What is a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)?

• 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 (OSSO) and assist in their transition from secondary school to apprenticeship, college, university, or the workplace.
• A 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 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
  • 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.