Townshippers’ pilot project to support healthcare grads

Last week Kathleen Weil, the Minister responsible for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers, announced an agreement with Mcgill University to address the issue of keeping young people in the province by improving their employability. Through the agreement, Mcgill will receive $ 925,000 over two years for three projects in collaboration with the Mcgill Institute for Health and Social Policy, Dialogue Mcgill, Youth Employment Services (YES) and the Townshippers Association.

“The Government is taking the first steps towards developing targeted strategies to stem the brain-drain of our English-speaking youth,” Weil said at the announcement. “I am delighted to rely on the expertise of partners such as the Mcgill Institute for Health and Social Policy and Dialogue Mcgill, YES and the Townshippers Association to address this very important issue for the future of Quebec.”

Under the new agreement, The Townshippers Association will receive $310,855 to develop a French immersion program for healthcare professionals and recent graduates, activities to build intercommunity language links, and internships for young graduates in collaboration with the CIUSSS de l'estrie-chus, the regional healthcare institution. The program, entitled, “Access to Quality Health Care – Conversational French Immersion for Health Professionals and Recent Health Care Graduates,” aims to improve access to quality care for the minority language population in the Eastern Townships while

promoting the hiring of young English-speaking health care professionals.

“We are pleased that the Government of Quebec, through its Secretariat, has chosen to support this initiative,” said Rachel Hunting, Executive Director of the Townshippers’ Association. “Its development and deployment in our region will not only facilitate access to French as a second language training for English-speakers working in health care institutions, but will create stronger links between the community, the education and health and social services sectors in Estrie. We are excited and ready to roll up our sleeves and work on this project.”

Hunting said that the hope is the project will help more English-speaking professionals integrate into the workplace and, as a result, ensure a better representation of bilingual workers in the healthcare system.

“Providing French as a Second Language (FSL) opportunities for Englishspeaking professionals increases their skill set and their employability within predominantly French-speaking working environments,” the Executive Director explained. “The goal of our pilot is not solely focused on language-learning but also on mentorship and creating relationships/bridging gaps between the two language communities in terms of confidence and mutual understanding,” she continued, noting that the FSL program will compliment the English as a Second Language opportunities already available to French-speakers in the region.

Asked about what kind of similar programming might be available for young people looking to work outside of the health sector, Hunting said that the adaptation of the initiative to other sectors would be a medium to long-term goal based on the success of the pilot project.

“Best practices developed from the health sector pilot can be adapted to other sectors because the model employed is not sector-specific but an approach to improving language skills that is linked to a worker’s existing language proficiency and tailored to their specific working environment,” she explained.

Hunting also stated that she feels this new project represents another positive step with longtime partners.

“Our health and social services networks have been active partners with the public health system for more than a decade and this new project will see us working together in support of the community, the retention of graduates coming out of our region’s schools and improving access to quality services.”

The remainder of the funding announced last week will go to similar initiatives. YES will receive 514 145 $ to help close to 400 young people through internships, French second-language training, mentorships and employment support while The Mcgill Institute for Health and Social Policy and Dialogue Mcgill will receive $100,000 to support research to better understand what motivates English-speaking youth to either leave or stay in Quebec when starting their careers.