From Classroom to Career: How Upper Grand District School Board, St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph and Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home Built a Workforce Through Belonging
Following the successful opening of the Living Classroom at St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph in 2024, the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) expanded its innovative Living Classroom model for Personal Support Worker (PSW) training to a second site at Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home in Fergus in September 2025. More than just a training program, the Living Classroom integrates education, mentorship and resident engagement directly into the everyday rhythm of long-term care.
Program Delivery Model
Both cohorts at St. Joseph’s and Wellington Terrace are fully in-person and operate part-time on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, plus a full day every other weekend, from September to March. Students take part in three clinical placements during the term. Each cohort currently has 19 students.
At St. Joseph’s, the program grew from a placement for students within the traditional UGDSB PSW program to a fully integrated learning experience through the Living Classroom. The home’s repurposed classroom serves as a permanent learning hub. Learning is scaffolded, whereby the theories and skills learned in the classroom are then immediately reinforced on the LTC floors. Healthcare professionals such as occupational therapists, dietitians and infection control experts are invited as guest presenters to contribute to learning modules and share their expertise.
At Wellington Terrace, the model was adapted to a new context while maintaining its core philosophy. One-on-one mentorship with preceptors ensures students gain confidence in practical skills, while participation in resident social events and family initiatives strengthens a sense of belonging within the home.
For both sites, employment is built into the program design with the goal of hiring graduating students directly into the LTC homes.
Integrated Learning in Action
At the core of each Living Classroom is hands-on, integrated learning. Starting off with simple observations on the floor, students eventually participate in everyday care tasks such as dressing, feeding and helping with clinical routines while receiving guidance and mentorship from their instructors and preceptors. Learning is scaffolded so that classroom theories are applied directly on the floor, creating a complete learning cycle. Reflective practice is emphasized, encouraging students to consider both the technical and relational aspects of care.
Students also engage in social and family-focused activities, including resident events and health initiatives like vital signs clinics and PPE education sessions. These opportunities allow students to connect with residents, families and staff, and residents are enthusiastic about the students’ presence.
Keys to a Successful Partnership
The partnership between UGDSB and both sites thrives on consistent communication, clearly defined roles and a shared commitment to learning. Regular check-ins, collaborative feedback sessions, and surveys involving students, residents, and staff provide ongoing opportunities for alignment and improvement. Dedicated weekly meetings and touchpoints ensure timely communication and ongoing problem-solving.
By prioritizing collaboration, shared ownership and buy-in from all levels of each organization, the partners have built a model rooted in trust and mutual investment.
A key factor in the partnership’s success has been the integration of experienced and well-connected team members. Having staff like Hannah, the instructor at the Wellington Terrace LC and who was already part of the LTC team as an RN and therefore familiar with staff and the organization’s values, made it possible to launch the Living Classroom quickly and effectively.
A Culture of Shared Responsibility
At the heart of both Living Classroom sites is a culture of shared responsibility. From the outset, the focus has been on investing in people and building a sense of belonging where staff and students have a sense of shared ownership of the program. This culture extends across every level of the organization, from leadership and finance to front-line care staff and residents. Communication, particularly in the first year, is viewed as a significant investment to ensure that everyone understands the purpose, expectations, and value of the Living Classroom. That early investment continues to pay off as collaboration becomes increasingly seamless and intuitive. Staff and residents refer to the students as “our Living Classroom students,” and Residents and Family Councils are actively engaged in shaping the learning experience.
Alumni from prior UGDSB PSW programs who are employed in the homes help strengthen the inter-cohort mentorship by reconnecting with their former instructors and supporting new students. Leadership and staff alike see learning not as the responsibility of one department, but as part of the organization’s culture and a shared responsibility to overcome challenges. This culture also sets the tone for staff to maintain excellent standards and encourages them to demonstrate modelling behaviour for the students and step into their roles as experts, mentors and role models.
