Food processing
This guide is for school and school board staff who are planning and delivering SHSM programs.
Overview
The Specialist High Skills Major in Food processing (SHSM–Food processing) 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 food processing 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–Food processing can focus on a specific area (for example, manufacturing processes used in food production or the science of food processing) 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.
You may choose to provide a particular choice of focus aligned to the pathway the student is pursuing. For example, the manufacturing processes focus may be more appropriate to a student pursing an apprenticeship pathway, while a student pursing a university pathway may be more interested in a food science focus.
Bundle of 9 credits
The SHSM–Food processing 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 food processing-specific knowledge and skills.
These 4 credits:
- can be any combination of Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits
- may include up to 3 food processing-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 food processing sector. Contact the SHSM lead at your school board to get the list.
Three other required credits
These 3 credits must include:
- one English credit (a compulsory English credit is required in Grade 11 and Grade 12 to graduate)
- one mathematics credit
- one of the following:
- science credit
- business studies credit
- additional major credit
- additional food processing-related co-op credit (in addition to the co-op credits required in the bundle)
Your school may commit to including a contextualized learning activity (CLA) for the food processing 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 food processing SHSM provide students with real learning experiences in a food processing workplace setting. This lets students refine, extend, apply and practise:
- knowledge and skills they learned in the cooperative education curriculum
- food processing-specific knowledge and skills learned through their SHSM program
| Credits | Apprenticeship Training Grades 11–12 | College Grades 11–12 | University Grades 11–12 | Workplace Grades 11–12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Credits May include up to 3 co-op credits related to the sector (this is in addition to the 2 required co-op credits) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| English may include a CLA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mathematics may include a CLA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Business Studies or Science may include a CLA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooperative Education | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Total number of credits | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Certifications and training
Students must complete 4 compulsory and 3 elective certifications and/or training courses/programs that are recognized by the food processing sector.
Compulsory certifications and training
Students must complete:
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Level C — includes automated external defibrillation (AED)
- Food Safety Level 1
- 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 3 of the following electives:
- advanced training in a technique (such as vacuum packaging, specific equipment maintenance, cold processing)
- advanced training in a technology
- anti-oppression and allyship training
- basic electrical safety
- chemical handling
- cleaning and sanitation in food processing
- customer service
- dietary considerations
- employee empowerment training
- event coordination
- fire safety and fire extinguisher use
- first aid/CPR/AED awareness
- Food Handler Certification
- hand tools and their uses
- health and safety – basic
- infection control
- inventory control
- leadership skills
- Lean Manufacturing
- lockout/tagging
- personal protective equipment – food processing
- portfolio development
- project management
- quality management (ISO)
- safe lifting practices
- sector-specific vehicle operation and safety
- specialized business program/competition (such as Junior Achievement Company Program, Summer Company Program)
- statistical process control (SPC)
- supply chain management
- transportation of dangerous goods
- waste management
Learn more about certification and training in SHSM programs.
Experiential learning and career exploration activities
Experiential learning and career exploration opportunities relevant to the food processing sector might include instances where an SHSM student:
- observes a co-op student one-on-one at a placement in the food processing sector (an example of job twinning)
- shadows a skilled tradesperson in the food processing sector for a day (an example of job shadowing)
- works with a member of a food processing industry association or professional for 1 or 2 weeks (an example of work experience)
- participates in a local, provincial or national Skills Canada competition
- tours a food processing company
- attends a food processing trade show, conference or job fair
- attends demonstrations and hands-on activities presented by food processing companies
Learn more about SHSM program experiential learning and career exploration opportunities.
Reach ahead experiences
The SHSM-Food processing 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 food processing sector
- college: interviewing a college student enrolled in a food processing-specific program
- university: observing a university class in a food processing-related program
- workplace: interviewing an employee in the food processing sector
Learn more about reach ahead experiences.
Sector-partnered experiences (SPEs)
Students engage with a sector partner to learn about food processing 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 food processing sector
These are examples of careers in the food processing sector, sorted by the type of postsecondary education or training the careers usually require.
Apprenticeship training
- bakers
- butchers, meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
- construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
- industrial electricians
- process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
College
- biological technologists and technicians
- chemical technologists and technicians
- industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians
- process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
University
- biologists and related scientists
- business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants
- dietitians and nutritionists
- inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety
- supervisors, food and beverage processing
Workplace
- labourers in food and beverage processing
- material handlers
- process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
Information and resources
Partnership opportunities
For local labour market opportunities in food processing, please contact your school board’s SHSM lead.
The SHSM model
This SHSM’s requirements are unique and geared to the food processing 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.