This guide is for school and school board staff who are planning and delivering SHSM programs.

Overview

The SHSM experiential learning and career exploration requirement consists of planned learning activities that take place outside the traditional classroom setting.

Examples of activities

Experiential learning and career exploration activities take a variety of forms. These may include:

  • career exploration activities such as:
    • work-site tours
    • contact with a career mentor
    • participation in a technological skills competition like Skills Ontario
    • a career talk by a local sector representative
    • attendance at a career fair or a conference hosted by the sector
  • job twinning — for example, one-on-one observation of a cooperative education (co-op) student in a placement in the sector
  • job shadowing — for example, a day-long observation of a person working in the sector
  • work experience — this could be an in-person or virtual 1 or 2-week work experience with a member of an industry association or a professional in the SHSM sector

Benefits for students

These activities give students opportunities to:

  • explore, observe, participate in and reflect on a variety of experiences and careers in their chosen SHSM sector
  • find out about opportunities in careers that interest them

Types of activities and requirements

Although cooperative education (co-op) is a form of experiential learning, students need additional experiential learning and career exploration activities to meet SHSM requirements.

Students may not count time spent on experiential learning activities towards their hours of community involvement activities required for graduation.

Placement criteria

Your school must arrange the experiential learning and career exploration placements for students. If the placement experience exceeds 1 day, all the following requirements apply.

  • A teacher must assess the placement before assigning the student. This is to ensure the placement offers a positive learning environment and a safe workplace.
  • The student must have Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) coverage through the ministry or the workplace.

Activity types and descriptions

The following table describes each type of experiential learning activity.

Activity typeDescription
Career exploration activities
  • let students explore careers such as:
    • work-site tours
    • career conferences or competitions like Skills Ontario
    • simulation activities
    • contact with a career mentor
  • may be incorporated into any credit course
Job shadowing (1/2 to 2 day and in some cases up to 3 days) 
  • 1-on-1 observation of a worker at a place of employment
  • may be incorporated into any credit course 
Job twinning (1/2 to 1 day)
  • 1-on-1 observation of a co-op student at their placement
  • may be incorporated into any credit course 
Work experience or virtual work experience (1 to 4 weeks) 
  • a planned learning opportunity that provides students with relatively short-term work experience
  • virtual work experience is facilitated through the use of communications technology from the school
  • may be incorporated into any credit course 

Resources