Ontario announced today that it is investing more than $300 million over three years to attract more personal support workers in long-term care homes and in the home and community care sector.
The province is now offering new incentives of up to $25,400 to students and recent graduates of personal support worker education programs, including:
- Up to $5,400 to students while they complete their clinical placement in long-term care or home and community care;
- $10,000 for current students and recent graduates who commit to working in a long-term care home or with a home and community care service provider for 12 months; and
- $10,000 to help with relocation costs to graduates who commit to working in a long-term care home or with a home and community care service provider in a rural, remote or northern community for 12 months
These incentives are retroactive to April 1, 2023 for students who recently completed their clinical placements and personal support workers who started working in long-term care or home and community care.
Students who started a district school board personal support worker program on or after April 1, 2023 will also have their student fees waived or reimbursed.
“Our government is fixing long-term care by training, hiring and retaining thousands of people to provide high quality care for residents,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Long-Term Care. “These incentives will help people launch rewarding careers, increase the hours of direct care our residents connect to, and support the staffing needs of rural, remote and northern long-term care homes.”
The Ontario government is also increasing direct care for long-term care residents by investing $16.5 million in a program that will train up to 600 people to become personal support workers. The province is funding the Learn and Earn Accelerated Program for Personal Support Workers in Long-Term Care (LEAP LTC) — an online, accelerated program that trains existing long-term care staff, such as resident attendants and dietary aides, to become personal support workers. Graduates of this program who make a commitment to work in a home for one year are also eligible for the incentives.
