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Ontario colleges will be accepting more students this fall to their paramedic programs.

The province is allowing 300 more students.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones says it will help address the need for paramedics provincewide.

“Our goal is to make it easier for those who want to become a paramedic in Ontario by expanding learning opportunities and providing greater access to training. We want to increase our paramedic workforce to ensure emergency services are available to respond to emergencies when and when wear Ontarians need them,” says Jones.

It is estimated ambulance services across the province need a combined one thousand paramedics.

In northwestern Ontario, the agencies responsible indicated at least 50 are needed for their services to be fully staffed.

To help them, the province introduced a Learn and Stay program.

The program will cover a student’s tuition, books, fees and other costs with a commitment they will work in northern Ontario for a minimum of six months for every full year of study funded by the grant.

“Both the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant and our Paramedic enrollment expansion give students a helping hand in their decision to not just study in underserved communities but also to stay there to begin rewarding careers as paramedics that will provide Ontarians with faster access to the care they need,” says Jill Dunlop, the Minister of College and Universities.