The Ontario government has announced $26 million in funding to train nearly 3,000 new staff for long-term care (LTC) homes.
$15.5 million will help current staff upgrade skills, and $21 million will train PSWs and practical nurses in LTC homes through Living Classrooms.
Schlegel Villages runs a group of LTC homes across the province, including the Village at St. Clair located right on St. Clair College's Windsor campus.
Its director of communications, Kristian Partington, told AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides, that they need good-hearted, dedicated, and well-trained care-givers to support seniors.
"Any opportunity we have to increase that workforce and bring people in and train them within the long-term care home themselves, I mean, it's a total win-win situation everywhere," he said.
Partington said the Living Classroom model is growing and their organization started offering it in 2009.
"So you've got a lab sort of theory training section of the home that's set up for these students, then they go upstairs and they work on their practical skills directly with the frontline team members, directly with the residents, so they actually learn in a very hands on way," said Partington.
Partington said the funding will allow existing staff and students to grow their careers.
"The students eyes lit up when they heard the minister talk about [practical nurse]-bridging program is actually going to funded by the province. So therefore the students can afford to pursue that, that next level of education," he said.
As part of its plan to fix long-term care and address waitlists, the government says it is building 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province.