long-term care homes in Northern Ontario.”
“Access to education is incredibly important to us at Northern College,” said Dr. Audrey J. Penner, President and CEO of Northern College. ” This program is an incredible opportunity for students seeking a great career path close to home, and great for our communities, who need caregivers and support workers now, more than ever.”
There is a critical need for PSWs in the North with nearly 400 job ads posted in the past six months. The PSW program will be two semesters long and offered in-person at Northern College campuses in Timmins, Moosonee, Kirkland Lake and Haileybury, concluding with a paid job placement.
Northern Ontario is also experiencing a shortage of qualified health care support service workers, food service workers and personal support worker assistants. Job seekers interested in these three programs can apply to take 15-week training online before they are matched with employers in their community.
Every year, Ontario is investing more than $1 billion to support programs and services that help people find work and train for meaningful new careers that are close to home. The funding announced today builds on the government’s ongoing efforts to attract, support, and protect workers, making Ontario the top place in the world to work, live and raise a family.
Quick Facts
- People interested in the program can contact Northern College by calling 705-235-3211 or visit https://www.northernc.on.ca/
tuitionfreetraining. - The new training program runs until June 2023.
- Between September and December 2021, there were more than 348,000 unfilled jobs in Ontario.
- This training project is supported through labour market transfer agreements between the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
Source Province of Ontario
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