The South West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is offering money to students to address a shortage of personal support workers in Ontario.
The LHIN is funding 200 bursaries worth a total of $1 million, split between Lambton College and three others.
Lambton's share is 20 scholarships valued at $5,000 each. That will be split between this fall, next spring, and next fall.
VON, CarePartners, and OneCare have also committed to hiring 165 PSWs across the region and pay for their training and placements.
College spokesperson Cindy Buchanan welcomes the announcement.
"This is great news for our college and for the Sarnia-Lambton community," said Buchanan. "We recognize that there is a shortage of personal support workers in our region, and we really hope that these professional and financial supports will encourage more students to pursue this career pathway."
The LHIN's home care program provides 30,000 PSW visits to over 6,000 patients across the region each week.
Buchanan said PSWs are especially important locally, given Sarnia's aging population.
She said there are still spots available for the upcoming semester.
Those interested in applying can attend the Return to Learn information session on August 21 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the London Road campus. You can also click here, or call 519-541-2403 for more details.
