Illustration of a continuing care assistant beside a wheat field and grain elevator near a small care home in Saskatchewan.

How to become a CCA in Saskatchewan

Insights · Registration · October 1, 2026 · 3 min read

To become a CCA in Saskatchewan you complete a continuing care assistant certificate, most often Saskatchewan Polytechnic's 32-week program or one of its regional college versions. CCAs are unregulated, and we found no provincial exam or registry.

Regulation: Unregulated care provider; the employer sets the job
Provincial exam or registry: None found in any Saskatchewan source
Main credential: Saskatchewan Polytechnic CCA certificate, 32 weeks full-time
Where: Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert campuses, regional colleges, and part-time distance
Indigenous route: SIIT Indigenous Continuing Care Assistant certificate, 34 weeks
Admission: Grade 12 or 15 post-secondary credits, age 18 by 31 December from 2026-27, English proficiency

What "unregulated" means for a CCA

Saskatchewan has three nursing regulators. They list continuing care assistants as unregulated care providers. Their joint guidance says the employer sets the job: its policies, duties, skills and training. We checked the province's and the colleges' own pages. None of them mentions a CCA exam or a CCA registry. The certificate is what employers ask for.

Route 1: Saskatchewan Polytechnic's CCA certificate

Saskatchewan Polytechnic's program runs 32 weeks full-time. You can take it on campus in Saskatoon, Regina or Prince Albert. Regional colleges run it too, and there is a part-time distance option. It has 37 theory credits and 15 clinical credits. The clinical part is two placements, at two different sites, over six weeks.

To be admitted you need:

Grade 12, or 15 post-secondary credits;
to be at least 18 by 31 December of your admission year (new for 2026-27);
English language proficiency;
a criminal record check and vulnerable sector search before you start;
current immunization records.

The program page also lists Standard First Aid with CPR Level C, WHMIS, Transferring, Lifting and Repositioning (TLR), PART Intermediate and N95 fit testing. Ask your campus which of these you complete during the program.

Route 2: a regional college near home

Several regional colleges teach the CCA program for Saskatchewan Polytechnic, so you can train closer to home. Great Plains College is one. It runs the program full-time and part-time at Biggar, Kindersley, Maple Creek, Swift Current and Warman. It asks for Canadian citizenship or permanent residence. Start dates change each year, so check the college's own page.

Route 3: SIIT's Indigenous CCA certificate

The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) grants its own certificate, the Indigenous Continuing Care Assistant. It runs 34 weeks full-time. First Nations applicants get preference, and anyone can apply. It asks for a criminal record check, a vulnerable sector check and immunizations.

Where CCAs work, and what the province offers

CCAs work in continuing care, acute care and home care. The province's Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive lists $30,000 over three years for CCAs. It is for new permanent full-time staff of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, its affiliates or the Cancer Agency, in eligible towns. You commit to three years of service. The page was updated on 13 April 2026 and says applications are open. The 2026-27 budget also funds more CCA training seats in La Ronge.

We found no dedicated provincial route for internationally educated CCAs. If you trained outside Canada, the English proficiency requirement above is the first thing to check.

How practice fits in

With no provincial exam, what counts is sound judgment in your placements and first shifts. Our Saskatchewan continuing care assistant practice is a Readiness Check written to Saskatchewan law, and it explains every answer. If you trained under another title, see health care aide vs personal support worker. CareAide is practice only. It is not a program, a registry or a regulator.

Common questions

How long does it take to become a CCA in Saskatchewan?

Saskatchewan Polytechnic's CCA certificate is 32 weeks full-time, with a part-time distance option. SIIT's Indigenous Continuing Care Assistant certificate is 34 weeks.

Is there an exam to become a CCA in Saskatchewan?

None of the Saskatchewan government or college sources we checked mentions a provincial CCA exam or registry. You are assessed within your certificate program.

What do I need to get into a CCA program in Saskatchewan?

Saskatchewan Polytechnic asks for Grade 12 or 15 post-secondary credits, English proficiency, a criminal record check and vulnerable sector search, and immunization records. From 2026-27 you must also be 18 by 31 December of your admission year.