Up to 30 eligible British Columbians will get skills and training to prepare them for jobs as health-care assistants, recreational co-ordinators and community- and personal-support workers.

This is a new Community and Employer Partnership (CEP) project from the Government of British Columbia and is intended for immigrants.

“There remains a shortage of qualified health-care assistants and personal-support workers in B.C. right now,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “This new project will give participants the skills and experience they need to apply for and get good-paying jobs in this important field.”

Government is providing nearly $365,000 to Cambria College Victoria to deliver skills and certification courses in two separate intakes of its Health Care Assistant Plus diploma program.

During the project, participants will receive 23 weeks of occupational, essential and employability skills training, eight weeks of on-the-job work experience and two weeks of followup support to assist in their job search. They will also receive certification courses in Foodsafe Level 1, Standard First Aid with CPR C, Student Practice Education Core Orientation, Provincial Violence Prevention for Health Care Workers and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHIMS).

“We are privileged and excited to partner with the Government of British Columbia to provide health-care assistant training to eligible participants,” said Karen Fisher, campus director, Cambria College Victoria. “This training will equip them with current and updated skills at our state-of-the-art lab facilities, as well as additional certifications that will add value and allow them to become readily employed in the health-care sector. It’s a win-win for participants, partners and our community.”

Funding for this project is provided through the Project Based Labour Market Training stream of WorkBC’s CEP. CEP aims to increase employment and work experience opportunities for unemployed British Columbians through local community partnerships, shared information, technology and innovative practices.

“These are challenging times, and care workers and health-care aids have been providing critical supports on the front line. At the same time, many British Columbians find themselves unemployed,” said Grace Lore, MLA for Beacon Hill-Victoria. “Community organizations like Cambria College and employers around the province are working together to increase employment opportunities and ensure there are workers with the skills and training to provide these important services in our communities. I wish all the participants good luck in their studies.”

Full-time, classroom and online learning for this project starts on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Project activities run through to Sept. 10, 2021.

Anyone interested in the second intake, which runs from March 29 to Nov. 12, 2021, or other employment and training opportunities, can contact their local WorkBC centre.

Quick Facts:

• More than $15 million will be invested in CEP projects around B.C. in 2020-21.
• This year, the provincial government also announced more than $4.4 million for health-profession-related education and training at public B.C. post-secondary institutions.

Learn More:

Learn how CEPs are helping local communities: www.workbc.ca/Employment-Services/Community-and-Employer-Partnerships.aspx

Learn about how WorkBC can help British Columbians find jobs that are right for them: www.workbc.ca/rightforyou

Find your local WorkBC centre: https://www.workbc.ca/Employment-Services/WorkBC-Centres/WorkBC-Centres-Listing.aspx

Cambria College: https://www.cambriacollege.ca/