Province invests $2.5 million toward free training for PSWs in Southwestern Ontario

Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training and skills development was in Wellington, Ont. to announce funding to train PSWs on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. (Courtesy Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development office)

The Ontario government is investing $2.5 million to help address the personal support worker (PSW) shortage through paid training and job placements.

The province announced Friday its “Grow Your Own HSW-PSW Partnership Program” is being offered in Lambton County, the City of Sarnia, Essex County, City of Windsor and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

“Across our province, there is a need for more PSWs to help take care of those in our community who need it most,” Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training and skills development, said in a news release “That is why our government is investing in programs that connect people who have had difficulty finding work with free training and paid job placements in critical industries that are close to where they live.”

The program is focused on training Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program recipients and others who have been laid off. It is 30 weeks long and includes a mix of online, in-person and on-the-job training.

“The partnership of Chatham-Kent Employment and Social Services, Ontario Works and the municipalities of Windsor and Lambton County is a model of how to address the shortage of essential health care workers," said Darrin Canniff, mayor of Chatham-Kent. “The program has provided 26 long-term care homes and health care providers with immediate and long-term staff at a time when we are reminded of how important these positions are to our community."

Participants are paid by employers throughout the program and can also receive up to $3,000 to offset costs like travel and childcare. After finishing the training, graduates will be ready to begin full-time careers as PSWs.

The investment is part of Ontario’s Skills Development Fund aimed to support fresh ideas for training and skills development that will help the economy.