I can give a basic description of this pilot project.
In the context of the pandemic, there was an astounding lack of workers, for all the reasons we know.
We tried to think of a way to quickly bring partners together to explore the possibilities of finding an innovative model to train and deliver more workers in a short time frame. It's a somewhat classic example, where the federal government takes the initiative to bring everyone together to work on something innovative. If it works, it creates something that the provinces and territories can replicate in their respective systems.
In this case, we tried to use everything we heard about training for these positions. People who were interested in doing the job didn't want to go back to school full time. We created a pilot project that tested intensive training offered partially online. Students could do it whenever they wanted. Then they had a work placement. That's something else that's very much in demand. People want to learn on the job rather than in a classroom.
This creates what is known as a micro-certification. This means that after online training and an internship, the individual becomes an assistant and can work with slightly less responsibility than if they had the full certification.
Half of the participants chose to continue their education and finished their certification. This innovative model has been recognized as a way to deal with staff shortages. It's an interesting pilot project to see if other training models can attract people. People who are still working and have mortgages to pay are often not ready to go back to school full time.
The other interesting thing about this pilot project...