The program prepares students to provide frontline care in a variety of settings including adult day programs, residential care facilities and home support.
“It’s incredibly rewarding work and there’s a high demand for qualified, competent workers,” said Laurie Bird, department chair and instructor in NIC’s Health Care Assistant program.
The in-community program is available with funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training in conjunction with the Hornby & Denman Community Health Care Society.
“We’re really pleased the Hornby & Denman Community Health Care Society continues to come to NIC to offer quality programming on the islands,” said Bird. “We last ran the HCA program in 2013 on Hornby Island and it was very successful. We know there’s a lot of demand for workers and are anticipating a lot of interest in this program.”
An aging population and current workers reaching retirement age is driving demand for qualified health care assistants on Denman and Hornby Islands.
“Our demographic on the islands is older than the provincial average,” said Lori Nawrot, executive director of the Hornby & Denman Community Health Care Society. “Having qualified workers able to provide home support makes a big difference to residents, allowing them to stay in their homes and communities for as long as possible.”
Having the training delivered in-community makes it more accessible for island residents, noted Nawrot. “We are grateful to North Island College for their willingness to bring this crucial training into our community. It makes it possible for island residents to enter this in-demand field and there is a lot of local interest.”
NIC is hosting an information session on Denman Island for anyone interested in taking the program Monday, April 16 at 1 pm at the Denman Activity Centre.
For more information, visit https://www.nic.bc.ca/programs-courses/health-human-services/health-programs/health-care-assistant/, or call 250-334-5000.
Media Contact
Christiana Wiens
Media Liaison, North Island College
O. 250-334-5280 | M. 250-218-4097
christiana.wiens@nic.bc.ca
