Ontario Makes a Substantial Investment to Its Health-Care Workforce, Reaching Nearly 2,000 Workers and Jobseekers 

Health-care systems do not depend on doctors and nurses alone. Personal support workers, laboratory professionals, nurse practitioners and many other roles keep patient care moving. Ontario is now directing new funding towards that wider workforce. 

The province has committed $10.9 million through the Skills Development Fund Training Stream, with the latest investment going towards health-care projects across Ontario. It is part of the programme’s sixth round, which is supporting projects designed around specific workforce needs. 

Ten organisations are receiving funding through the health-care projects. Together, they are expected to prepare nearly 2,000 workers and jobseekers, with the programmes covering different occupations rather than following a single training model. 

Nursing, personal support work, nurse practitioner roles and medical laboratory technology are among the areas covered. Scarborough Health Network, for example, is receiving $2.23 million to train 110 people for personal support worker, nursing and nurse practitioner roles, including people from underrepresented, rural and remote communities. 

Another part of the announcement is particularly relevant to professionals who trained outside Canada. Internationally educated doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals are included in some of the funded projects, with organisations such as Windmill Microlending and ACCES involved in providing targeted support. 

The projects differ in what they provide. Specialised training, work placements, mentorship and career support are among the forms of support included in the funded initiatives. For internationally educated professionals, however, these are project-specific programmes—not a new immigration or professional-registration pathway. 

Ontario is also putting tighter checks around the funding. The latest projects were selected under a strengthened version of the Skills Development Fund Training Stream, following recommendations from the Auditor General’s 2025 review. Employment outcomes will now be tracked at three, six and 12 months, alongside stronger project screening and risk assessment. 

For workers and jobseekers, the practical details will come down to which of the 10 projects they may qualify for. Ontario says people interested in participating should contact the organisations leading the individual projects directly 

Source:  

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1007867/ontario-investing-109-million-to-strengthen-the-health-care-workforce