Windmill is a proud partner of Keyin College in Newfoundland and Labrador whose offerings – including diploma, micro-credentialing and upskilling opportunities – are designed to meet the needs of our changing healthcare system. Their innovative International Personal Care Attendant program caters to foreign students wishing to become Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) in Canada, a critical resource especially as Canada faces a worker shortage and a rapidly expanding population of elderly residents requiring support.
Under this program, graduates have a streamlined path to Permanent Residency in Canada. It starts with 30 weeks of virtual education in students’ home countries, followed by a practical training of 15 weeks in Canada, during which they receive housing from the provincial government. Including time for relocation, students typically complete the program within one year.
Understanding the vital role PCAs play in our healthcare system and the current shortages faced across the country, Windmill offers pre-approval on loans to students registered in this program. This helps to attract more potential PCAs to Canada, and get them into jobs faster, helping to support individuals experiencing behavioral health conditions.
Here, Keyin College’s Blair Connolly, Director of International Admissions, discusses the details of this much-needed program.
Keyin College offers both education and an immigration pathway to prospective permanent residents of Newfoundland, Canada. Tell us how this program originated and how it has evolved.
The IPCA program began in 2021 as a Study Permit pathway via our relationship with the Centre for Nursing Studies, permitting some of their students to obtain their Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) upon completion. In the beginning, we witnessed an abnormally high percentage of Study Permit refusals, but as of 2023, we devised a successful pathway, working closely with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) and the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism. Now, all students in the IPCA garner a conditional job offer from NLHS, which allows us to leverage both the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and Work Permit pathways. This model is now delivering high rates of PNP nominations and Work Permit approvals, in addition to highly competent, successful Personal Care Attendants to the NLHS workforce from across the globe.
As our demographics change in Canada, we know we will need more care workers looking after the needs of seniors in the coming decades. What is the role of Keyin College in solving this problem?
Keyin College can play a strategic and impactful role in addressing the growing need for care workers to support Canada’s aging population. We’ve developed specialized programs in healthcare and geriatrics and offer fast-track certification for those wishing to transition into a career in this sector. We partner with a range of healthcare providers to deliver experiential learning and are training students to support aging-in-place initiatives.
Where do you see participants coming from around the world? What is the appeal for them in moving to Canada as a Personal Care Attendant?
Working as a PCA in Canada offers a rewarding career in a country known for its stability, prosperity and cultural diversity. Our IPCA program attracts participants from around the world who are motivated by the many opportunities Canada offers, not to mention our great quality of life and friendly communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our current students (about 200) come from all over, representing countries in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Americas.
What feedback have you received from your students about how a Windmill loan may have supported their career journey after arriving in Canada?
Our students have expressed immense gratitude for the support provided by Windmill loans, emphasizing the program’s transformative impact on their career journeys and personal lives as newcomers to Canada. They tell us that having access to credit when it’s most needed, and the ability to meet critical expenses aligns perfectly with their needs and allows them to succeed in their learning goals and transition to Canadian life.
