TORONTO — Ontario is offering tuition support for up to 4,000 personal support worker students enrolling at private career colleges.

The program first launched last year and the government says it helped 3,000 personal support workers get trained and graduate.

This year, the government is putting up to $54.7 million toward the program.

New students who enrol between June 1 and Sept. 30 in a personal support worker program at a participating Ontario Student Assistance Program-approved private career college could get up to $13,690 toward tuition, books and fees.

The government says that will help it meet a commitment of providing an average of four hours of direct care per day to long-term care residents.

Ontario says job postings for personal support workers have more than quadrupled since 2017.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2022.

The Canadian Press