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By Victor Kaisar

Certified Education Assistants

SD73, CUPE 3500 to pilot new in-house certification program for CEAs in 2026

Nov 29, 2025 | 3:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops-Thompson School District (SD73) and CUPE Local 3500 are partnering together on a new pilot program to train Certified Education Assistants (CEAs).

The seven-month long, part-time program will launch in early 2026, with the goal of getting people qualified to work as a CEA in K-12 schools by the start of the school year in September.

“The Board of Education is proud to support the launch of an in-house CEA training program, ensuring future CEAs have accessible opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills required to thrive in these vital roles,” SD73 Board Chair Heather Grieve said.

Graduates of the program would be qualified to work the following positions:

• CEA 2 – Bus Supervisor
• CEA 3 – Behaviour
• CEA 3 – Personal Care
• CEA 3 – District Resource Room

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“Certified Educational Assistants are essential partners in creating safe, inclusive, and welcoming learning environments in schools,” Grieve added. “They provide the individualized support students need to succeed and foster strong relationships that build a culture of belonging.”

According to SD73, the program was developed in-house with input and support from the Board-CUPE CEA Committee. It comes months after SD73 proposed but later reneged on a plan to hire Responsible Adults to fill vacancies among CEA positions.

“This new program will not only address the paramount issue of providing more CEA support for students, but it will also help CEAs manage the additional workload issues that have fallen on them,” Dawn Armstrong, the president of CUPE Local 3500, said of the “exciting new initiative.”

“The CEA Committee looks forward to addressing other related issues with the district in this very positive manner.”

CUPE called the plan to use Responsible Adults an “affront” to the dedication and hard work put in by CEAs. SD73 told CFJC there were “misunderstandings” regarding its plans as it sought to reduce cost overruns in the wake of a multi-million-dollar accounting error.

The new training program will include a mix of in-person and virtual lessons on weekday evenings and Saturdays. SD73 is currently gathering enrolment data so it can effectively plan for the delivery of the pilot.

At this time, its not clear how many CEAs SD73 is hoping to get trained. It’s also not clear if any financial incentives will be offered to graduates of the program or whether they will be required to commit to working at the school district for a specified duration.

According to SD73, the current rate of pay for a CEA ranges from $29.72 to $31.74 per hour.

More information including details on how to enroll in the training program can be found here. Information about the role of a CEA can be found here.