On March 20, 2017, the Niagara Region Consortium Subcommittee on Seniors Health launched a career fair initiative entitled Autobus carrières-santé. As part of this project, a group of around twenty nursing, social work, psychoeducation and elder care students embarked on a tour of a number of designated French language health services providers (HSP).
Recruiting bilingual health professionals is a key element for the effective delivery of French language services (FLS).
Expanding access to French Language Health Services for Francophones
Project Objectives
- To remedy the shortage of bilingual health professionals in the Niagara Region
- To build working relationships between health care institutions, vocational programs and community organizations
- To assist French language health care providers in recruiting bilingual personnel
- To make bilingual students aware of employers actively hiring bilingual personnel
Tour Itinerary
The future professionals from the Toronto and Hamilton campuses of Collège Boréal visited the following venues:
- Alzheimer Society, 403 Ontario St, St Catharines, ON
- Brain Injury Community Re-Entry Inc, 4900 Buckley Ave, Niagara Falls, ON
- Foyer Richelieu Welland Inc, 655 Tanguay Ave, Welland, ON
- Centre de Santé Communautaire, 810 East Main, Welland, ON
Project Results
- Members of the Niagara Region Consortium subcommittee on Seniors health as well as the participating health care providers reiterated their commitment and confirmed their interest in hosting this event again in future.
- The initiative led to strong and lasting partnerships.
- The tour led to two new hires!
How to get involved
If you are a health care employer looking for bilingual staff and wish to participate in the Autobus carrières-santé project, contact Annie Boucher at 905-734-1579 or aboucher@entitesante2.ca.