Personal support worker course requested by residents

Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, May 8, 2014

INUVIK
While an open house to provide information on the new personal support worker program didn't attract much interest April 30, college officials are still pleased with the response.

The program is being re-introduced to the college for the next two academic years after an absence of several years, said Aurora Campus director Doug Robertson.

The impetus behind the resurrection of the program is fairly simple. Local organizations and interests, particularly the Inuvialuit and the Gwich'in, asked for the program to be brought back and are helping to fund it as a response to a community need, he said.

"In 2014-15, we're running it primarily for residents in the Beaufort-Delta," he said. "In 2015-15, it will primarily be for Sahtu residents.

"Largely, that's just due to who funds the program," Robertson explained. "In this case, the 2014-15 funding is being provided by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the college. In 2015-16 there's funding from the Sahtu health and social services and the college," he added.

Personal support workers can fill a variety of roles, from working in hospitals to long-term care facilities to group homes to community positions where they do home visits, Robertson said.

"So the open house is to let the public know about the personal support worker program," he said. "Everyone, I think, in this country is aware of rising health-care costs, and the aging of the population."

"But with the NWT being the territory that it is, you can't build a long-term care facility in every community. But, on the other hand, you want your elders to be able to stay as long as possible in their communities. So, by having PSW worker being able to provide support in the home, you're able to extend their staying in the community."

Robertson said there are new facilities planned for the Sahtu that should open around 2018 or 2019, which means the new graduates from the PSW program will be ideally placed to fill those jobs.

There is space for 14 students in September and a similar number the next year.

While the April 30 open house didn't attract many people, an earlier one at the college's downtown learning centre did, Robertson said, and he as gratified to see that.

"It was really well-received and we're trying to do that in all of the communities as well. The critical thing is to try to train people to work in their own communities."

Applications are being accepted now, with a deadline of May 31.

Only one person dropped by the open house. She wouldn't give her name, but said she was motivated by a need to address the problems she saw developing in her community.

Unfortunately, she said she didn't think she would qualify for the program this year because she needed some academic upgrading.

Still, she had hopes to apply for the second round of the program after upgrading.