Career and Innovation Studies

Our Approach to Learning

As students proceed through department courses from introductory, intermediate, to advanced courses, students will go from learning foundational knowledge and skills to having more choice and flexibility in their learning. By the grade 12 level in these courses, students will have more choice in authentic projects relating to course areas, and will have explored career pathways that are interesting to them. Students have access to innovative equipment to create physical artifacts representing their learning or engage in authentic industry-standard equipment. This provides students with the chance to engage in hands-on and experiential learning.

Health, Education and Human

Services

Students develop and apply important knowledge, skills and attitudes to the provision of care and services for themselves or individuals and groups across a variety of facilities and industries.

Hospitality, Foods, Culinary, Health Career Pathways, Foundations of Litigation (Legal Studies), AP Psychology, Early Childcare

Business and Information

Technology

Students learn to implement efficient systems and strategies to collect, structure, manipulate, retrieve and communicate information using technology.

FinTech (Financial Technology), Computing Science, Digital Design, Broadcasting

Manufacturing, Modelling and

Engineering

In order to manufacture a solution, a product must be engineered, modelled, prototyped, tested and assessed against the complex problem attempting to be solved.

Mechatronics, Robotics, Urban Design, Fashion Studies

Learning Connections

Students routinely hear from professionals working in Career & Innovation Studies course pathway areas: in industry or at post-secondary schools. We continue to develop more mentorship opportunities for students. These opportunities allow students to explore and reflect on specific careers within a field. For example, students hear from specific professionals within the branches of doctor or nurse to start thinking if these specialties are right for them.

In addition, microcredentialing opportunities allow students to work towards and achieve industry-sought after certifications and skills, readying them for the world of work. All of these course-specific microcredentials are listed in our course-specific materials.

Lastly, competitions are an engaging way for students to engage with our career pathway areas. Students have the opportunity to practice and qualify for competition at the regional, provincial, national, and international levels. Our teaching faculty have coached and brought students to the national level of competition. All of these course-specific competitions are listed in our course-specific materials.

CTS Courses Towards Post-Secondary Applications

MacEwan University - heading: Group D: Optional
NAIT CTS Pathways - heading: CTS Pathways
Transfer Alberta - see which courses can get you advanced university credit
University of Alberta

Hospitality

Hospitality Management explores tourism, hospitality (food and beverage) management, and event planning. The course provides authentic experiences in collaboration with different school and community groups, with the goal of putting on social events that address client needs.

Foods

Food Studies focuses on food preparation for personal enjoyment and nutrition and meal planning. Safe food handling techniques are learned through participation in cooking, baking and food presentations.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

Hospitality
Food service
Medical food service
Childcare
Nutrition
eCommerce (entrepreneurship)

Microcredentials:

Safecheck Food Safety Systems
Advanced Sanitation Certificate
WHMIS

Culinary

Culinary Arts is a two-year program for students interested in food production, food preparation, and meal planning in a commercial kitchen. Through theory and practical learning taught by a Journeyperson and based on industry standards, students have an opportunity to complete courses necessary to challenge the first year Alberta Apprenticeship Cook Trade exam. Students will also earn SafeCheck® Advanced Food Safety Certification.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

Restaurants, hotels, resorts
Baking
Instituational cooking, personal chefs
Meal prep delivery
Farmer's markets
Hospitality management, entrepreneurship
Food styling, food blogging
Product development

Microcredentials:

Safecheck Food Safety Systems
Advanced Sanitation Certificate
Professional Cook First Period Technical Training (first year of Culinary Arts at post-secondary level)

Health Sciences

Introduction to Medical and Health Studies 10 provides students with practical and theoretical learning about different areas of medicine and health care. In Grade 11, students choose between the specializations of Medical Studies, Rehabilitation Medicine, or Community Care. In Grade 12, students continue learning in their self-selected specialized area and/or pursue Early Childhood Education and Care.

