A Vancouver School Board (VSB) trustee has tabled a motion to increase the number of spaces for health care assistants in the district’s dual credit program.
The program has been organized in partnership with Vancouver Community College, and NPA trustee Lisa Dominato said it allows students to gain credits in high school and toward their post-secondary diploma.
“I think it’s important because we’ve been talking about this for years now, how do we adequately support our aging population?” she asked.
“And one of the things that the 2016 census found is that Canada’s seniors outnumbered children for the first time in the survey’s history.”
But Dominato said only two students are accepted every year — now she wants to see the number of seats within the district quadruple.
“Recently, Health Minister Adrian Dix acknowledged there’s a significant human resource challenge and that we need to focus resources in this area. I think our school district in particular, the Vancouver School Board, can be part of the solution,” she said.
The motion tabled Monday night will be discussed at the end of February.