A bursary program for continuing care assistants is being launched. It will provide successful applicants a $4,000 bursary to enroll in continuing care programs through the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and Université Sainte-Anne.
“Continuing care assistants play a valuable role in caring for our loved ones in long-term care as well as at home,” said Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey. “By encouraging more people to enter this rewarding field, we are also helping support the workforce to ensure more care for those who need it.”
Through this investment, 115 bursaries will be available. NSCC will award 95 bursaries at campuses across the province, while another 20 will be awarded through Universite Sainte-Anne.
The objective of the program is to remove financial barriers for students and to increase enrolment in the program. Bursaries will be prioritized based on communities with greatest staffing needs and programs with vacancies. Bursaries are being allocated to the following campuses:
Université Sainte-Anne
- Halifax
- Church Point, District of Clare, Digby Co.
- Tusket, Yarmouth Co.
NSCC
- Kentville
- Middleton
- Amherst
- Port Hawkesbury
“Continuing care is an important field of study at the college,” said Lynn Hartwell, NSCC vice president for campuses and communities. “The province’s support, aimed at boosting the number of those wishing to work in the field is a positive investment in those individuals wishing to train for this caring profession.”
The bursary was recommended by the Expert Advisory Panel on Long-Term Care to support workforce staffing and recruitment.
“Given the critical shortage of health-care professionals and services in French in Nova Scotia, we are thrilled to be able to offer these scholarships to francophones who would like to pursue a career in health,” said Allister Surette, president and vice-chancellor, Université Sainte-Anne. “This is excellent news for all of our Acadian and francophone regions.”
Funding for this initiative comes from the Canada-Nova Scotia Home and Community Care and Mental Health and Addiction Services Funding Agreement.
“The Government of Canada is pleased to support this bursary initiative that will help students who want to pursue a career in the health-care field,” said MP Colin Fraser, on behalf of Ginette Petitpas Taylor, federal Minister of Health. “Funding for continuing care assistant students means more resources to help our loved ones live at home for longer, and will ultimately enhance the lives of Nova Scotians.”
Applications close Sept. 4 for Université Sainte-Anne and Sept. 13 for NSCC. More information is available online:
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