Free Mohawk course trains residents for jobs in health care
A new program is offering free training to low-income residents for culinary and housekeeping jobs in the health-care sector hit hard by COVID-19.
Six students are enrolled in the first session of the culinary and environmental services program offered by Mohawk College in partnership with Indwell, an affordable housing charity, which began in July.
The free course, which includes a paid placement, is not only offering new prospects to job-seekers, but is also helping meet demand created by the pandemic for workers in seniors' homes, supportive housing and hospitals.
Where I come from, older people are really appreciated and they're a huge part of the makeup of society," said Nabila Abuhalala, originally from Libya, who's part of the first cohort. I miss that."
The program was a good fit for the 49-year-old mother of four who didn't have prior job experience and felt comfortable working in a kitchen. Abuhalala is also happy to be able to help and contribute to society" at the same time, she said.
Indwell originally started the culinary program in 2019, but couldn't offer it the next year due to COVID, said Hannah Pahuta, manager of commercial and social enterprises. Now, it's been relaunched with an added environmental services (or housekeeping) element and funding from SkillsAdvance Ontario - a government project that trains people with skills for jobs facing labour shortages.
The restaurant landscape changed a lot during COVID, so we really wanted to best position the students for where the jobs were," Pahuta said. So, we geared this whole program toward health-care jobs."
Another student, Felicia Rodgers, trained as a chef and previously enjoyed working as a cook at Kingsberry Place seniors' home. She hopes to return to a retirement home or hospital setting to give back, especially after seeing what residents went through during the pandemic.
The residents always had funny stories," she said about her previous job. If it wasn't for them, none of us would be here today."
The eight-week program offers both technical training on housekeeping and healthy meal preparation, as well as training in interpersonal skills and safe and ethical work practices for working with vulnerable residents. Training is hands-on in a kitchen equipped for physical distancing, said Pahuta. Students also receive help with job-seeking skills.
Sarah Allen, 45, is a former personal support worker (PSW) who has worked with seniors since she was 15. She hopes the program will help her return to long-term care.
Other students, like Taylor Prince, joined because they love the culinary arts. The 22-year-old was introduced to cooking in high school. She has enjoyed learning how to make salads through this program, and will soon learn how to make Hollandaise sauce from a professional chef.
One of the chief complaints in long-term care during the pandemic has been staffing shortages, including of cleaning staff.
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgency for enhanced care and cleaning in residential facilities in Hamilton and across the province," said Donna Skelly, MPP for Flamborough-Glanbrook, in a release.
Currently, there's funding for two more sessions - beginning in October and January, respectively - with up to eight students each. Details are available through Mohawk College.
Maria Iqbal is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator covering aging. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com