The City of Cambridge says it is offering free training to prospective lifeguards as it attempts to deal with a shortage of qualified staff to help around city pools.
A spokesperson for the city did not say how deep the shortage is but did they did note that the city has worked to prevent minimal impact created by the shortage.
“Staff have been working diligently to reduce the impact on the community by adjusting shifts and programming locations where possible,” Rachel Fraser, the city’s manager of Recreation, Culture and Sport, told Global News in an email.
“Through these efforts, we have contained service reduction for fall programs to primarily affect two early morning swims at W.G. Johnson pool and daytime programming on Wednesdays at John Dolson pool.”
The city says that it is offering the ‘Complete Lifesaving Course’, which is valued at over $1,000, for free to those who over the age of 16 that have the proper swimming qualifications.
Fraser said that they are looking to hire up to five people for daytime shifts and between 10-15 others to work at night and on weekends.
“We want to attract strong swimmers, whether they are a student, retiree, stay-at-home parent or looking for a career change,” stated Lesley Head, director of Recreation and Culture.
“The idea is really to break down barriers and make it easier to get lifeguards trained and in our pools. This will save them the cost of course fees and fast-track them to a job with the City that pays up to $20 per hour.”
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