The COVID pandemic has forced many of us to examine how we deliver our products and services. Among our questions, what is the future of health and safety training in Ontario?
 
Workers Health & Safety Centre (WHSC) offers some answers with a special report which examines related literature on distance learning and considers our own experiences developing and delivering training in the past year and a half.
 
COVID has taught us much. It presented both a challenge and an opportunity for ingenuity. At WHSC we knew workers and workplace representatives would need access to potentially life-saving training as never before. WHSC quickly adapted. In response to the pandemic and related lockdowns which made in-person training impossible, we learned the value of real-time, instructor-led virtual classrooms. We now know these learning environments can ensure participant safety and training integrity. What’s more, this format also appealed to many learners for its convenience and accessibility. As such virtual classrooms will continue to be part of our offerings going forward.

Working for quality training

For Ron Kelusky, Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer, Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MLTSD), “We need to put more rigour around health and safety training. …What COVID taught us is that the minimum doesn’t work. There are certain things we need to incorporate into our training that go beyond the minimum, because when faced with a complex situation having a minimum isn’t where you want to be,” says Kelusky. With over 800 health and safety training providers in the province Kelusky believes health and safety training standards are critically important to ensure consistent, quality content and delivery is available to workplaces across Ontario.
 
Kelusky notes WHSC was known to provide excellent training products long before the pandemic and adds, “I commend Workers Health & Safety Centre for being early adopters. They were first in line. They were there for the innovation and they were there for the quality and outcomes of their programs.”
 
It’s important to note too, WHSC virtual classrooms and approach to e-learning reflect research findings and current best practices for adult learning. As WHSC would say, learning methods must take into account adult-centred learning principles or how adults best learn regardless of the learning platform.

To date, responses from our constituents and clients about their WHSC virtual classroom experience has been nothing but positive. Our special report includes feedback from variety of clients. Just the same, WHSC will continue to work to improve virtual classrooms and offer a full suite of traditional physical classrooms when it is safe to do so.
 
“Ultimately, WHSC welcomes all learners,” affirms recently retired WHSC executive director, Dave Killham. “Regardless of which classroom you choose, we will deliver quality training and assured learning–training and learning aimed at saving worker lives and well-being.”
 
Download, read and share WHSC’s special report.
WHSC Virtual Classrooms Deliver Quality Training and Assured Learning
 
Be sure to check out our complete schedule of training essentials offered in virtual classrooms this fall and register today to secure your spot. 

Beyond scheduled classes, and where participant numbers warrant, we can work with you to coordinate almost any of our training courses in a virtual classroom for all of your workers, workplace representatives and supervisors.

Need more information still?
Contact a WHSC training services representative in your area.
Email: contactus@whsc.on.ca
Visit: www.whsc.on.ca
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