Former sawmill worker Jennifer Plewes has been retrained in the health care field
Byline: Amy O'Brian, Vancouver Sun
Jennifer Plewes used to work in a sawmill. Each day, the young mother donned protective gear and went to work surrounded by heavy machinery and swirling sawdust.
A couple of weeks ago, though, Plewes graduated from a six-month program in 100 Mile House that puts her in high demand at the many seniors' care homes throughout the province. Rather than working with lumber and machinery, the 28-year-old will soon be working with seniors.
Plewes is part of a new trend in B.C. that sees men and women who once worked in the forestry sector being retrained to work in seniors' care homes. The demand for health-care workers is high and, as the forestry sector shrinks, there are plenty of British Columbians looking for work.
"100 Mile House is a logging town. You can't cut down trees now because no one wants them," Plewes said. "A lot of people are really scared."
Lois McNestry, president of Discovery Community College on Vancouver Island, said she's seen a tremendous influx of former forestry workers registered for the 27-week care aide program.
"Our residential home-care programs have predominantly been filled with female students. But we have two classes, one in Nanaimo and one in Port Alberni, where there are at least 50 per cent men right now," she said Friday.
"That's brand new. That's never ever happened before."
Care aide programs got a boost last year with the BC Cares pilot project, which was established to recruit and train new care aides and home support workers. It was a collaborative effort between 20 colleges and universities, local health authorities and the B.C. government.
Advertising campaigns boosted interest in the programs, while a student loan forgiveness program allowed some students to pay less than $300 in tuition.
The BC Care Providers' Association, which helped establish the pilot project, wants to see it extended for another year to further address continuing staffing shortages in seniors' care.
Anne MacDonald, coordinator of the home support resident care attendant program at Thompson Rivers University, said the need for more care aides is not as desperate as it was a year ago -- partly because of the BC Cares program -- but there is still a significant need for trained workers.
"We're really hoping that the B.C. student loan repayment will be reinstituted or will carry forward for the next few years," she said. "This is an area where workers are really needed."
Remi Mavbanua and Kelly Eden are two men who spent years working in the forest industry before entering the care aide program at Discovery Community College in Campbell River.
Mavbanua was a logging camp cook for about 15 years. Eden was a heli-logger and conventional logger for 25 years.
Both men appreciate the stability offered by seniors' care work, particularly after the uncertainty of the forestry sector for the past few years.
"I've been laid off since November. There is no logging whatsoever. It's the worst I've ever seen," Eden said.
He hopes to use his experience as a care aide to move on to further education in the health care sector.
