Recruiting staff through volunteer placements
Woodland Villa looks for new staff at colleges
Thursday March 27, 2008 -- Camille Jensen
When Jerry Atchison first began in the kitchen at Woodland Villa, he’d never worked in a long-term care home before.

Now, having completed 160 hours of volunteer service with the home, Atchison has been hired on as Woodland Villa’s newest dietary aide.

Atchison is looking forward to the job and says he enjoys the daily events and happy environment at the home.

He first heard of Woodland Villa when looking for a placement to complete his volunteer hours needed to graduate from the Food Safety Certificate Program at Kemptville College.

Atchison says the home has taught him many new things. He says long-term care homes offer lessons on how to cook for large numbers, cater to specific diets and the importance of sanitation.

Hiring new staff through work placements is good for the home too, says nutritional manager Shelia Leask, who has recently hired three student volunteers from Kemptville College.

Leask, says she stays in contact with the college and lets them know when the Long-Sault long-term care home is willing to take new volunteers.

The extra help is not only great for staff at the home but it also allows Leask to see first hand if the volunteers would be suitable for employment.

With Atchison, Leask saw great potential in his cooking abilities and she tried her best to place him working directly with the chefs at the home.

Now, having hired Atchison, Leask says she wants to encourage him to continue on and receive his chef papers.

Through OMNI’s training incentives, Atchison can receive a $500 bursary to help pay for his schooling and will have the opportunity to continue on with education in the future.

Volunteering at the home is the best way for new staff to begin says Leask, who adds that the bursary has been a great incentive for the home to recruit and retain staff.

Do you know of other types of incentives to recruit new staff? Contact the newsroom at (800) 294-0051.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at (800) 294-0051 or e-mail camille(at)axiomnews.ca.