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

Overview

For your Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program to be successful, your school team, with the support of your SHSM advisors and school board, should:

  • carefully consider the educational, material and human resources available
  • take your SHSM program’s local context into account

Your school's SHSM plan identifies the needs and activities that should guide your team's decisions as you develop, implement and grow your program.

Developing SHSM pathways

Your school must offer your SHSM program in all 4 pathways:

  • apprenticeship training
  • colleges
  • university
  • workplace

When developing the 4 pathways for your SHSM program, your school board should ensure the following:

  • your SHSM has a pathways chart for each destination that shows students the kinds of courses that they need
  • students have a clear map that shows how your SHSM’s bundle of credits provides them with a pathway to a future career
  • the courses that make up your SHSM’s bundle of credits have the combination of major credits in every pathway that deliver the technical knowledge and skills expected in the SHSM

When establishing your SHSM’s 4 program pathways, consider:

  • engaging all stakeholders, including students, parents, staff and community and postsecondary partners
  • offering choices in the bundle of credits
  • using alternative forms of course delivery (for example, online learning, independent study)
  • partnering with coterminous and neighbouring boards
  • incorporating dual credits, approved interdisciplinary courses (IDCs) and approved locally developed courses (LDCs), where appropriate
  • using flexible and innovative timetabling (such as continuous intake cooperative education, after-hours cooperative education, block scheduling, early starts, extended days)

Designing a pathways chart

A pathways chart is not a student timetable. It is a roadmap that shows the suggested courses that, when taken as a bundle, will provide sector-specific knowledge and skills.

When students look at a pathways chart, they should be able to easily identify the courses they can take to earn their SHSM in each pathway.

Each course in a bundle of credits has a code that indicates the pathway it supports:

  • apprenticeship training: "E" and "C" course codes
  • college: "C" and "M" course codes
  • university: "U" and "M" course codes
  • workplace: "E" course codes
  • open: “O” course codes (can be included in any pathway, where appropriate)

Students can customize their timetables by taking courses in any pathway as they work towards completion of their SHSM. For example, a student may be planning to enter the workplace upon graduation, but takes Grade 11 English, College [ENG3C] rather than Grade 11 English, Workplace [ENG3E]).

Establishing a registration process

All students within a board or school are eligible to register for the SHSM program. In some cases, students in coterminous boards may also be eligible.

Most students register for the SHSM when they enter Grade 11. This allows them to meet all the requirements of the SHSM within 2 years.

Some students may complete SHSM components (recognized credits, certifications, training and learning experiences) while not yet registered. Your school can choose to allow these students to register for the SHSM in Grade 12. These students can achieve their SHSM in 1 year.

Acceptance criteria

When setting up the student selection process, the SHSM team must take the following factors into account:

  • the student’s readiness based on their:
    • awareness and interest in the SHSM
    • career and postsecondary goals
    • resume, application letter and interview
    • parent or guardian awareness and approval of the SHSM
    • teacher’s and guidance counsellor’s recommendations
  • the capacity of existing facilities (for example, shop classes) to offer the SHSM
  • the extent to which enrolment reflects a balanced representation of:
    • programs offered for all four pathways
    • students
    • participants from each school (if the program is offered across a region)
    • participants from each board (if the program is coterminous)

Requirements

If a student completes some of the components of an SHSM before registering, the following apply:

  • you may not record these SHSM components until the student enters the SHSM in their senior years
  • the components must not expire before the student graduates (for example, certifications)

Help Grade 9 and 10 students learn about the SHSM program so they can make the right course selections in Grades 11 and 12.

Learn about promoting and developing your SHSM.

Timetabling the SHSM

There are different ways to timetable an SHSM program at your school:

  • block-scheduling students as cohorts
  • scheduling single, double or triple sections for eligible major credits
  • accommodating cooperative education (co-op) courses and prerequisites for the required bundle of credits
  • grouping students in the other required credit courses (such as English) to facilitate delivering contextualized learning activities (CLAs) (if your school chooses to deliver them)
  • offering credits in alternating years or scheduling a split class with 2 or 3 courses in the same timetable slot (if your school is small)

When choosing a timetabling option, you should consider the following:

  • your staff’s expertise in the SHSM sector
  • your school and school board’s overall priorities and a rollout plan for SHSM programs
  • effect on other programs in your school and school board
  • availability of specialized equipment and facilities
  • delivery format of courses in the SHSM (for example, regular day-school courses, dual credits, online learning and Independent Learning Centre courses)
  • busing schedules
  • costs of travel, taking into account the distance to the SHSM site
  • use of innovative strategies (such as summer co-op programs)
  • coordination with a college partner offering dual credits as part of the SHSM
  • coordination with sector partners to develop and deliver sector-partnered experiences (SPEs)
  • coordination of timetabling and placement opportunities for co-op and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) students

Promoting and developing the SHSM

Your SHSM plan should identify and incorporate specific activities to promote and market the program. Your SHSM team and its advisors should discuss the activities.

