SHSM ICT Details
SHSM Components
The Information Communications Technology SHSM is divided into 5 main categories. During the Gr 11/12 years, the student must complete all the requirements in all four categories listed below. Please scroll down to see each category.
1. Bundle of Credits
Note that co-op credits are discussed in detail in point #5.
2. Certifications
Certifications are broken down into compulsories and electives. These are free of charge for SHSM students as industry recognized and in demand for employers wanting to hire. The graphic below shows the three MANDATORY certifications and just some of the possible elective certifications. Click here to access the website offering certifications.
3. Experiential Learning and Career Exploration Activities
These opportunities are relevant to the sector and might include:
one on one observation of a cooperative education student or a skilled trades person at a placement in the ICT sector (job twinning).
a day long observation of an ICT sector worker (e.g. telecommunications technician)
a one-or two-week work experience with a member of an industry association or a professional in the ICT sector (e.g. a computer game developer)
participation in the Limestone Skills Competition, provincial, or national Skills Canada Competition, including computer programming competitions
a tour of a local television/film studio or network monitoring center.
attend a construction sector trade show, conference, or job fair
4. Reach Ahead Experiences
Some examples of Reach Ahead Experiences are:
College: visiting a college with a sector specific program
University: visiting a university with a sector specfic program
Workplace: visiting/interviewing an employee in the sector
Attending after-school workshops at Bayridge with Queen's Engineering
Joining the Cybersecurity Club and working through Cyber exercises
5. Cooperative Education (Coop)
Cooperative education provides secondary school students with a wide range of rigorous learning opportunities connected to communities outside the school. It is designed to recognize and respond to the diversity of Ontario’s student population, and it can engage all students. In cooperative education, students learn in safe, culturally responsive environments in the community, and they are actively involved in determining what they learn, how they learn, when and where they learn, and how they demonstrate their learning.
Students must complete a minimum 2 credit coop in a related course. This can include summer coop and paid coop placements. Summer coop can happen immediately after a student completes Grade 10. A student becomes a Grade 11 student July 1st after they complete Grade 10. Summer coop is a very good option for students who worry that they won't have room in their timetable in Grade 11 or 12 to take two credits of coop.
Some examples of co-ops done by Bayridge Computer Science students include...
working at the Centre for Advanced Computing at Queen's
doing an internship with Queen's Computing in grade 10 or 11
creating a website for a local daycare
taking on the social media needs of a local sports organization
working in any computer-related job outside of school
