Authority

Clause 53(1)(a) of the Career Colleges Act, 2005 enables the Superintendent of Career Colleges to issue policy directives setting out standards for vocational programs or classes of vocational programs.

Subsection 53(2) of the Career Colleges Act, 2005 establishes that policy directives issued by the Superintendent of Career Colleges are legal requirements that are binding on all career colleges and every career college must comply with and operate in accordance with the policy directive.

Effective September 2015
 

This is a legal document and is binding on all career colleges. Every career college shall comply with and be operated in accordance with this policy directive.

Program approval

Pursuant to subsection 23(1) of the Career Colleges Act, 2005, career colleges that offer vocational programs in the skills and knowledge required to obtain employment as a personal support worker must have these program(s) approved by the Superintendent of Career Colleges.

career colleges seeking approval of personal support worker program(s) must comply with the directive outlined above and submit a complete program approval application to the Superintendent for consideration.

Upon receipt of program approval, the career college must include the disclaimer language below in all student contracts.

Mandatory requirements

Programs offered by career colleges that are designed to prepare students to work as personal support workers are required to:

  • meet the expectations outlined in the following sections of the most recent Personal Support Worker Training Standard, developed by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities:
    • vocational learning outcomes
    • essential employability skills
  • inform students through a disclaimer that a vulnerable sector screening is required prior to commencing a placement or practicum

The Personal Support Worker Training Standard forms part of this directive.

Similar training programs

Programs that are related to personal support worker (for example, personal attendant) are not subject to this policy directive. The career college offering the related program must ensure that all promotional materials and enrolment contracts do not suggest that the program provides students with a personal support worker credential.

Related programs that do not follow the training standard will not lead to employment as a personal support worker in the long-term care homes sector.

Note: Ontario Regulation 79/10 under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 sets out the qualifications for individuals hired as personal support workers or hired to provide personal support services in long-term care homes.

career colleges must ensure that students are aware of and understand all the qualification requirements in the various sectors that employ personal support workers.

Enforcement

Under subsection 24(1) of the Career Colleges Act, 2005, a career college's program approval may be revoked if the Superintendent believes that the program fails to meet the conditions of the approval. If a career college does not comply with the directive set out above, any or all of the following enforcement actions may be taken:

  • issuance of a Notice of Program Revocation
  • issuance of a Compliance or Restraining Order
  • application to a court for a Judicial Restraining Order
  • Proposal to Revoke or to Not Renew Registration
  • Prosecution for offences under the Career Colleges Act, 2005

Duty to inform

College use only

Important note to the registered career college providing training:

  • The wording in the disclaimer below must be used exactly as specified and must be provided by the career college to students when the contract is being reviewed and signed.
  • Please insert the school and program name where indicated and include a signature and date line to record the student's acknowledgement.
  • The document must be kept in the student's file as a record of the disclosure.

Disclaimer for students in programs leading to work with vulnerable sectors

Name of school: [  insert name of school ]

Name of program: [ insert name of program ]

This program involves direct contact with vulnerable individuals. Students must obtain a Vulnerable Sector Screening before they start a placement or practicum.

The screening involves a search of the Vulnerable Sector Database, maintained by the Ontario Provincial Police. The search looks for any information about a person in police files, including criminal convictions, outstanding charges, and information about suspected criminal offences or serious criminal investigations. This includes any contact a person may have had with police services under the Mental Health Act, 1990. See www.ontario.ca/laws

Screening can take 10 to 12 weeks to complete.

It is a good practice to get the results before the training program begins to be sure that you can complete a placement or practicum and graduate.

If you choose to begin the program before you have the results, please plan your time so that you can receive the report before applying for a placement or practicum. If you start the program and do not receive the report, you risk being ineligible for a placement or practicum, and you may not be able to graduate. Tuition and fee refunds may be affected.

You must not do anything during the program or placement that would affect the results of your vulnerable sector screening report. If so, you may not be able to continue your studies.

Further information regarding the Police Reference Check Program and the screening process can be viewed on the Ontario Provincial Police website at www.opp.ca.

I understand that if I do not obtain a vulnerable sector screening, I risk being:

  • unable to begin a placement or continue a placement
  • unable to graduate
  • unable to receive a partial refund or no refund of tuition, depending on when I withdraw or am expelled from this program

Student's name (print)

Student Signature:

Date:

Contact

If you have questions, contact the ministry at:

Career Colleges Branch
Ministry of Colleges and Universities
77 Wellesley Street, Box 977
Toronto, ON M7A 1N3