Province chips in to pay continuing care assistants during on-the-job training at Shannex homes

The Nova Scotia government is spending $3.6 millionto test drive a faster way to train continuing care assistants.

Nova Scotia Community College will offer the program in partnership with Shannex, one of the province's largest nursing home operators. The company owns 17 nursing homes in Nova Scotia. It also operates nursing homes and retirement properties in New Brunswick and Ontario.

Shannex will choose 48 Nova Scotianswho will spend six months learning from a new curriculumthat will include paid on-the-job training at one of the company's facilities.

At a news conference on Thursday to launch the program, Labour Minister Jill Balsersaid her department would be subsidising part of the salary paid to trainees.

"Between pay from their employer and a wage supplement from my department's Employment Nova Scotia division, participants will receive at least $18.48 per hour for a 35-hour work week," said Balser.

"After their six-month training is complete and they successfully passed the CCA exam, individuals are guaranteed a job at Shannex, at a minimum rate of $22.22 an hour."

Free tuition, books

The students will be provided free tuition and books, and some may qualify for extra money to pay for child care, transportation, technology, tutoring or moving costs.

Balser said offering people paid trainingas well as other supports will help remove "barriers" for people who would like to become a continuing care assistant.

"Being able to provide our support in that way, I'm extremely proud of and I know that it's going to make the program successful," she said. "I really think that the guaranteed job offer at the end is what makes this unique."

According to an email from Jodi Sibley, a communications adviser with the provincial government,there are currently around650 vacant continuing care assistantpositions in long-term care. About 1,000students have enrolled in continuing care assistantsprograms annuallyfor the past two years.