Free tuition for new career

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Sixty adult Nova Scotians are going to train for careers in health care while completing their high school diplomas through a tuition-free program.

The Department of Labour and Workforce Development and the Nova Scotia Community College are piloting the two-year Link Continuing Care Assistant program this fall.

Space is still available for the course in Middleton, which begins Oct. 6, says Nicole Druken, who is program coordinator. "With a growing need for continuing care assistants in Nova Scotia, this is a unique opportunity for adult learners to enter into a fulfilling career in an industry that has a high demand for trained professionals," said Mark Parent, Minister of Labour and Workforce Development. "This is great news for students and for an industry in need of qualified workers."

To qualify for enrolment, candidates must be at least 19 years old, have a Grade 10 or equivalent education, have no high school diploma, and have been out of school for at least one year.

Graduates of the program will be qualified to care for seniors and people with disabilities in private homes, long-term care facilities and hospitals.

George MacDonald, the college's dean of access, is further encouraged by the possible job opportunities students may be offered after graduating. "Partnerships have been arranged with health care providers that will result in conditional one-year employment opportunities," MacDonald said. "As an institution committed to contributing to Nova Scotia's economy, this is definitely in line with our focus here at NSCC."

The program will be will be offered at the college's Annapolis Valley Campus in Middleton and also in Truro and Sydney.

More information is available on the college's website at www.nscc.ca or by calling the admissions department at 1-866-679-6722.