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The following is a list of school boards in Ontario who teach Personal Support Worker (PSW) through Ontario Secondary School (OSS) health technology curriculum and Cooperative Education guidelines. At this point in there are twenty four (24) School Boards in Ontario that are involved with CESBA and PSW training. Most programs have been training for over three years and some as many as ten years. Algoma DSB NOTE: If your board is involved in PSW training and you wish to be listed please contact the CESBA office. The CESBA PSW committee schedules at least two general meetings annually (Spring and Fall). The School Board programs involved with CESBA feel it is important to be kept up to date with recent changes in health care and wish to share new approaches, ideas and best practice teaching tools and resources with each other. CESBA provides a venue to communicate regularly with people from the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA). OCSA developed the original PSW curriculum in consultation with numerous stakeholders in 1997 and this is the curriculum that was approved by the (then) Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU). There is a CORE Committee (9 boards identified with an asterisk) involved in planning etc which also meets at least twice annually prior to the general meetings. School board PSW programs follow the guidelines establish by the OCSA as established by the Long Term Care Homes Act and have undergone or are currently undergoing an Accreditation process with OCSA to ensure that high standards are met. Most programs exceed the minimum requirements as established by OCSA. The employment rate for individuals trained as PSW by school boards reflects a range from approximately 80%-100% and it tends to fluctuate from class to class and year to year. It is important to note that those who are not employed after earning their PSW Certificate have chosen not to be employed for various reasons. Some decide to go to Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) training, some have other obstacles that prevent employment at that time, and others have decided not to pursue health care as a career, while some use the training for personal reasons (family care). Each school board from small to large is training from 40-500 learners per year and many Boards still have waiting lists for people to get into the program. Also, we have found that there is a tremendous demand for retraining people who are currently working in the Long Term Care (LTC) facilities who have outdated credentials. Many Boards are working with the PSW Bridging program in order to address this need, which was brought about by the changes made by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. Most of the Boards involved were encouraged by the LTC facilities to assist with the upgrading in qualifications for current LTC employees. May of the adults served, require a high school diploma upon completion because many employers insist on that qualification in addition to the PSW certificate. School boards are able to issue PSW Certificates and Ontario Secondary School Diploma’s (OSSD’s) simultaneously which proves to be a win win for all. School boards are established in every corner of Ontario. Because of this fact, they are able to reach and address the needs of adults from both the highly populated urban centres as well as the remote regions of Ontario. School Board Adult and Continuing Education programs have proven to be very economical and therefore cost efficient for training adults. Having a variety of providers allows adults to choose the program that they feel, best meets their needs. Concerns they may have often times focus on, self esteem, abilities and accessibility, from both a cost and transportation perspective. Current issues under review Accreditation of PSW programs through OCSA Certification of PSW’s PSW Registry Course enhancements Contact with OCSA, MOHLTC, MTCU, Min Ed.
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