Your school board might use a centralized approach to SHSM promotion through:

  • the school board website
  • flyers
  • posters and outdoor signage
  • social media
  • radio and television commercials
  • promotional items

All promotion and marketing must follow the SHSM Visual Identity and style guide.

Building general awareness

There are many ways to get students, parents and key stakeholders informed and involved with the program.

Key stakeholders include postsecondary institutions, sector partners and sector-related businesses in the community.

Strategies can include:

  • featuring articles on your SHSM(s) in the school newsletter
  • discussing your SHSM(s) at school council meetings
  • communicating with local business and industry and your local chamber of commerce
  • posting information on school board or school websites
  • referring stakeholders to Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) websites
  • using social media to inform students and parents of opportunities offered in SHSM programs
  • making SHSM promotional materials available in guidance/student services offices
  • ensuring that SHSM programs are discussed with students during the course selection process.
  • holding career information events for parents, students, teachers and the community
  • leveraging existing open house events to promote SHSM programs
  • partnering with dual credit programs on local awareness and promotional activities about dual credits in the SHSM
  • sharing economic and employment trend data with students, parents and staff
  • engaging key stakeholders to request their participation in sector-partnered experiences (SPEs)

Grade 7 and 8 students and their parents

In Grades 7 and 8, students and parents start considering high school and high school programs. Students’ decisions often depend on their parents' and guardians' awareness of SHSM programs. To promote your SHSM program, your school needs to reach students and their parents and guardians.

Strategies to build SHSM awareness

You can build SHSM awareness among Grade 7 and 8 students and their parents by:

  • organizing SHSM-specific field trips, skills competitions and activities in the community
  • hosting presentations or talks on careers by guest speakers and mentors from the SHSM sector
  • holding a sector-sponsored summer program for students about to enter high school
  • inviting Grade 7 and 8 students to visit high schools offering the SHSM
  • asking current or graduate SHSM students to share their experiences
  • profiling SHSMs at Grade 8 parent nights
  • arranging for students to attend skills competitions and career fairs in local high schools

Grade 9 and 10 students

Many of the strategies for Grade 7 and 8 can also help Grade 9 and 10 students begin exploring SHSM programs and planning their pathways.

Your school should:

  • infuse career education into all courses
  • explore your SHSM sector(s) in the Grade 10 Career Studies course

You can also encourage students to explore SHSMs by:

  • inviting the school board SHSM lead to present information about the SHSM programs offered at the board’s schools
  • profiling SHSM programs on your school and/or school board websites
  • setting up displays at school parent nights to inform parents about the benefits of SHSM programs
  • delivering SHSM presentations as students begin to select their courses for the following year

Sustaining and growing the SHSM

Your school and school board can learn from each other, reflect on the program outcomes and collaborate with educators across the province who are growing their own SHSM programs.

Collaborative school SHSM teams

Your school SHSM team is key to the success and sustainability of your SHSM program. You can strengthen your local, regional and provincial networks by:

  • sharing effective practices, data analysis and program successes with other school SHSM teams
  • working collaboratively with neighbouring boards
  • accessing the SHSM e-Community, to obtain and submit resources and join threaded discussions with other school SHSM teams
  • visiting other SHSM sites, industry sites and postsecondary programs related to your SHSM
  • attending sector-related conferences and events
  • inviting community, industry and/or business partners to school events

Networking groups also provide sharing opportunities among educators across the province who face similar challenges. These groups may be at the regional level or the provincial level and may include teachers in other schools and boards offering the same SHSM sector.

Professional learning communities

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are an effective way to:

  • involve all staff in the planning, implementation and measurement of your SHSM program
  • help create a sense of collective responsibility
  • build individual knowledge and skills
  • develop a sense of working as a team towards a common goal – to provide a quality SHSM program for students
  • sustain and grow an SHSM program that is both sensitive to local and individual needs and designed to meet our (the Ministry of Education’s) requirements

A PLC can include:

  • administrators
  • Student Success leaders
  • teachers of SHSM major credits
  • guidance staff
  • co-op staff
  • teachers of subjects related to the SHSM
  • OnSIS (Ontario School Information System) leads

Principal's implementation checklist

Principals: Use this implementation checklist to complete your own review of the activities and tasks to consider for implementation.