Medical Studies 20-30 allows students to explore the medical sciences and various medicine career pathways through analysis of body systems, exposure to medical researching and technologies, study of chronic conditions, consideration of professional standards and ethics in medicine, and post-secondary transition planning.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

Nursing
Emergency Response & Paramedics
Medicine

Rehabilitation Medicine 20-30 provides specialized study and practical training in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation services, and rehabilitation research and science.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

Occupational Therapy
Physiotherapy
Adapted Physical Activity

Community Care 20-30 is a health-focused, work-ready program with practical, hands-on learning experiences to earn certifications and investigate front-line healthcare positions.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

Health Care Aid
Nursing - RN/LPN
Personal Support Worker

Early Childhood Education and Care 30 is available for any student in Grades 10, 11 and 12 interested in early learning, child development, and future child care or educational work. There are no prerequisites required for this course; however, students are strongly encouraged to take Introduction to Medical and Health Studies 10 and Community Care 20 prior to enrolling in this course. This course meets coursework requirements for the provincial Level 1 Early Childhood Educator Certification.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

Social Work
Teaching
Early Childhood Education
Child & Youth Care
Child Psychology
Pediatrics

Microcredential:

Coursework requirements for the provincial Level 1 Early Childhood Educator Certification

Foundations of Litigation (Legal Studies)

Foundations to Litigation (Legal Studies) 30 is available for any student in grades 11 or 12 interested in learning about the legal system and future career possibilities in law-related fields. If you are interested in litigation (taking legal action), Canadian criminal and civil law, and landmark cases, this course is for you. Students will engage in simulation of court or Moot debate as they explore future careers related to litigation. The prerequisites are grade 10 English and Social Studies. This course meets coursework and contributes 5-credits toward the diploma requirement for credits at the 30-level and in option courses.

AP Psychology and Psychology

AP Psychology 20/30 and Psychology 20/30 is an introductory psychology course. Students cultivate their understanding of the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes through inquiry-based investigations as they explore concepts like the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning and congnition, motivation, developmental psychology, testing and individual differences, treatment of abnormal behavior, and social psychology. Due to the reading level, the course prerequisite/corequisite is 10-level English Language Arts. AP Psychology 20/30 provides (3) 30-level credits and (3) 20-level credits in one 5-credit time block. Students enrolled in AP Psychology will complete the Advanced Placement exam in May.

FinTech (Financial Technology)

Financial Technology (Fin Tech) is any technology that is used to augment, streamline, digitize or disrupt traditional financial services such as digital lending, payments, blockchain and digital wealth management. Students will start with learning the basics of finances and accounting in the global context and then learn how technology is innovating how people transact business. Students will explore investing both with traditional brokers/advisors and algorithms. The courses will look to the future possibilities including machine learning/artificial intelligence (predictive analytics and data-drive marketing).

Business and Information Technology courses are part of Career and Technology Studies (CTS) and contribute to the Alberta diploma requirement for option courses.

Computer Science 30 may be used for entrance to some post-secondary programs.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

FinTech strategy
Payments/finance management
Full Stack/Data Engineer
Analyst

Computing Science

Computing Science cultivates understanding of problem solving through analyzing, writing, and testing code as students explore concepts in one or more languages.

Computing Science AP extends the learning of Computer Science to an introductory-level university course on coding, testing, trouble-shooting, and documenting programs. Computer Science students take a common Computer Science 10 course and can specialize in Computer Science AP Principles at the 20/30 level.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

Software development
Database administration
Computer systems analyst
Web developer
Information security analyst
Animator
Interface developer
Video game design
Operations management
Air traffic management

Mechatronics & Robotics

Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that focuses on electronic, electrical and mechanical systems. The combination is used in robotics, augmented reality, electronics, computer, telecommunications, control systems, and product engineering. Mechatronics 10 is the prerequisite to Mechatronics 20 and/or Robotics 20.

Mechatronics 20-30 includes a wide range of solutions for design problems.
Robotics 20-30 focuses on robotic solutions to design problems.

Urban Design, Mechatronics and/or Robotics students will receive credits in Career and Technology Studies that contribute to the Alberta diploma requirement for option courses.

This CIS Pathway prepares students for careers in:

Mechanical engineering
Electronics
Computer engineering
Telecommunications
Engingeering
Systems engineering

Microcredentials:

Arduino Certification
VEX Certification

Robotics Race.mp4

VID_20231006_130919.mp4

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