125 Resident Care Workers to be trained and receive free tuition this year

Islanders have lined up to become resident care workers following an announcement by the provincial government that tuition costs will be paid in full for students in any Resident Care Worker training program on Prince Edward Island. 

Through the Resident Care Worker Support Program announced last Spring, the province will train 125 new Resident Care Workers this year, all of which would receive free tuition. There are currently 96 students already enrolled in Resident Care Worker training based on the April and September intakes for programs offered in the province. By working with the training institutions, the province has been able to more than double training opportunities this year, compared to last year where 49 RCWs were trained on Prince Edward Island. The province is working on expanding training opportunities even further in 2023. 

“It was identified that there was a shortage of trained Resident Care Workers throughout our healthcare system and our government immediately started working on opportunities to encourage more Islanders to enroll in the training program to join our healthcare system in these critical roles. By working collaboratively across government, we were able to use all available resources to quickly provide free tuition to students enrolling in the RCW training programs in addition to doubling our training capacity with plans to further expand in 2023.”

- Health and Wellness Minister Ernie Hudson

The Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, through SkillsPEI, teamed up with the Department of Health and Wellness to cover tuition costs for any Islander pursuing RCW training at Holland College, College de l’Ile or Marguerite Connolly Training Institute.  This program was developed in response to the shortage of Resident Care Workers throughout the healthcare system and is funded by the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-Prince Edward Island Labour Market Transfer Agreements. 

Resident Care Workers are critically important members of health care, working in many settings including long-term care, home care, mental health and addictions and acute care settings. The Resident Care Worker Support program was developed to increase the pool of skilled RCWs on Prince Edward Island.

The Resident Care Worker Support Program provides financial assistance, including free tuition to eligible individuals to help them complete a post-secondary certificate or diploma and transition to sustainable employment.   

Media contact:
Ron Ryder    
Department of Health and Wellness
902-314-6367
rrryder@gov.pe.ca