The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is a ministry-approved specialized program that allows students, starting in grade 11, to focus their learning on a specific economic sector while meeting the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), and assists in their transition from secondary school to apprenticeship training, college, university, or the workplace. A Specialist High Skills Major enables students to gain sector-specific skills and knowledge in the context of engaging, career-related learning environments and helps them focus on graduation and on pursuing their post-secondary goals.
O’Neill offers a Specialist High Skills Major in the following sectors:
Health and Wellness - Leadership in Physical Health Education
Arts and Culture
Health and Wellness - Nutrition and Healthy Development
Construction Technology
**See links below with bundle specific details for each sector
Pursuing a Specialist High Skills Major enables students to:
• customize their secondary school education to suit their interests and talents while meeting the requirements for the OSSD;
• select a bundle of 8 to 10 senior credits in all four pathways focused on sector-specific knowledge and skills designed to help prepare students for a post-secondary destination of their choice in a particular economic sector;
• provide evidence of achievement of the required components of the Specialist High Skills Major (e.g., sector-recognized certifications) for prospective employers and post-secondary educational institutions);
• explore, identify, and refine career goals and make informed decisions about their post-secondary options;
• take part in “reach ahead” experiences that will help them gain confidence in their ability to be
successful, refine skills and work habits, and make an informed choice about future careers and next steps;
• develop essential skills and work habits that are required in the sector, and have their performance of those skills and work habits assessed and documented;
• access resources, equipment, and expertise that may not be available in their secondary school.