Twelve more students in Oliver will be able to get the education and skills to pursue a fulfilling and in-demand career as health-care assistants, with the expansion of the program at Okanagan College.

“Education is the key to unlocking good-paying jobs for people,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. “By expanding the number of health-care assistant training seats in Oliver, we are helping students get the skills they need to create their future, and ensuring members of the community get the high-quality care they deserve.”

Okanagan College will receive $89,000 from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training to add seats to its health-care assistant program, beginning February 2019. This funding helps students get the skills they need to embark on their career path, and also improves access to health-care services by increasing the number of skilled workers in the province who can deliver health care to everyone who needs it.

“We are grateful to the Province for this opportunity to move forward on our continuing goal of expanding access to post-secondary education throughout our region,” said Jim Hamilton, president, Okanagan College. “It is a great opportunity for students in the South Okanagan to accelerate their career development in a very important health-care field.”

This one-time funding is part of a larger provincial investment to boost the number of health-care assistants throughout the province. The total funding of nearly $1 million will help approximately 100 students get the skills and education they need to build rewarding careers in the health-care field.

In the Okanagan, there will be an expected 2,360 job openings by 2027 for health-care assistants and related professions. Due to the increase in British Columbia’s aging population, the health-care and social assistance sectors will have some of the most career opportunities, with 142,500 job openings within the next decade.

Through Budget 2018, a total of $548 million over three years is provided to improve care for seniors, including investments in primary care, home and community care, residential care and assisted living. The Ministry of Health is working with health authorities to increase staffing levels in residential care homes. Health authorities are working to convert more health-care assistants, who are working part-time and casual, to full-time. 

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For more information on the Labour Market Outlook, please visit: https://www.workbc.ca/getmedia/66fd0e7c-734e-4fcb-b1a6-0454862525a6/BC_Labour_Market_Outlook_2017_Edition_Nov_2017.PDF.aspx