Fanshawe to offer tuition-free accelerated Personal Support Worker program

To meet the growing need for Personal Support Workers (PSW), Fanshawe College is pleased to offer the PSW accelerated program. This tuition-free, six-month long program is part of $115 million in provincial government funding to train up to 8,200 new PSWs for high-demand jobs in the health and long-term care sectors to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PSW accelerated program will be offered through a blended delivery format that will combine online learning with in-person practical experience. Students will have the opportunity to volunteer at long-term care homes and other settings early in the program. A 12-week paid work placement is available in the final three months of the program after completion of 12 weeks of study. To meet the needs of Fanshawe’s communities, the program will be offered at multiple Fanshawe campuses.

“The need for health care workers has never been greater and Fanshawe looks forward to welcoming students into the PSW accelerated program,” says Fanshawe President Peter Devlin. “Our graduates will be prepared to make a difference in our region by providing high quality care in the health and long-term care sectors. We thank the provincial government for funding this program and providing career opportunities for our students.”

Three start dates for the program have been established by the College. Students have the option of beginning classes on April 5, May 10 or June 14, 2021. Each student will be eligible to complete a paid placement and the last cohort will finish the program by December 2021. Graduates of this two-level program will earn an Ontario college certificate and deliver tremendous care to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

The provincial government is also offering tuition assistance to PSW students who started the program at one of Ontario’s publicly-assisted colleges in January 2021. These students will be eligible to receive a $2,000 tuition grant to help them complete their studies and access to a paid placement.

Further information and registration for the program is available at Ontariocolleges.ca.

For more information about Fanshawe College, please visit Fanshawe's media contact page.