Micro-credentials, developed by Lambton College, aim to streamline and standardize training at long-term care (LTC) homes across the region.
The Sarnia-Lambton school recently developed training modules through a partnership with the regional Long-Term Care Facility Operator Group. Under the Ontario Micro-credentials Challenge Fund and a previous Community Impact Award, Lambton College received $997,000 for the project.
Innovation Institute Director Sandy Vascotto said the project started in early 2022. A consensus was identified between regional LTC facilities in order to create human resource (HR) orientation training modules.
"A home can use them as the basis for their HR orientation and then an individual who's been trained using these micro-credentials can then move to another regional LTC home that's part of the cooperative concept and would recognize that HR orientation training," he said. "Where there are differences between the homes, in terms of the module requirements, the individual only needs to get the training on the balance of what they don't already have in order to start working at the home."
Vascotto said in addition to streamlining the HR training process, the 28 micro-credentials provide a clear standard of care.
"In many ways, this is a bit of an equalizer across the LTC homes. Whether you're a large home or a small home, from a client perspective, this enables you to know that all the staff -- saying regardless of resources -- are at a level and standard that has been set by the care home industry."
Eleven regional LTC homes are using micro-credentials to train new hires. Vascotto said they expect the pilot phase of the project to expand outside of the region near the beginning of December.
"This is less of a college-built solution, but a solution informed entirely by the regional LTC homes to align to that," Vascotto said. "Within the pilot phase, which is currently ongoing, their feedback is being used to tweak the modules to make sure that we're in alignment with what their needs are."
Once the project expands outside of Sarnia-Lambton, feedback will continuously be received.
Some of the complexities at LTC homes, heightened during the pandemic, includes staff shortages, increased turnovers, and training gaps. The Ontario Micro-credentials Challenge Fund provided $15 million to post-secondary institutions and funding was awarded to over 65 projects.
