On March 26, 2025, CESBA PSW programming staff, PSW champions and key people from school boards, community organizations and the Ontario Ministries of Education and Long-Term Care gathered in Toronto for our PSW Engagement Strategy wrap-up day. We heard from the PSW champions who shared their experiences connecting with high school students during presentations and career fairs, and also from educators who spoke to the positive impact that the champions made on their SHSM–Health & Wellness program students.
There was much discussion around how we can continue to reach key audiences, improve connections between education providers and long-term care, continue to engage students, and expand delivery of health-related mini-certificate training for SHSM students.
We also said a huge thank you and farewell to CESBA’s amazing ES Project Coordinator, Angie Lowry, who worked tirelessly over the span of the project to reach as many schools as possible and to coordinate all the events and distribution of promotional kits.
Funded by the Government of Ontario and led by CESBA, the Engagement Strategy project aimed to raise awareness of health-care careers among secondary students, focusing on the PSW pathway. Through outreach and promotional kits, the project reached 75 school boards and 369 schools. A total of 38 events were held including high school presentations, community events and conferences, reaching hundreds of attendees.