Business

Overview

The Specialist High Skills Major in Business (SHSM–Business) helps 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.

This SHSM program has 5 required components: 

• bundle of 9 credits
• certifications and training recognized by the business sector
• experiential learning and career exploration activities
• reach ahead experiences
• sector-partnered experiences (SPEs)

Find a list of some of the careers that this SHSM can lead to.

Variants of this SHSM

The SHSM–Business can focus on a specific area (for example, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, or event planning) by varying the mix of its 4 major credits.

Where local circumstances allow, your school board may offer 1 or more variants of this SHSM.

Bundle of 9 credits

The SHSM–Business requires students to complete a bundle of 9 Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits, made up of 4 major credits, 3 other required credits and 2 cooperative education (co-op) credits.

These credits are required for all students, regardless of the pathway a student chooses after graduation:

• apprenticeship training
• college
• university
• the workplace

Four major credits

These credits provide business-specific knowledge and skills.

These 4 credits:

• can be any combination of Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits
• may include up to 3 business-related co-op credits (these are additional to the 2 required co-op credits in the bundle)

We (the Ministry of Education) maintain an SHSM-approved course list for the business sector. Contact the SHSM lead at your school board to get the list.

Three other required credits

These are required credits from the Ontario curriculum.

For students in the apprenticeship training, college and university pathways, these 3 credits must include:

• one English credit (a compulsory English credit is required in Grade 11 and Grade 12 to graduate)
• two mathematics credits (1 credit must be in Grade 12)

For students in the workplace pathway, these 3 credits must include:

• two English credits (a compulsory English credit is required in Grade 11 and 12 to graduate)
• one mathematics credit

Your school may commit to including a contextualized learning activity (CLA) for the business sector in each of these 3 credits. If your school offers this, then:

• some of the course expectations for these credits are met through the CLA
• your school decides if the CLA for English is completed in Grade 11 or in Grade 12

Even if your school does not formally commit to including CLAs, it can still offer them in 1 or more of these credits.

Two cooperative education co-op credits

Co-op credits in the business SHSM provide students with real learning experiences in a business workplace setting. This lets students refine, extend, apply and practice:

• knowledge and skills they learned in the cooperative education curriculum
• business sector-specific knowledge and skills learned through their SHSM program

Certifications and training

Students must complete 4 compulsory and 2 elective certifications and/or training courses/programs that are recognized by the business sector.

Compulsory certifications and training

Students must complete:

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Level C — includes automated external defibrillation (AED)
• Customer Service
• Standard First Aid
• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) — generic, not site-specific, instruction

These are the proper names of the specific certifications or training courses/programs for this SHSM.

Elective certifications and training

These are names of an area, type or category of training. In these cases, your school board selects the specific certifications or training courses and programs.

Students must complete any 2 of the following electives:

• advanced training in a technique
• advanced training in a technology
• anti-oppression and allyship training
• business etiquette
• cash handling and register training
• counterfeit detection
• effective networking
• equity and inclusion
• ergonomics
• ethical considerations
• first aid/CPR/AED awareness
• fraud prevention
• fundraising
• health and safety – basic
• infection control
• leadership skills
• negotiation training
• personality inventory
• portfolio development
• project management
• public speaking
• retail representative
• sector-specific software 1
• specialized business program/competition (such as the regional or provincial level DECA, Junior Achievement Company Program, Stock Market Competition, Make Your Pitch, Summer Company Program)
• successful exhibiting

Learn more about certification and training in SHSM programs.

Experiential learning and career exploration activities

Experiential learning and career exploration opportunities relevant to the business sector might include instances where an SHSM student:

• observes a co-op student one-on-one at a placement in the business sector (an example of job twinning)
• shadows a business person for a day (an example of job shadowing)
• works with a member of a business association or professional for 1 or 2 weeks (an example of work experience)
• participates in a local, provincial or national contest or competition with a focus on business (for example, a business plan competition or stock market competition)
• works with a mentor within the business community (for example, to provide assistance in creating a business plan)
• tours the local chamber of commerce

Learn more about SHSM program experiential learning and career exploration opportunities.

Reach ahead experiences

The SHSM-Business must provide students with 1 or more reach ahead experiences. These are 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 business-specific program
• university: observing a university class in a business-related program
• workplace: interviewing an employee in the sector

Learn more about reach ahead experiences.

Sector-partnered experiences (SPEs)

Students engage with a sector partner to learn about business and how it connects with ICE (innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship), coding and/or math literacy skills.

Learn more about SPEs in SHSM programs.

Careers in the business sector

These are examples of careers in the business sector, sorted by the type of postsecondary education or training the careers usually require.

Information and resources

Partnership opportunities

For local labour market opportunities in business, please contact your school board’s SHSM lead.

The SHSM model

This SHSM’s requirements are unique and geared to the business sector. However, the design of all SHSM programs follows a consistent model with 5 required components.

Find more information about the components of an SHSM.

Resources

Checklist for planning and delivering an SPE