What is a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)?
Students in Grade 10 can register and apply for this program to start in Grade 11/12. The SHSM is a ministry-approved specialized program that allows students to focus their learning on a specific economic sector while meeting the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and assist in their transition from secondary school to apprenticeship, college, university, or the workplace.
A Business SHSM enables students to sector –specific skills and knowledge in the context of engaging, career-related learning environments and helps them focus on graduation and on pursuing their postsecondary goals.
Every SHSM must include the following five components, which are outline in detailed in individual guides for each sector:
A bundle of 8-10 Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits that includes: 4 Business major credits that provide sector-specific knowledge and skills
2-4 other required credits from the Ontario curriculum, in which some expectations are met through learning activities contextualized to the sector
2 cooperative education credits that provides authentic learning experience in the workplace setting, enabling students to refine, extend, and practice sector-specific knowledge and skills
Sector-recognized certifications and/or training course
Experiential learning activities within the sector “reach ahead” experiences connected with the student’s chosen postsecondary pathway, which may include dual credit
Development of Essential Skills and work habits required in the sector, and students will engage in sector- partnered contextualized experiences
A SHSM may be complemented with a dual credit; the dual credit may be timetable within the Cooperative Education program.