Celebrating Success
At St. Joseph’s, the first cohort saw 13 graduates who were immediately hired into PSW roles at the home. Additionally, having a dedicated learning space – not just for PSW students but for all staff across the entire home and beyond – was a huge achievement and has already proven to be an important part of professional development in health care.
For Wellington Terrace, the program was highly sought after, with more than 100 applicants vying for 19 spots, underscoring strong interest.
The rapid launch of Wellington Terrace in just a few short months highlights the power of planning and collaboration: renovations were completed on time, staff were onboarded early (the instructor was hired in July for the September start), and key resources, including dedicated learning spaces and staff training, were secured.
Program milestones are regularly celebrated (often with pizza!), such as finishing anatomy labs or students receiving awards. Acknowledging and rewarding the students’ hard work not only reinforces engagement and motivation but also helps build a positive culture.
“The PSW Living Classroom program has been such a rewarding experience for me. As a working mom who is on the go, full-time school was just not an option. When I saw that the PSW Living Classroom program was being offered, I was a little nervous to enrol but thought it was a chance to challenge myself. This program has given me the opportunity to succeed in a welcoming classroom environment with a schedule that works for me. The Living Classroom allows students to gain the hands-on experience needed to start their careers, and is a space where asking questions, practicing skills and working together is encouraged by our kind and knowledgeable instructor. I’ve met so many wonderful classmates who support one another and come from many different backgrounds and life experiences. I’m excited to see where this takes me and grateful for this valuable opportunity.”
– Marion W., Living Classroom PSW program graduate
A Focus on Sustainability
Sustainability is a key consideration for both sites. Having dedicated classroom and lab spaces as well as shared placement resources between Guelph and Fergus ensures long-term continuity, as does maintaining ongoing relationships in the Guelph and Fergus communities to provide consistent placement opportunities for students.
By embedding Living Classroom responsibilities and a sense of shared ownership into existing staff roles and departments, the program is integrated with day-to-day operations. Strong workforce planning, regular leadership collaboration with education partners and a focus on wraparound supports for students, such as transportation, ensure that programs continue to meet the evolving needs of students. Internal advertising has been successful for drawing in existing staff in the homes into the program, and personnel working in areas like housekeeping can take advantage of being able to maintain their employment during the day while they are enrolled in the PSW program.
Both programs have developed a strong reputation, generating high demand as well as connections within their communities.
Next Steps
Ensuring program quality while scaling requires careful planning, ongoing communication and thoughtful coordination across sites. Both sites plan to explore additional placement settings and expand curriculum offerings to enhance the student experience, particularly at St. Joseph’s, where other departments, such as palliative care or the Alzheimer’s Day Program, can lead to new student placements and learning experiences. Leadership emphasizes a “slow and steady” approach, focusing on sustainable growth that preserves the integrity and impact of the program.
Lessons Learned
- Flexibility and open, upfront communication are essential for program success.
- Providing wraparound supports for both learners and staff – academic, emotional and practical.
- Over-communication in the first year builds alignment and smoother operations in future cohorts.
- Modelling the behaviours expected of students fosters a culture of respect and engagement.
- Strong partnerships sustain collaboration and trust and reaching out to others ensures learning from best practices and experiences.
- Regular touchpoints help prevent small issues from becoming major challenges.
- Aligning expectations early maintains program quality and team cohesion.
Advice for New Living Classrooms
- Collaborate with partners and ensure that you are on the same page with your approach.
- Invest in people first (students, staff, and residents). Human contact really matters.
- Build a culture of belonging by fully integrating students into the home community.
- Set clear expectations and roles and maintain open, ongoing dialogue while also adapting and being flexible.
- Foster shared ownership among all of those involved: students, education teams, staff and residents.
- Frame participation as both a privilege, an opportunity and as something very special. Students must feel both needed and respected. Says one staff member, “It’s the longest job interview they’ll ever have.”
