Environment

The SHSM–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. Where local circumstances allow, boards may elect to offer one or more variants of the SHSM in a given sector, each with a particular area of focus. This SHSM may be designed to have a particular focus – for example, on environmental science or environmental studies. This focus is achieved through the selection of the four major credits in the bundle.

Required Components for the SHSM–Environment

The SHSM–Environment has the following five required components:

1. A bundle of nine Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits

These credits make up the bundle:

• four environment major credits that provide sector-specific knowledge and skills. The four courses must include at least one Grade 11 and one Grade 12 credit, and may include one cooperative education credit related to the sector. (This cooperative education credit would be additional to the two that are required in the bundle; see below);
• three other required credits from the Ontario curriculum. Schools may commit to including a contextualized learning activity (CLA) for the environment sector in each of the three credits. In each credit, some of the course expectations are then met through the CLA. (Schools that do not formally commit to including CLAs are still free to offer them in one or more of the credits.) The three credits include:
  • two in English (one credit must be in grade 12);^{footnote 1[1]} and
  • one in mathematics;
• two cooperative education credits that provide authentic learning experiences in a workplace setting, enabling students to refine, extend, apply, and practise knowledge and skills outlined in the cooperative education curriculum as well as sector-specific knowledge and skills.

2. Sector-recognized certifications and/or training courses/programs

This SHSM sector requires students to complete a specified number of compulsory and elective sector-recognized certifications and/or training courses/programs, as indicated in the following table. NOTE: Where an item in the table is capitalized, it is the proper name of the specific certification or training course/program that is appropriate for the SHSM. Where an item is lowercased, it is the name of an area, type, or category of training for which specific certifications or training courses/programs should be selected by the school or board. The requirements are summarized in the table below.

Four (4) compulsory

Three (3) electives from the list below

3. Experiential learning and career exploration activities

Experiential learning and career exploration opportunities relevant to the sector might include the following:

• one-on-one observation of a cooperative education student at a placement in the environmental sector (an example of job twinning)
• a day-long observation of an environmental sector employer or employee (an example of job shadowing)
• a one- or two-week work experience with a member of an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) or an employee in the environmental sector (an example of work experience)
• attendance at a trade show (e.g., Toronto Sportsmen's Show, Outdoor Adventure Show), a conference, or a workshop focusing on the environmental sector
• assisting with trail maintenance and trail cleanup
• participating in Envirothon

4. Reach ahead experiences

Students are provided one or more reach ahead experiences – opportunities to take the next steps along their chosen pathway – as shown in the following examples:

• Apprenticeship: visiting an approved apprenticeship delivery agent in the sector
• College: interviewing a college student enrolled in a sector-specific program
• University: observing a university class in a sector-related program
• Workplace: interviewing an employee in the sector

5. Sector-partnered experiences (SPEs)

Students engage with a sector partner and apply skills to gain insight into the relationship between this sector and ICE (innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship), coding, and/or mathematical literacy.

Pathways for the SHSM–Environment

See the table illustrating the four pathways and required credits leading to completion of this SHSM.

Awareness building (Grades 7 and 8)

Shaping Our Schools, Shaping Our Future, published in June 2007, is the report of the Working Group on Environmental Education, appointed by the Ontario government to make recommendations about environmental education in Ontario. The report states that environmental education should be "highly visible within, and reflected across, the Ontario curriculum" (page 13). With the implementation of this recommendation, students will have opportunities to learn about the environment in every elementary and secondary school grade.

The SHSM–Environment provides a focus for students in the elementary and junior high school grades who become sufficiently interested in the environment to want to pursue a career in this area. See Section B3.4 for information on building awareness of SHSM programs among students in Grades 7 and 8.

Exploration (Grades 9 and 10)

See Section B3.4 for more information on providing Grade 9 and 10 students with opportunities for exploration of SHSM programs. Teachers who want to encourage students interested in enrolling in the SHSM–Environment program can make sure that these students are better informed about this sector by developing activities that both address curriculum expectations in geography and science courses and letting students explore environmental issues. In addition, students considering this SHSM can be encouraged to enrol in the following courses to become better informed about careers and postsecondary options in this sector:

• Career Studies (compulsory) and Discovering the Workplace: Some of the expectations in these Grade 10 courses provide opportunities for students to explore occupations and other postsecondary options in the sector and to participate in experiential learning activities.
• Civics (compulsory): This Grade 10 course enables students to explore what it means to be an informed, participating citizen in a democratic society. Students learn about the elements of democracy in local, national, and global contexts, about political reactions to social change, and about political decision-making processes in Canada.

Specialization (Grades 11 and 12)

Students acquire the sector-specific knowledge and technical skills required to earn their Ontario Secondary Diploma (OSSD) with an SHSM–Environment by completing its five required components. Students and their parents/guardians are encouraged to consult with guidance counsellors and teachers to select the courses that will enable students to pursue their goals.

The environment is a very wide field of study that includes various career pathways and employment opportunities. Two areas of focus in this sector are environmental science and environmental studies.

An environmental science focus is geared towards students interested in careers in sciences, engineering, technology, and research. In the college and university pathway, students with an environmental science focus are advised to take additional math credits in Grade 12 (Advanced Functions [MHF4U] and/or Mathematics of Data Management [MDM4U]).

An environmental studies focus is for students more interested in recreation, tourism, and environmental policy.

Students pursuing an apprenticeship pathway should consider the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), which enables them to start an apprenticeship while earning their OSSD.

Students pursuing a university pathway are advised to complete their required cooperative education credits in Grade 11, in order to allow room in their timetables in Grade 12 for credits needed to meet university entrance requirements.

Students may want to consider the Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario Ranger Program as a summer cooperative education placement.

When helping students plan their SHSMs, particularly with respect to the selection of courses to fulfil the requirement for credits in the major, teachers should bear in mind that technological education courses can be offered as single-credit or multiple-credit courses.

Program Pathways: SHSM–Environment

This template shows program requirements for the SHSM–Environment in Grades 11 and 12, along with some of the additional credits needed for an OSSD. It is provided to help guide students in choosing the credits they need to meet the SHSM requirements in the pathway of their choice. Students should always review their pathways plan with their parents/guardians and their teachers to ensure that they have all the credits they need to graduate with an SHSM–Environment.

• Shaded boxes represent required credits in the bundle for the SHSM–Environment.
• (C) represents a compulsory credit for the OSSD.
• The SHSM bundle of credits must include two cooperative education credits, but may include a maximum of four. The possible options are noted below, and explained fully in Section A1.2 of this guide.

* A contextualized learning activity (CLA) must be included in the course in schools that have committed to offering CLAs (see “Other Required Credits” in section A1.2). (Note that students must take Grade 11 and Grade 12 English to graduate with an OSSD, but the CLA may be offered in either grade.)

** May be taken the summer before Grade 11

Note: To guide students and teachers in the development of their SHSM program, schools can access the latest approved SHSM course list for each sector through their SHSM board lead.

Occupations in the Environment Sector

The following table provides examples of occupations in the environment sector, with corresponding National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes, sorted according to the type of postsecondary education or training the occupations would normally require.

Note: This information is based on the 2016 NOC. An update to the NOC in 2016 resulted in changes to the codes and titles for some occupations, and in some cases to the occupations included in the group. For more detail, refer to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MLTSD) web page, Ontario's Labour Market (https://www.ontario.ca/page/labour-market). (Note also that some of the names of occupations listed here reflect common usage in the sector and may differ slightly from those used in the NOC system.)

Postsecondary Programs and Training in the Environment Sector

The following are examples of programs and training related to careers in the environment sector and the accreditations associated with each.