Today, Red River College and the Manitoba government announced three additional intakes to the COVID-19 micro-credential to further expand testing efforts in Winnipeg, with plans already underway to offer training opportunities to health-care professionals in specific areas of rural Manitoba.

“The health and safety of Manitobans remains our top priority as we continue to expand our efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within our community,” says Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen.

“Increasing testing is key as we work to reduce wait times and improve access for all Manitobans, and this includes an adaptive and highly skilled workforce. Through this partnership with Red River College, we are training additional health-care workers to immediately redeploy to screening centres where their assistance is helping to reduce wait times and provide better service.”

The micro-credential, which trains health-care workers and students to safely perform a nasal swab on adults and children to collect samples to test for the virus, was announced earlier this month and is in high demand. In less than 24 hours, RRC filled the first three sections, while maintaining a wait-list of nearly 120 students.

The three additional intakes announced today will be offered weekly — with the first beginning on Nov. 9 — and will run until Nov. 27. These new sections are already filling quickly and RRC is on track to train over 180 health-care professionals and students to safely perform sample collections at authorized COVID-19 test sites, further supporting testing efforts in the province.

The first group of students, who started the course on Monday, will complete their training today and will be ready to enter the workforce as early as next week.

“This is the RRC way. We respond to the needs of our partners, our community and our province by putting our strengths to work. This micro-credential builds on the many examples of how Red River College has stepped forward over the past several months to serve our community,” says RRC President Fred Meier.

“As we continue to respond to the changes and challenges of COVID-19, I anticipate that Red River College will be called upon again to support our community in a number of ways. I am confident in our capacity to continue to make a difference.”

The course is a blended delivery model and is offered tuition-free to students through RRC’s School of Continuing Education. Learn more or register.