Now more than ever, there’s a demand for personal support workers (PSWs) across the province. In recognition of this, Georgian has received new funding to cover tuition and compulsory ancillary fees for an accelerated PSW program starting this August.
“The Personal Support Worker – Accelerated (PSWA) program greatly expands the opportunities to train as a PSW at Georgian,” said Sheila West, Dean, Health, Wellness and Sciences, Georgian College. “It will also help us attract local students who want to pursue a career in health care and help meet the demand for PSWs in our communities.”
The accelerated PSW program will be delivered at the Barrie, Muskoka, Orangeville and Owen Sound campuses. It’s a limited one-time offer, with classes scheduled to begin Aug. 15. Offers will be granted to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply immediately to Muskoka, Orangeville or Owen Sound as the Barrie cohort is already filled.
The accelerated program allows students to fulfil program requirements more quickly by increasing the number of study hours per week and will be offered remotely with one weekly in-person lab at the campus students choose to apply to. Students will participate in paid work placements after three months. Graduates will enter the workforce with full credentials after just six months.
“PSWs are an integral part of the health-care team and the backbone of care in Ontario,” said Dr. MaryLynn West-Moynes, President and CEO, Georgian College. “The pandemic has proven there simply aren’t enough of them. At Georgian, we’re prepared to partner with our local health providers to deliver quality training through an in-depth, hands-on accelerated format to get PSW professionals in our long-term care and acute care facilities.”
Helping others was a calling for Mackenzie Lloyd and Elle Roy, stepsisters from Barrie. They jumped at the chance to kick-start their health-career careers, thriving in last year’s accelerated PSW cohort at the Barrie Campus.
“It helped me because it’s hard to be in school and also work a full-time job and make money to live,” said Lloyd. “When I heard tuition was going to be covered, it removed a lot of stress. I didn’t have to worry about debts and loans and paying for books; I could just focus on school.”
“I had a one-year-old daughter at the time, so the tuition award was a big deal to me,” added Roy. “It’s one of the main reasons I wanted to enrol in the accelerated program.”
Applications are now being accepted at ontariocolleges.ca/psw. FAQs and more information can be found at GeorgianCollege.ca/psw.
 across the province. In recognition of this, Georgian has received new funding to cover tuition and compulsory ancillary fees for an accelerated PSW program starting this August. ){kind=link}