January 6, 2026
Ontario is investing more than $26 million to train nearly 3,000 new long-term care staff and allow students to work in their local communities, through two targeted programs:
- Supporting Professional Growth Fund – Ontario is providing an additional $5.5 million, for a total of $15.5 million in 2025-26, to train and upskill staff currently working in long-term care homes. Since 2022, this fund has helped more than 92,000 eligible staff advance their careers and provide better resident care.
- Living Classrooms – Ontario will invest $21 million to integrate education into long-term care homes and expand the existing program to introduce practical nurse (PN) Living Classrooms, allowing students to stay in their home communities as they study and apply what they learn as they work with residents. Ontario’s funding will train nearly 3,000 long-term care personal support workers (PSWs) and registered practical nurses (RPNs) by 2029.
Unlike traditional PSW and RPN training programs, where students start with classroom education and then move on to clinical placements, Living Classrooms integrate education into a long-term care home. Students alternate between in-class learning — delivered in the home or nearby — and applying what they learn as they work with residents within the home.
This announcement builds on the government’s existing $4.9 billion four-year staffing plan, which focused on recruitment, training and retention and helped add tens of thousands of personal support workers and nurses to the provincial workforce.