When you think of a community services worker, you might picture someone helping out in shelters, halfway houses, or youth centres. A high school classroom probably doesn’t come to mind.

But that’s because you haven’t met Sarah Laham.

Sarah completed Herzing’s Community Services Worker program with a stellar GPA and fully expected to follow the typical CSW career path. Instead, she landed a position as an educational assistant in an Ottawa high school—and found it was exactly where she was meant to be.

Here’s her story.

After years of working various retail jobs and then staying home to raise her three kids, Amanda Gauthier decided it was time to get some career training.

She had no post-secondary education and was nervous about going back to school in her 30s. She also struggled with “mom guilt” for taking on this new challenge while her children were still very little. Her youngest was not even school age yet.

But she was passionate about helping people and ready to pursue a new path. So she took the plunge and enrolled in the Community Services Worker program at Herzing College.

It was a decision that changed her life.

We spoke with Amanda recently to learn about her experience with the course, the instructor, and the internship.

Here are the highlights of our conversation.

Marina Denisova always knew she wanted to help people change their lives for the better.

She completed graduate studies in social work in her native Russia. But when she came to Canada, she knew she needed additional training.

She needed to build on her English language skills and learn about the social programs and systems that were in place in this country.

That’s what led her to enrol in the Community Services Worker (CSW) program at Herzing.

Marina graduated from the program and is now an ECE assistant with the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

We spoke with her recently to get her thoughts on the CSW course, the instructor, and the overall Herzing experience.

Here’s what she had to say.

Updated February 2023

If you’re looking for a meaningful role that lets you help people who are struggling, a career as a social worker, community services worker (CSW), or personal support worker (PSW) could be the answer.

All three positions are about making sure vulnerable individuals get the support they need and the respect they deserve.

But what exactly do social workers, CSWs, and PSWS each do? How are the roles different, and how can you know which one would suit you best?

In this post, we explain how all three careers compare in terms of tasks, salaries, outlook, and training requirements.

Updated January 2023

The healthcare field is growing fast. And you don’t need a university degree to become part of it.

With short, streamlined training at the college level, you can qualify for several healthcare careers with promising outlooks across Ontario.

For instance, you could become a community services worker, medical office assistant, or personal support worker. All of those careers are generating new opportunities—and require only a college diploma to get started.

Read on to learn more about each role and see which one may be a good choice for you.

Are you looking for a career where you can get involved in your community, help people in need, and create a more fair and just social system?

Welcome to the world of social work. Social work is all about human rights, social justice, and making sure everyone has access to opportunities and support.

There are many ways to start a career in this field. If you don't want to spend years in university earning a degree, you can pursue social services training at the college level.

For example, you can become a community services worker (CSW). It takes just 12 months to complete a CSW diploma. Many programs include an internship, so you'll get real work experience at a community organization before you graduate.

But short training isn't the only thing to consider. It takes a special skillset to succeed in the social services field. Is it a good fit for you? How can you know for sure?

In this post, we'll guide you through some key questions to ask yourself.

Find out what to expect at work, what is involved in social services training, and whether this career makes sense for you.

Let's get started.

Photo: Community Services Worker students and instructor at Herzing College Ottawa (2019)

Community services workers (CSWs) play a very important role in society.

They work directly with vulnerable people who need immediate support, including at-risk youth, survivors of domestic abuse, refugees, and people suffering from addiction and mental health issues.

Community services workers connect people with resources, provide counselling, and arrange treatment programs depending on each person’s needs.

It can be an incredibly rewarding career path for anyone looking to work with others and help address social issues. Without the support of community services workers, many at-risk people would have nowhere to turn for help. CSWs make a real difference in the community.

Interested in this career?

In this post, we’ll show you six examples of community services worker jobs along with descriptions of each position.

These are the jobs our own CSW graduates are often hired to fill.

Updated October 2022

What exactly qualifies as "life skills"? For many of us, these are abilities we start learning as children and build on as we enter adulthood and become increasingly independent.

We're talking about things like landing a job, managing your finances, keeping yourself healthy, and building good social relationships. Aside from a few bumps here and there, we tend to develop these skills naturally, over time.