The SaultStar recently published an article outlining practical personal support worker training that is currently taking place in Sault College.

Instead of a moving desks around a traditional classroom or using a nearly empty–save a bed– auditorium, Sault College has used over $100,000 ($89K from the Ministry of Health, $16K from the school itself) to build a lifelike 700 square-foot lab for training.

The lab is set-up to look like a small apartment, complete with a bed, kitchen, living room, dining room and washroom, amongst other features. This workspace is purposely cramped to simulate the potential working conditions found within various residential settings.

Using a variety of cameras and microphones, students are guided and taught how to react in this living simulator.

I must say, it’s nice to see a mainstream media example of a personal support worker course taking into account residential size restraints, as well as embracing current technology. Kudos to Sault College for thinking outside the box.