Targeted funding for health-care programs is allowing Camosun College to train more health-care assistants, as well as more mental-health and addiction workers, to meet the growing health-care needs of the region.

“Our government is aligning funding for post-secondary education with in-demand health-care occupations,” said Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson. “Offering training in local communities means that health-care assistants and mental-health and addiction workers will be job ready to provide quality care for family, friends and neighbours.”

One-time funding of $550,000 from the Ministry of Advanced Education for three short-duration programs offered through Camosun College will address the immediate need for more health-care assistants and mental-health and addiction workers with 56 additional seats.

“The health sector is one of B.C.’s largest and fastest-growing areas, and this targeted investment to train health-care assistants and mental-health and addictions workers will help us meet the current and future health-care needs of British Columbians,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “Training more health-care professionals is good news, in terms of boosting B.C.’s economic growth and addressing the reality of our growing population.”

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The 56 additional health-care seats include:

• 16 spaces in the Indigenous health-care assistant program to be delivered in the community. The scheduled date for program delivery is January 2017, and includes a focus on Indigenous community and culture. The Indigenous health-care assistant program is 12 months long. The Ministry of Advanced Education is providing one-time funding of $250,000.
• 12 additional spaces in the health-care assistant program on Salt Spring Island. The scheduled date for program delivery is October 2016. The health-care assistant program is seven months long for full-time students. The Ministry of Advanced Education is providing one-time funding of $155,000.
• 28 additional spaces in the mental health and addictions certificate program in Victoria with a scheduled start date of January 2017. Currently, the program offers 32 seats. This funding will now help Camosun provide 60 seats in mental health and addictions. The program is 10 months long for full-time students and includes a six-week practicum. The Ministry of Advanced Education is providing one-time funding of $145,000.

“This funding is exciting news that allows Camosun College to accept even more students and prepare them for rewarding and satisfying careers in health-related fields,” said dean of Camosun College’s school of health and human services Cynthia Smith. “It is critical that we have well-educated, highly skilled health and community practitioners providing the best in care for individuals and families across our province.”

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Health-care assistant graduates are in high demand throughout the province. Health-care assistants are front-line caregivers who can work in both community and facility settings. Focusing on the elderly and persons with disabilities, health-care assistants provide personal care that promotes and maintains the physical, psychological and social well-being of clients.

The mental-health and addictions program provides students with the knowledge and skills to work with individuals and groups in a variety of settings. Graduates of the program use principles of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery to support people living with mental-health and addiction challenges to live the life they envision for themselves.

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The Province has provided one-time funding for additional education spaces in health programs annually since 2008, and funding to date totals more than $16 million, which has created almost 2,000 student spaces.

For more information about health programs offered at Camosun College, please visit: http://camosun.ca/learn/areas/health-human-services.html