We know that when your work is affected by tariffs or trade disruptions, the impact goes far beyond your job. It can mean reduced hours, layoffs, and uncertainty about what comes next. You might be considering a career change while wondering how you could possibly afford to return to school.
Here at the Canadian College of Healthcare and Pharmaceutics (CCHAP), our SHIFT Initiative helps eligible Ontario workers explore a new direction through 100% tuition-funded healthcare training. It’s specifically designed to support people from manufacturing, softwood lumber, automotive, and steel industries. SHIFT brings together career-focused education and one-on-one academic advisor support to help make that next step feel possible.
What Is the SHIFT Initiative?
SHIFT is CCHAP’s initiative to help Ontario workers and jobseekers affected by tariffs, trade disruptions, automation, or global market shifts retrain for opportunities in healthcare. In partnership with the Canadian Federal and Provincial governments, through Skills Advance Ontario (SAO), eligible participants can access funded training in four programs: Personal Care Aide, Medical Office Assistant, Phlebotomy, and Clinical Research.
Final eligibility for funding is confirmed by the program team. Our Academic Advisors can help you understand the opportunity and explore whether it fits your situation.
How Skills Advance Ontario Supports This Work
The Governments of Canada and Ontario are collaborating through the Canada–Ontario Workforce Tariff Response initiative to support workers and sectors affected by trade disruptions, tariffs, and changing global markets. Skills Advance Ontario is one of the programs delivering this support. Jointly funded by the federal and provincial governments, SAO brings employers and employment and training service providers together to help people build skills and pursue meaningful career pathways.
Its objectives include helping workers retrain, supporting training for people on reduced hours, and connecting jobseekers with employment opportunities. It also helps employers develop and retain a skilled workforce as their needs change. CCHAP’s SHIFT Initiative brings that focus on workforce transition into healthcare training, helping eligible learners explore what their next chapter could look like.
Four Healthcare Pathways to Explore
Healthcare includes a wide range of roles, from direct client support to administration and research. Through SHIFT, eligible learners can explore four different training options.
Personal Care Aide
Personal Care Aide training can prepare you for roles such as home support worker, caregiver or personal care attendant, working for home care agencies, community support organizations or private households. You could support older adults, people with disabilities or clients recovering at home. Canadian home support wages can be as high as $27 per hour, equivalent to $56,000 annually with full-time hours.
Medical Office Assistant
Explore opportunities as a medical office assistant, medical receptionist or medical administrative assistant in family practices, specialist clinics, hospitals and other healthcare offices. Your work could involve booking appointments, maintaining patient records and coordinating office administration. Depending on the role, Canadian wages range roughly from $16–$32 per hour, equivalent to approximately $34,000–$67,000 annually.
Phlebotomy
Phlebotomy training can support opportunities in blood collection at hospitals, diagnostic laboratories and clinics. Potential roles include phlebotomist and, with additional qualifications, medical laboratory assistant. There are a number of companies like Life Labs and Dynacare with hundreds of locations to potentially work at. In Canada wages can be up to $36 per hour, equivalent to $75,000 annually with full-time hours.
Clinical Research
One of the most sought-after fields in healthcare. Clinical Research training can complement your existing education and help you pursue research assistant, clinical trial assistant or study coordinator opportunities with hospitals, universities and research organizations. Salaries can vary, but recent Canadian university clinical research coordinator postings ranged between $58,000–$95,000 annually.
Your Existing Experience Still Matters
Moving into a new field can feel like starting over. But the experience you have already built comes with you. Following safety procedures, working as part of a team, documenting tasks accurately, solving problems, and staying focused under pressure are skills you may have developed throughout your career. Healthcare training gives you an opportunity to build on those strengths while learning the knowledge and practices required for a new role.
You may also be clearer now about what you want from work: more connection with people, a different environment, or the chance to contribute in a new way. Those priorities are a useful place to begin.
How to Apply?
Our Academic Advisors offer one-on-one support to help you explore those questions and understand your next steps. You don’t have to make every decision today. Start with a conversation about what might be possible.
Visit cchap.ca/shift to explore the SHIFT Initiative.
*Funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Canada–Ontario Workforce Tariff Response Agreement. Funding eligibility is confirmed by the program team.