Successful grant application addresses labour market gaps to provide training for 150 new personal support workers

The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on employers and workers across many industries. Our client, one of Canada’s leading career colleges, understood the need to help respond to changing labour market demands in the healthcare sector. They approached us for assistance in developing partnerships to achieve long-term employment solutions to help create good jobs in the area they serve.

Working with our client and a local municipality, we developed a successful grant application to the Government of Ontario’s Skills Development Fund to create a free, accelerated accreditation pilot program for the education, training, licensing, and employment of 150 personal support workers (PSWs) in the region east of Toronto. The pilot seeks to remove barriers to education and employment by reducing the commute times of the potential workforce, providing them with on-the-job training in local health and long-term care (LTC) institutions, and directly placing them in jobs with committed employment partners.

This program is already making a difference in the lives of those seeking long-term employment in the growing healthcare sector and helps the provincial government address an important priority in a growing area of the Greater Toronto Area.