Specialist High Skills Major Backgrounder The Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM), launched in September 2006, are part of the Student Success Strategy initiative, which focuses on expanding quality learning opportunities and supporting success for all students. The SHSM is a ministry-approved specialized program that allows students to focus their learning on a specific economic sector while meeting the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). This career focused program is also designed to help prepare students to make the transition from secondary school to apprenticeship training, college, university, or the workplace. An SHSM enables students to gain sector-specific skills and knowledge in the context of engaging, career-related learning environments and helps them focus on graduation and on pursuing their postsecondary goals. SHSMs in our Region | Specialist | Information | Schools | | | Kinesiologists, child care workers, audiologists, fitness instructors, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, youth care workers, hospital porters, and medical technicians are just some of the numerous and varied occupations in the health and wellness sector. The SHSM–Health and Wellness enables students to build a foundation of sector-focused knowledge and skills before graduating and entering apprenticeship training, college, university, or an entry-level position in the workplace. Depending on local circumstances, the SHSM–Health and Wellness may be designed to have a particular focus – for example, on health care, fitness, or child care and family services. | | | | According to Statistics Canada: Arts and culture are essential elements in the new global economy – not only for their entertainment value but also for the skills they develop in individuals. An arts education, for example, challenges people to think critically and to solve problems creatively – skills that are now in high demand. During the 1990s, the culture sector labour force grew by 31 per cent, compared to 20 per cent for Canada’s labour force as a whole. The SHSM–Arts and Culture enables students to build a foundation of sector-focused knowledge and skills before graduating and entering apprenticeship training, a college or university program, or an entry-level position in the workplace. Depending on local circumstances, the SHSM–Arts and Culture may be designed to have a particular focus –for example, on dance, dramatic arts management, or technical production. | | | | ECO Canada’s Profile of Canadian Environmental Employment 2007 defines environmental employment as work in at least one of the sectors of the economy related to: • Environmental Protection (i.e., air quality, water quality, land quality, waste management, restoration and reclamation, human and environmental health and safety, environmental protection management); • Conservation and Preservation of Natural Resources (i.e., fisheries and wildlife, forestry, agriculture, mining, energy, parks and natural reserves, natural resources management); • Environmental Sustainability (i.e., education, research and development, policy and legislation, communications and policy awareness, management for sustainable development). The SHSM–The Environment enables students to build a foundation of sector-focused knowledge and skills before graduating and entering apprenticeship training, college, university, or an entry-level position in the workplace. | | | | Manufacturing industries have the largest share of employment in the goods-producing sector in Ontario, producing a variety of consumer and industrial products that are key to Ontario’s wealth. The manufacturing sector accounts for one fifth of all economic activity in the province, and about 70 per cent of the sector’s products are exported to other provinces and countries. In 2004, manufacturing employed over one million people in the province.
The SHSM–Manufacturing provides students with a strong foundation for a wide variety of careers in the manufacturing sector, from those focusing on the service, repair, and modification of vehicles and vehicle systems to those related to the organization and management of manufacturing services and mass-transit systems. | | | | Transportation affects our lives in a multitude of ways. We drive cars for everyday purposes, use mass transit to commute to work, and fly and cruise on holidays. Transportation systems move raw materials to manufacturers and finished products to consumers locally, nationally, and globally. In addition to being essential to our daily lives, transportation and transportation systems are an important area of employment in our economy. Transport Canada’s Transportation in Canada 2006 reports that the industry provided work for approximately 881,000 people in 2006 and that employment in this sector “has grown steadily since 2000, reflecting a high demand for qualified personnel”. The SHSM–Transportation provides students with a strong foundation for a wide variety of careers in the transportation sector, from those focusing on the service, repair, and modification of vehicles and vehicle systems to those related to the organization and management of transportation services and mass-transit systems. | |
Aviation |
A bundle of Grade 11 and Grade 12 courses in which students earn:- Four aviation and aerospace major credits
- One English credit and other credits tailored to include units focused on aviation and aerospace
- Two cooperative education credits to gain workplace experience that enables students to refine, extend and practise sector-specific knowledge and skills
- Experiential learning, career exploration and reach-ahead activities within the sector
- Certifications and training programs/courses in first aid, CPR and hazardous materials
- Essential Skills and work habits required in the sector
For aviation and aerospace majors, possible careers include:- Apprenticeship – aircraft maintenance engineer, instrumentation and control technician
- College – aviation technician, commercial pilot
- University – aerospace engineer, flight engineer
Entry level workplace – cargo attendant, tarmac signaller |
· Superior Collegiate & Vocational Institute |
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