Creating the workforce of the future: Saint Elizabeth and Westervelt College announce landmark health education partnership

MARKHAM, ON, Feb. 13, 2018 /CNW/ - If there's a magical ingredient in companies that last for centuries, you'll surely find it in these two celebrated Canadian brands. With the energy of a startup and a combined 243-years of expertise, Saint Elizabeth Health Care and Westervelt College today announced they are partnering to create a new powerhouse in health education.

As the population ages, there is a growing demand for health services. Based on the number of health care workers approaching retirement, employers are becoming increasingly concerned about staffing and skills shortages. To meet this challenge, there is a focus on hiring graduates with plenty of hands-on skills to deliver high-quality care and services within a rapidly changing industry.

Based in Southwestern Ontario, Westervelt College offers career-focused education and training programs in health care, business, law and IT. Health care diploma and certificate programs include health information management, medical laboratory technician/assistant, intra oral dental assistant, massage therapy, pharmacy technician, personal support worker and medical office administrator. More than 50,000 students have launched new careers as graduates of Westervelt College.

Saint Elizabeth is one of the largest health care providers and employers in Canada. With more than a century of experience in home health care, the organization operates a network of schools in BC and Ontario. Customized offerings include in-person and blended learning, English for Health Care studies, and gold-standard training for personal support workers and health care assistants. Graduates of Saint Elizabeth Health Career College enjoy a 92 per cent employment rate.

Leveraging the unique strengths of each partner, Saint Elizabeth and Westervelt College will be working to amplify learning and innovative career training options to equip students with the knowledge, skills and experience they need for the future of health care.

QUOTES:

"We're seeing unprecedented opportunity and change in health care today. Care is shifting into the home and community, technology is a gamechanger and the demand for new talent and skills is exploding. All of this has important strategic implications for how we attract, educate and empower health professionals."
Shirlee Sharkey, CEO, Saint Elizabeth

"By bringing together the best in health and education, our goal is to create the workforce of the future. As partners, we understand the trends that are shaping the industry and the skills students and graduates need to succeed."
Don Thibert, President, Westervelt College 

FAST FACTS:

• For the first time ever, there are more seniors than children living in Canada (Census, 2016)
• The need for care workers is expected to double in the next five to ten years (Census, 2011)
• The health care industry has a low unemployment rate and is generally not affected by changes in the economy (Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre)

About Westervelt College
Founded in 1885 in London, Ontario, Westervelt College is one of Canada's oldest colleges and has trained more than 50,000 students over its 132-year history. With a growing network of campuses across Ontario, Westervelt offers 17 career-focused programs in the areas of Business, Health Care, Law and IT that are tailored to today's industry, business and employer needs. westervelt.ca

About Saint Elizabeth
Saint Elizabeth is a national social enterprise providing home care, health solutions and education to people where they are and when they need it. With Canadian roots and more than 100 years of expertise, the not-for-profit charitable organization is accelerating health care innovation to support healthy lives globally. Through its team of 9,000 health leaders, Saint Elizabeth delivers 20,000 care exchanges daily, totalling 50 million in the last decade alone. Through its Research Centre, Health Career Colleges and Foundation, Saint Elizabeth is helping to make the future of health care brighter and stronger. saintelizabeth.com

SOURCE Saint Elizabeth Health Care