Specialist High Skills Major

What are Specialist High Skills Majors?

Specialist High Skills Majors let students focus on a career path that matches their skills and interests while meeting the requirements of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Students receive the SHSM seal on their diploma when they:

• complete a specific bundle of 8-10 courses in the student's selected field
• earn valuable industry certifications including First Aid and CPR qualifications
• gain important skills on the job through cooperative education placements.

Who are they for?

Grade 11 and 12 students who are:

• heading for apprenticeship training, college, university or the workplace
• wanting to identify, explore and refine their career goals and make informed choices about their next steps after secondary school.

Benefits of an SHSM

Pursuing an SHSM can help students:

• customize their high school education to suit their interests and talents
• develop specialized knowledge and skills
• earn credits that postsecondary educational institutions and employers recognize
• gain sector-recognized certification and career-relevant training
• engage in STEM-related activities that develop innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship
• identify, explore and refine career goals and make informed decisions about their future
• transition after graduation to apprenticeship training, college, university or the workplace
• remain flexible, with the option to shift between pathways, should their goals and plans change

Graduating with an SHSM

Students who successfully complete an SHSM receive:

• an Ontario Secondary School Diploma with an embossed SHSM seal
• an SHSM record documenting their achievement
• formal recognition on their Ontario Student Transcript

SHSMs at our School

SHSM Course selections using myBlueprint