THUNDER BAY — Confederation College says it's doing its part to try to address the labour shortages in northern Ontario that are a focus of recent changes to an economic immigration program.
Earlier this month, the provincial government announced it is adding truck drivers and personal support workers to the list of occupations included in the In-Demand Skills Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, saying northern communities are disproportionately affected by shortages in these two areas.
In partnership with the federal government, OINP allows the province to nominate immigrants for permanent residence in order to fill talent gaps and support economic growth.
Another change to the program will see the required work experience for applicants reduced.
In a statement, Confederation College said these revisions could open the door for more people to show interest in careers as truck drivers or PSWs, "but the key to any candidate's success will be the right education."
The college said that for a number of years it has tried to help reduce the truck driver and PSW shortage through innovative programming and specialty training.
It cited its AZ Truck Driver MELT (Mandatory Entry Level Training) course as an example.
The program meets and exceeds all the mandatory objectives of the Ministry of Transportation's Commercial Truck Driver Training Standard released in 2017, and has "a significant focus on safety, health, prevention and accountability," said Jason Ozbolt, the college's manager of Training Initiatives.
To date, Confederation has offered the program through its Thunder Bay and Rainy River District campuses, but is now looking at expanding it to other communities in northwestern Ontario.
The college's PSW program is offered at all nine of its campuses as well as through distance education.
Shane Strickland, dean of the School of Health, Negahneewin and Community Services, said the college "has tried to think outside the box" to encourage more people to look at PSW as an occupation.
"In recent years, we've introduced an accelerated option, partnered with industry...and launched the innovative 'living classrooms' approach at some regional campuses," Strickland said.
The living classroom enables students to study on-site at long-term and other health care facilities where they can immediately apply theory learned in the classroom by practising their skills in a care setting.
