News
St. Joseph's Care Group Launches New Career Development Program in Partnership with Confederation College
Some of the students in the program's first cohort
together with St. Joseph's Care Group leadership
As healthcare and long-term care systems continue to navigate workforce shortages, investing in the people already providing care has become more important than ever.
For many working professionals, career advancement is not a question of ambition, but access. The desire to grow and build new skills is already there. What stands in the way are the logistics: time, cost, family responsibilities, and the difficult reality of stepping away from work in favour of pursuing education.
A new partnership with Confederation College means St. Joseph's Care Group's long-term care employees can do both. The first cohort of Personal Support Workers and Internationally Educated Nurses will begin classes this June with the goal of obtaining their Diploma in Registered Practical Nursing, helping them build meaningful careers in nursing while remaining connected to the residents and communities they already serve.
Last week, Hogarth Riverview Manor hosted a partnership agreement signing and reception celebrating the students preparing to begin the program alongside leadership from both organizations and supporters of the initiative.
The program is intentionally built around the realities of working life. With classes offered onsite at Hogarth Riverview Manor and program costs fully covered by St. Joseph's Care Group, the initiative is designed to improve access to education and make career growth feel possible and sustainable - not out of reach.
"Our staff bring incredible skill, compassion, and dedication to the work they do every day," said Adam Shaen, Vice President, People & Mission at St. Joseph's Care Group. "Creating opportunities for career growth while supporting them in the workplace helps strengthen our teams and build a more sustainable healthcare workforce for the future."
The initiative reflects a shared commitment not only to reducing barriers to education, but to the people who are dedicated to serving the community with compassion every day.
"Through this partnership with St. Joseph's Care Group, Confederation College is helping create accessible pathways for healthcare professionals to advance their careers while continuing to serve our community," said Michelle Salo, President of Confederation College. "By recognizing the experience and skills that participants already bring to the workforce, this program supports career growth, strengthens the healthcare system, and helps address the ongoing need for skilled nurses across Northwestern Ontario."
Bahaa, one of the students in the first cohort in this program, is an Internationally Educated Nurse whose move to Canada was set into action when he decided to join St. Joseph's Care Group. "It was a dream come true," he shared. "I would never regret this choice...I'm building myself again here."
As the students prepare to begin, the initiative is being met with a strong sense of pride and excitement. For many participants, it represents more than professional advancement - it is recognition of the care, dedication, and potential they already bring, and an opportunity to build meaningful careers rooted in the communities they already serve.
For more information, please contact:
St. Joseph's Care Group
Communications & Government Relations
Media Line: 807-768-4455 | Email: sjcg@tbh.net
