Continuing care assistants provide personal and compassionate care to people in long-term care and home care settings. CCAs help clients with daily activities, support social or recreational interactions, and help maintain client safety and wellbeing. Photo: NS Government.
Nova Scotia’s first class of graduates from the new Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) training program has just wrapped up, with 17 students joining the healthcare workforce.
The pilot program, which cuts the training time down to six months instead of the usual eight, focuses on practical skills like resident safety, personal care, and well-being.
Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, Barbara Adams, said the goal is to get more CCAs into the workforce faster.
A second group of students started in Halifax on October 1, and the province plans to use what they learn from the pilot to see if any changes are needed before making it the standard across Nova Scotia.
This program is a joint effort between Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), Shannex, and the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration. Students get support with things like tuition, books, and even transportation costs, plus a guaranteed job when they finish.
The province has put about $3.6 million into this pilot to help tackle the shortage of CCAs.
